It's that time of the year and Christmas is coming soon! I'm excited! Are you? And what better to celebrate the yuletide with some yule cakes? The Pine Garden has just released three new festive seasonal flavours for their logcakes - Yakult Soju, Beetroot Ruby Chocolate Ripple, and Hojicha Mochi (reduced sugar). Fret not, they still have their classic favourites such as the Lychee Martini and Black Forest as well as the exquisite selections such as the Hazelnut Chocolate Crunch, Mango Pomelo Sago, Sweet Peach Early Grey and Kopi Cat Mountain King Durian.
The new flavours were inspired by three different countries and since we can't travel this year, we might as well travel with our palettes! We managed to get our hands on some of these cakes and here's the important taste test!
Yakult Soju Log
As seen in the picture above, this logcake is snowy white and was inspired by the chefs' favourite probiotics drink and the sweet Korean liquer. It's creamy and I liked that there were little bites of gummies in between the swirls. However, I couldn't really taste the tanginess of the Yakult nor the punch of soju. But...I have to discount the alcohol part because I usually can't taste any alcohol unless it's above 5%. Nonetheless, this cake is one of the lightest logcakes so you don't feel like you're overindulging on a slice after a Christmas meal with family or friends.
Price:
0.8kg - S$58.30
1.2kg - S$81.20
Beetroot Ruby Chocolate Ripple Log
From Korea, we're now going down under as this cake was inspired by Aussies' love for beetroot. Now, I've heard of beetroot juice being used as a food colouring for Red Velvet cakes so I was a little intrigued but not too surprised when I saw this. However, as you can see from the side view, there are chunks of beetroot inside the cake too and I LOVED it! The beetroot cubes were sweet and didn't have the raw vegetable flavour, which added a bit more texture to the soft cream and chocolate sponge.
The chocolate sponge is made with pink ruby chocolate, which was why the cake was a bit dense but still moist and had a slight fruity tangy flavour. I also loved the contrast with the layer of pink cream outside, which I guess is coloured with beetroot juice, that also brought out the mild red colour of the pink ruby chocolate. Yay to antioxidants! Yes...any excuse to eat dessert. LOL.
Price:
0.8kg - S$54
1.3kg - S$79
Hojicha Mochi Log (Reduced sugar)
Coming back to Asia, this logcake was inspired by Japan and I liked how The Pine Garden didn't go with the typical Matcha Red Bean or Matcha Mochi but went with Hojicha. Hojicha is roasted green tea and it has been trending since late last year outside of Japan, often being drunk as an after-dinner drink.
Which is why I like this logcake the best. The subtle smoky taste of the hojicha worked so well with the chewy mochi, which gave a bit of interesting mouthfeel as you take each bite. You wouldn't be able to tell that they reduced the sugar because it is still sweet and creamy!
Price:
0.8kg - S$58.30
1.2kg - S$81.20
Do note that slices of the logcakes are available at selected The Pine Garden retail outlets and kiosks. For full list of cakes and to order, please visit their website at
www.pgcake.com.
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