Treats Worth Lingering Over

Sponge cake is Tea Companion’s signature product. (Photo courtesy of Tea Companion)

Christmas and New Year’s Day — ’tis the season to be jolly, especially for those with a sweet tooth. Of course there’s the ubiquitous candy canes and classic Black Forest cakes. But these are hardly the only treats on offer. Here’s a glimpse at a couple more places and delicacies that will get you that sugar fix.

Treating the taste buds

The cupcake is a dessert for all seasons: savory, bite-sized and topped with a dollop of frosting. Their melange of tastes and textures make them the dessert of choice for any gathering: birthday parties, Christmas and New Year’s Day. Their personalized size and custom design are an additional treat. While some like to get their cupcakes at restaurants, like the Goods Company or Bakerzin, others like to buy their cakes from Jakarta’s increasing number of small-scale outlets.

One such outlet is Sweet Treats. Founded by Esther Parapak in 2009, the business started out with an equal measure of nostalgia and necessity. “[Sweet Treats] began as a hobby. I’ve always enjoyed baking since I was small. I was also really inspired by my maternal grandmother’s baking and cooking,” Esther said. “One day I tried to order cupcakes for my son’s birthday, which comes a few days before Christmas, but no outlet would take the order. A friend suggested that I make the cupcakes myself, and that’s how Sweet Treats started.”

Like the ripples of water that spread after a stone drops, word gradually got round about Esther’s specialties. “I began bringing my cupcakes to potlucks and get-togethers. And then the orders started,” she said. “First, I only took orders from friends, But then, as word about the [cupcakes] spread, I started taking orders from just about anyone.”

Since then, Sweet Treats has thrived, as Esther receives an average of three to four orders a week. Esther’s cupcakes cost between Rp 25,000 and Rp 27,000 ($2.05 and $2.21). Additional decorations are charged based on their complexity and use of ingredients, she said. “Religious holidays like Christmas and Idul Fitri are usually our busiest times of year. People celebrating Christmas want cakes with special decorations. This is less likely for Idul Fitri,” she said.

Esther’s outlet sells up to 10 flavors of cupcakes. These include old favorites like chocolate or strawberry, or rich flavors like tiramisu, Oreo and coffee. Esther also makes less traditional flavors, such as vanilla lemon, lemon meringue and carrot.

It is easy to be drawn in by Sweet Treats’ creations after tasting their Oreo and carrot cupcakes.

Topped with an Oreo and cream topping, the chocolate cupcake makes for a mouth-melting option; the topping and cake compliment one another in a far richer way than the average Oreo cookie.

(Photo courtesy of Tea Companion)

In contrast, the carrot cupcake is understated. The cream’s carrot flavor is subtle yet filling. The cupcake’s brittle texture is also enhanced with a sprinkling of nuts on top.

The Oreo-cream chocolate cupcake and carrot-nut treat haven’t been favorites of all Sweet Treats customers though. “The Red Velvet cupcake used to be a customer favorite when the craze for Red Velvet cakes swept through Jakarta. Now, I would say that the chocolate and vanilla lemon cupcakes are good sells,” Esther said.

“The carrot cupcake is a constant best-seller but the coffee and tiramisu cupcakes aren’t far behind.”

Esther added that she had no plans to expand Sweet Treats. “I would like to keep Sweet Treats as a hobby, as I don’t want to lose the fun and passion for making the cupcakes or other cakes,” she said.

Regardless of where Esther plans to take Sweet Treats, it’s no exaggeration to say that her creations might just make your day.

Tea Companion: Highlighting the subtle flavors of sponge cakes

Sponge cakes are one of the most overlooked treats. While their taste and texture make them the choice for chefs making pastries like wedding cakes, birthday cakes or strawberry shortcakes, their subtle flavors cause them to be ignored by even the most discerning dessert buff.

However, Tea Companion makes sponge cakes their main offering, front and center. Founded in December 2012 by Reza Sungkono and his sister Astri — the founders of the Pisa Cafe Restaurant — along with their friend David Tambunan, Tea Companion sought to give foodies more dessert choices than ever before.

“Tea Companion set out to address public demand for lighter, more health-conscious food,” David said.

“There is a niche that sponge cakes can fill among desserts. Sponge cakes aren’t as rich as classical cakes. They’re also easier to eat and are versatile enough to be seasoned with multiple flavors.

“The impetus for using this type of cake came from the hype for Red Velvet and Rainbow cakes, both of which are sponge cakes,” he added.

“We also banked on the fact that the public would weary of the foreign and domestic cakes on offer at malls, cafes and other restaurants.”

David said that Tea Companion started to sell its wares last August, after he, Reza and Astri developed the outlet’s signature cakes — the Triple Classic, Green Tea Meet Chocolate, and Chocolate Mountain.

These were made after thorough research by the trio on their potential market’s taste and preferences.

“Sponge cakes will make up about 75 percent of the cakes. The rest of our inventory is made of pastries that we find are ‘trending,’” he said.

“The sponge cake looks rich and sumptuous and they are priced reasonably, between Rp 20,000 and Rp 30,000. This is a much cheaper price than the sponge cakes elsewhere, which sell for upward of Rp 40,000.”

David also pointed out that Tea Companion’s fame had spread since its opening a few months ago.

(Photo courtesy of Tea Companion)

“We have managed to make between 8,000 and 12,000 cakes per month since we started selling last August” he said. “Ironically, the demand was one of the reasons why the opening of our outlet kept getting delayed.

“ We also managed to strike a deal to make cakes for a leading hotel and catering chain. If anything, this validates our premise that sponge cakes can fill the public niche for alternatives to more conventional foreign and Indonesian desserts.”

Like every mover in the cakes and pastry business, the Tea Companion has lived up to the challenges that the holiday season brings.

“Holidays like Christmas and Idul Fitri allow us to experiment with decorations and designs unique to the occasion,” David said.

“If you make the decorations unique enough, people won’t always realize that the base pastry is actually all the same,” he said. “We managed to make brisk sales this Christmas, though this season’s sales paled against the 1,200 cakes that we managed to sell last Idul Fitri.”

David added that the Tea Companion was currently preparing to open a new store branch in South Jakarta’s leafy Kemang neighborhood in January.

This will complement its current outlet in Menteng.

He added that Tea Companion would also update its unique designs to feature everyday items like TVs, radios, vans and even first-aid kits to enhance their customers’ culinary experience.

Whichever form the Tea Companion’s cakes take, customers can continue to look forward to excellent dessert and presentation.

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