Sanju is a loyal visitor to dessertcomesfirst. When I was looking for home bakers to feature here, he emailed: “I wanted to remind you about my sister, who is also a home baker. Please check out her desserts. You won’t be sorry.”

In a previous email, he had the highest praises for his sister Roshan’s Mango Crepe Samurai (P950/ serves 12-15) and her Mango Walnut Torte (P950). He didn’t hesitate to mention that his sister has showbiz celebrities as clients, and then went on to name some of them. I had no doubt of his sister’s abilities, but I am one of the least star-struck people in this country. In my world, it’s chefs who rock, and not movie stars.

When I met Roshan however, I knew that her brother’s accolades for her were not without merit. She herself delivered the package of goodies to me and we had a pleasant albeit brief chat. For someone who surrounds herself with sugar, she is extremely lean; and for someone with a celebrity client list, unbelievably humble. Her attention to detail is also worth noting – every cookie was plastic-wrapped, the loaf cake meticulously packaged; and the whole bundle was neatly wrapped in a large bamboo basket. I felt like I was receiving my first Christmas gift for the year.

This is Roshan’s banana pecan praline cake (P450). It’s a moist banana loaf cake, and the praline is the caramelized pecan topping. I’m quite unforgiving when it comes to banana cakes because most are banana-flavored cardboards. This loaf however, is redolent with banana, possessing a wet yet substantial crumb. I could really taste the butter in the praline topping whose purpose is twofold – to bring the flavor to the fore, and to add moistness to the cake. This is one heck of a cake, and it’s quite the looker too.

These fudge walnut brownies (P800/40pcs & P400/20pcs) are blocks of fudge big enough to hurt you physically and designed to enlarge both the appetite and the waistline. Heavy in hand, my teeth encounter the crunch of walnuts before sinking into a quicksand of sheer chocolate softness. I detect a subtle yet distinct coffee flavor here too. I like the way these brownies bridge both worlds of chewy and fudgy with aplomb, not an easy feat for brownies, since most are overwhelmingly one or the other.

from l-r: Ghirardelli chocolate chip cookies, Nutella chocolate chip cookies, oatmeal raisin walnut cookies

Ah, cookies – so easy to make yet so hard to get right. Ghirardelli chocolate chips have a very distinguishable taste – smooth, with a well-rounded, dare I say macho chocolate flavor. These chocolate chip cookies (P600/14 LARGE cookies) ride on that flavor, a butter cookie with a strong vanilla punch until you bite into a chocolate chip. Hefty in weight and thickness, this ain’t no teatime cookie.

I’m a fan of the hazelnut-chocolate “love team,” so it follows that I’d love anything with Nutella in it. These Nutella chocolate chip cookies (P600/12 LARGE cookies) could have been my “one and only,” except for one thing: the Ghirardelli chocolate chips used here all but obliterate the Nutella. It can hardly be tasted and doesn’t add much to the cookie except a fudgier texture, and of course color. A good cookie, yes this is, but it’d be better with a subtler chocolate chip.

Oatmeal cookies are what I eat when I’m feeling virtuous. They make me feel like I’m eating something healthy, though not really. Think: angel with devil’s horns. Heheh. Roshan’s chewy oatmeal raisin walnut cookies (P475/12 LARGE cookies) are full of the good stuff – true to their name with lots of cinnamon and saltiness to tantalize the palate.

Food for the gods, aka “damn good date bars” are mostly a win-win situation. The addition of dates almost guarantees moistness and brings out the bar’s butter flavor. I particularly like these because of the generous amount of nuts that when looked at sideview, appear mosaic in form.

Homemade by Roshan
Specialty Cakes and Desserts
6317786 or 09178336286

Related Post:
Roshan’s Lemon Torte