Cake wars

By MARILYN ONG

A line of judges led by Chef Wan gawked their way enroute to deciding the Best Chocolate Cake at the 3rd annual Best Chocolate Cake Contest at Great Eastern Mall last Saturday.

Great Eastern Mall in Kuala Lumpur was one big chocolate day last weekend as the capital’s four- and five-star hotels tried to outdo each other with their most sinful, delicious and decadent chocolate cakes.

Never was Great Eastern Mall more crowded with chocolate aficionados, as they turned up in droves, keen to witness the chocolate cake fight and get a taste of the yummy creations.

The first person to arrive at noon that Saturday was a Caucasian who carefully scrutinised each cake before plonking down RM350 for the Taste of Legend, the masterpiece by pastry chef Ghouse Ishak of Berjaya Times Square Hotel. He didn’t mind when told that the cake could only be collected at 5pm after judging and exhibition.

Chef Wan judged Beauty & The Beast from Renaissance Hotel the Best Chocolate Cake and Most Creative Chocolate Cake.

Shaped like a coiling dragon atop what looked like a sepak takraw ball, this exquisite cake was the crowd favourite. It failed to wow the judges, however. Apart from being sold whole, the cakes were also sold by the slice at RM15 a piece, and all went like, well, hot cakes.

Gluttony was happily indulged without too much guilt since it was all for a good cause — the proceeds would go to ChildrenCare, a charity project by Great Eastern Life Assurance which, by the way, owns the mall.

“Great Eastern Mall holds philanthropic events to show our appreciation of talented individuals from Malaysia’s art, fashion and literary scene. The third Chocolate Cake Contest is in line with our outlook as a friendly neighbourhood mall second to none for shopping, dining and leisure,” says Bruce Lee Yee Lam, Great Eastern’s vice president and head of finance and corporate affairs.

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