Chef Jean Pierre’s Range of Signature Cakes at Colombo Courtyard

Delving into a thick slice of passion fruit meringue cake, I can say that Chef Jean Pierre has truly outdone himself. I’m at a tasting session for his range of signature cakes recently introduced at Colombo Courtyard, and there are four more varieties to be sampled but I know I’ve already picked my favourite – only because I’m partial to anything with passion fruit in it.

Chef Jean Pierre, who has been a part of the hotel for a while now, needs no introduction to the culinary scene. He celebrates over three decades of culinary excellence all over the world, and has been an integral part of international hotel chains including the Four Seasons Hotel, Paris, Southampton Hotel, Bermuda, Shangri La Hotel, Singapore and the Spago Beverly Hills Restaurant, Beverly Hills, where he was contracted to make the first wedding cake for Madonna. Which seems fitting that he’s included a ‘Madonna Cake’ on the cake menu, which comprises of four layers of vanilla cake sandwiched together with cashew nut meringue and topped with fluffy cream with a sprinkling of honeyed nuts on the edge. He usually uses almonds for this recipe but has decided to substitute it with cashew nuts.

The ribbon cake is lovely – something you’d enjoy tucking into during late afternoon tea, and the familiar flavours are fresh and simple. The carrot cake with cream cheese frosting is one of the healthier options on the cake menu, and has been made with a relatively minimal amount of sugar. It is moist, soft and has a nice flavour of cinnamon coming through which pairs up excellently with the cream cheese frosting. The chocolate fudge cake is a little too decadent for my liking but still excellent nonetheless – perfect for indulging after dinner, or whenever you do feel like pigging out on a good old chocolate cake – a classic favourite.

The Madonna cake is nothing like I’ve eaten before. It’s moist and the flavours are rich and perfect with the creamy frosting on top of the vanilla cake sandwiched with cashew nut meringue. The passion fruit meringue cake is fluffy, light and includes a light passion fruit topping and cream sandwiched together between the layers of cake, and topped with more topping and light and crispy pieces of meringue stuck on the edges of the cake.

The cake menu also features baked cheesecakes, mousse cakes and eggless vanilla and chocolate cakes. The cakes are made to order, and each order requires a minimum of 24 hours prior to pick up. They can be customized according to the requirements of the customer.

For orders, please call on (011) 4645333, or email [email protected].

By Sarah Kellapatha
Photographs courtesy Colombo Courtyard