Aah Spain! I cannot help but sigh as I think of my recent trip to this gorgeous country a couple of months back. Now for the uninitiated, what do you think of when you immediately visualize Spanish cuisine? Paellas, Tapas, sangria, sea food, Churros & hot chocolate, would be my usual guesses. Spain is about these but so much more as well. For instance, how many Spanish desserts can you count on the tip of your hands? Well yes, I hear you. Not many. At least I couldn’t have prior to this trip. Churros & hot chocolate (though its more a breakfast item or a snack than a dessert) is now well placed on the gastronomic map. But what about the local, traditional Spanish desserts that most of us have never heard of. After trying some of the best traditional desserts through the trip, I can proudly say Spain offered one of the most gastronomic experiences so far.

Given the penchant for dulces (sweets) at HeartBakes, this blog post focuses on the peculiar features of Spanish desserts with some incredible anecdotes & examples. History is one of the most interesting stories that any culture can offer. And Spanish desserts is in no way behind. But please note it’s just the tip of the iceberg and no way claims to be in exhaustive. At the end, we leave you with delectable visual treats and where you can get them, if traveling in Spain. 

Historically, a lot of baking in Spain has revolved around religious ceremonies and festivals. Christianity in that sense continues to influence the consumption of these delectable sweets & pastries amongst locals. Spaniards have a serious relationship with the humble but delicious flans or crème caramels (different from Crème Brulee) prepared at homes for all special occasions. Crema Catalana, one of the most popular delicious Spanish custards in Catalonia, it is eaten specifically on Saint Joseph day on March 19. But today these are so iconic of the region that it is found in almost every restaurant all year round. We found lots of versions through the trip. We also bumped into Natillas, a lighter custard with no burnt topping. 

​A lot of desserts are seen particularly during Christmas or during Lent and Easter. For instance, the Roscón de Reyes or the King’s Ring cake represents & eaten specifically around 6th January each year, when the Three Wise men visited baby Jesus. This sweet cake (or even a bread) is shaped like a ring and studded with candies to represent a ring. Polvorones or almond cookies (either crispy or soft) are baked especially during Christmas and are delicious. Pestinos a deep-fried pastry and coated with honey is a popular treat during Christmas across Andalucian (South) Spain. Spaniards take their Torrijas seriously (and nope, do not call it a French toast!), a sweet bread soaked in eggs and milk and topped with sugar syrup, honey, cinnamon, wine or even liquor, across the cities, prepared during Lent & Easter. The Santiago or St. James’ cake, named after the patron Saint of Spain, comes from the Galician Spain - a moist and dense cake made of almonds, eggs, lemon and sugar.

​Now this may come as a surprise, but the cloistered nuns have been an integral part of Spanish baking and known through the country for their phenomenal baking skill. The cookies or mantecados (eaten especially during Christmas), magdelenas, marzipans and other sweetmeats that they churn out are delicious. Nuns in Spain have been baking since centuries to support their convent with an additional income. But since they are leading a closed life, they prefer not coming in direct contact with the outside world. The entire transaction happens through a rotating table or cupboard where you cannot see them.

Each convent has their own specialty.  Hidden away from the public (specially the tourist) eye, they do not advertise themselves - no banners, no directions (and no English) - all through word of mouth and present in all major cities across Spain. One way to find them would be that they are usually located very close to a monastery, with a small sign on the door “Ventas de Dulces” or sweets for sale.

We had the privilege of visiting one such convent, curious more for the experience than the goodies frankly. This was the Convent of Saint Leandro in Seville, tucked in one of the by lanes off Plaza de San Ildefonso. We had marked this spot on our extensive map the best we could but managed to lose our way despite it! Eventually when we did find, the door had just a small notice and we would probably have missed it if not for an American family stepping out with a goodie bag in their hands. Anyways, once inside we found our way to a small window with a rotating table (of sorts). Hit the buzzer and soon a sweet voice asked us in Spanish how she could help us. We conveyed in our monosyllabic Spanish that we wanted the magdelenas or the muffins and within seconds the table rotated with a packet on it. We kept the change and the table rotated back again and then we thanked each other. And that was it. A short but charming interaction with no direct contact but some delicious goodies. One of our tour guides in Madrid later told us that for these nuns, baking is a way of life; it is their way to combine work and prayer. 

Sadly, the number of these convents have drastically reduced as less & less women are entering this life as well as for paucity of funds. Today few bakeries across cities such as Caleum at Barcelona or Pozo de Antigua in Madrid (both a must visit) source these cookies from popular convents in respective cities. 

The liberal use of almonds, spices and honey in Spanish desserts are of particularly Moorish influence. One of the most iconic variation of the Muslim sweetmeat is Marzipan as found in its charming birth place, Toledo, a medieval city known as a UNESCO heritage spot. First prepared by the nuns of the Convent of San Clemente, marzipan is typically made of just two ingredients - almonds and sugar, and often shaped and filled in peculiar manner. Today there are innumerable variations and marzipans are found all over the country. But in case you get the chance to visit Toledo, please do head over to the iconic Sante Tome for some delicious marzipan. Empanadas, a popular baked stuffed pastry that can be either sweet or savoury, typically belong to Galician gastronomy but clearly have Moorish influence. A typical Morish dessert is the delicious Piononos from Granada, a vertical sponge (like a swiss roll) filled with syrup & rum and topped with cream - the region’s tribute to Pope Pius. 

Surprisingly, while raw chocolate is the gift from Latin American countries, the hot chocolate in its current form originated only in Spain. Historically, a symbol of wealth, the typical Spanish hot chocolate is thicker, creamier (with undertones of spices) than the European version. We had our favourite ones at Caleum at Barcelona. Churros, a fried elongated deep-fried dough tossed in sugar, combined with hot chocolate, is one of the most popular snacks across Spain.

Apart from chocolate, vanilla, cinnamon and coffee have been indispensable Latin American exports to Spanish gastronomy.

Spanish desserts have evolved today with use of modern techniques & with the influence of French pastry making & American baking. While we experienced an entirely enchanting world of traditional desserts, we also got a glimpse of modern, plated desserts that are as complex as they are delicious. There are others who have combined old flavours with new to recreate something unique. French influence on modern Spanish baking is apparent with the market flooded with typical French desserts such as crema filled rolls, sweet breads, macarons, ecclairs and pastries, among others. Cupcakes which are American sweethearts are not anywhere behind.

On the right: a creative version of the humble of flan in Barcelona
Below: Ofelia, a popular American bakery in Seville; croissants at Creme de la creme, Seville; cinnamon ice cream with cream and mandarin slush at La Pinxa del Bisbe, Barcelona; Milhojas or millefuille, a typical French pastry at San Miguel Mercado, Madrid

In the end, we leave you with an useful list of bakeries/ dessert places in Spain, followed by some visual delights because photographs are the next best thing to having it for real. We hope when in Spain, you will eat like the locals do. We hope this post gives you a nudge in that direction, at least where the dulces are concerned. Enjoy!

Our recommended list of must visits (in no particular order):

• La Panxa Del Bisbe, a quirky but classy restaurant that serves creative modern Spanish food & desserts - we went there twice during our stay in Barca, and that says a lot
• Brunells, one of the oldest bakeries of Barcelona
• Caelum, a charming bakery in the heart of Gothic quarter, Barcelona
• Xurreria Trebol, a favourite with locals
• Forn Baluard. An institution in Barcelona & known for its breads
• Panaderia Hnos Solana, Granada. A small but quaint bakery popular with the locals
• La Tienda de la Azotea, Seville. Try their tapas as well the torrijas here - divine!
• Ofelia Bakery, Seville. An American bakery very popular with locals. Try their cupcakes, they are amazing.
• Manu Jara, a charming traditional bakery in Triana neighbourhood of Seville
• Santo Tome, Toledo. One of the oldest bakeries in Toledo and known for its marzipan
• Belus, Madrid. Very popular bakery known for its coffee and traditional Spanish desserts
• San Gines Chocolateria, Madrid. A popular tourist destination and has a line all the time
• La Primera, Madrid. A must visit for modern fine dining Spanish food & desserts. Each dish is a work of art. 
• Casa Mira, Madrid. A traditional bakery & a child’s delight -known especially for its turrons
• Antigua Pastelería del Pozo, another traditional bakery in Madrid. Check out their vintage tilling machine!
• La Mallorquina, right at the corner of Puerta del Sol, Madrid. Very popular with both tourists and locals
• El Riojano, Madrid. A traditional Spanish bakery that houses the famous Rosco de Reyes cake
• Mercado San Miguel, a beautiful recently renovated food market place - a must visit. This place is a gastronomic delight

It seems slightly hard to believe that January is already over in this fresh, brand new year. Where does time fly, really. Until mid January, I couldn’t really believe a new year had begun already. At least, it didn’t feel “new”. It just felt like an extension of the old one! A calendar after all is just a number and time seems to flow continuously, endlessly. It is not until now when I could make the space (in my mind) and time to sit down and reflect on what ‘was’. In fact, this is that time of the year when I choose to usually reflect on what was, what could have been and what will be. It is sort of a call to begin anew with a clean slate. 

​Back in early Jan last year, as a business exercise, I wrote a letter addressing my future self. I wrote about all that I wanted to achieve by 2018, pretending as if this had already happened. Surprisingly, I wrote about it and didn’t read it again until today. And what a revelation it was. Well, I haven’t really achieved all on that list, but 80% of it, definitely yes! It’s a miracle what a little visualization can do and yes, a certain direction. 

HeartBakes turned 3 in October 2017. From leaving a full time, well paid job in April 2014 to completing training in Jan 2015, from dishing out my first commercial order of cupcakes on 24th October 2014 to baking 5 days in a week, from buying my first OTG to expanding my physical set up at home, from battling the fear of fondant to exploring my ever-growing love for modelling and sugar crafting - this journey has been exhilarating. 

For the first time in 2017, HeartBakes hired part time help. Now you must think how’s that a big deal. But for an anal, OCD-ed baker who likes to take charge of ALL her tasks, letting go is not easy. And for any small, home based entrepreneur, the key to growth is not just letting go but to carry others along with you. 

For the first time in 2017, HeartBakes began to take baking workshops. Now that indeed is a big deal for me. Baking is sacred and teaching the same has become its extension. Sharing my passion with others has been one of the most enriching experiences. There is no greater joy than to see novices begin to understand and enjoy baking! It is a proud moment for me when they send back pictures of their baked goodies. And the feedback that we have received post five workshops has been so phenomenal. One of the participants texted me after a workshop. “You are a very good teacher. You should consider taking this up more often.” That just reinforced our beliefs and is setting the tone for us (among other things) in 2018. 

French pastry is like a woman - daunting, complex, exacting and at the same time, beautiful, deep, mysterious and once you meet, you shall want to meet again! No wonder that French pastry leads the world of baking in all its meticulous glory and finesse. This is exactly how it seemed to this humble baker in my recent visit to Paris and I came to this conclusion: one, how little I know; two, there is so much to learn; and three, I wish I could go back again. Probably why I took my time to sit and write this post. It felt daunting. Where to start & begin. What to include and what to give a miss. And then the penny dropped. Let me just attempt to simplify French pastry for the tourist in you. This post is my attempt to show you that French desserts are so much more than just macarons. When there is so much to see, do and experience in limited time, this is sort of a ‘rough guide for desserts’ in Paris & to what you should not miss! And though I spent a week in Paris, I must add a disclaimer - this is no ways complete! 

To begin with there aren’t just bakeries in France. There are boulangeries (which sell fresh, endless varieties of bread), patisseries (as the name suggests they churn out wide variety of pastries and cakes) & Viennoiseries. Viennoiseries fall between the above two categories and the yeast based, sweet baked goodies (for example the French croissant) are eaten for breakfast by the locals. But then you might also get these in a single place too. Apart from these, you will also find chocolateries, creperies & sandwicheries! But if you are a foodie, I would suggest you do visit each of these.

So here are some delectables that you shouldn’t miss! 

​Breads are just everywhere and of many varieties. But all of them are preservative free. Locals line up early for their loaf each day at their local neighbourhood and consume within 6 hours. The most common ones are the French baguette which are often a meter long and known for their tough exterior. Ideal to dunk into the soups and gravies or lather with butter! 

Crepes are one of the staple lunch and dessert options in France! Yes, you get both the savoury and sweet kind and we obviously lean toward the sweet (!). The classic one with nutella, bananas and fresh cream is the best. We had ours at Page 35, a delightful little restaurant in the Bastille area. I think we had one of our best meals here by the way! 

Ecclairs are a traditional French dessert from the family of choux pastry. This oblong, light and airy crust is classically filled with fresh cream and topped with chocolate. However, now this has been updated to modern flavours and twists especially at L’Éclair de Génie with several outlets across Paris and hugely popular among locals as well. 

You will find several renditions of the Saint Honoré cake throughout Paris and its invention dates back to the mid 19th century. But typically, this is a combination of puff pastry in the bottom, lined on top with caramel topped choux pastry, cream puffs, pastry cream and fresh cream. Simply put, this cake is a work of art and a magical dessert.

​Guimauve are super light versions made essentially out of egg whites and the French version of the American marshmallows. Lightly scented and available in fruity flavours, this was one of my favourite munchies and extremely addictive! 

Butter caramels are French candies that are extremely delicious and addictive. These also make the best gifts. We had the pleasure of having one of the most popular salted butter caramels from Henri Le Roux and was over before we could take a pic!

Paris offers some delectable tarts and some of the most classic ones are lemon, rhubharb, berry and the chocolate tarts! You will also find lot of savoury options that make for ideal lunch or snack. 

​As we leave you with some more gorgeous pictures below, we hope you will be inspired to experience and experiment with different baked goodies while in France. Often, we got the best of those in the smallest of cafes and bakeries. My only advice to you is to make Paris your own, take out time to just meander through the lanes, and try visit a local farmers’ market. Go where the locals go. Do a picnic. One of the highlights of my trip was to buy fresh produce & dish up breakfast in the Airbnb flat and once even dinner. A food tour or a dessert tour with a local guide is a good option, especially when you are here for a short time. French people are serious about their food, than anywhere else in the world. You cannot be in a more sublime culinary world, if you travel with an open mind. Get ready to soak in all! It’s an experience you won’t forget easily. 

If there were to be one thing that draws out strong responses, from consumers and bakers alike, it is fondant! You know, that smooth, sugary, chewy, edible dough one sees draped on every other cake? In case you don’t know much about it, not to worry. This post is right up your alley & a good place to start. In case you do, the following are good reminders before you order your next themed cake! 

​But first, just a little background on how my journey with fondant began. When I was first stepping foot into the world of baking, fondant used to feel like its Goliath and all I could do was to look at it with utter disdain (yes you read it right!). My debates with my baker friends on fondant still continue to haunt me at times. As I said, it always did draw out a passionate response(!).

​Finally, I decided to take the bull by its horns and attended a basic workshop to learn the ropes. I could always decide whether I wanted to pursue it professionally after trying it for some time, right? And the verdict? I gained a new found respect for all those who are making structured cakes and masterpieces with fondant. Simply because of the painstaking time and patience working with fondant requires. It is labour intensive, highly skill based and not everyone’s cup of tea. But fondant is fun, versatile and takes your cakes to a new level of creativity & expression. My disdain just turned out to be fear that I believe I conquered somewhere on the way.  

So this post will be split into two parts. Part 1 - this post that is - will focus on why you should and shouldn’t order a fondant cake. Please note I will NOT be propagating either ways, but just help you decide the same. In Part 2, I cover some of the frequently asked questions about fondant and am sure that run across your mind too.

​The following are guidelines that would help you decide affirmatively:

Fondant based cakes can give you high degree of personalisation. You want to express your feelings or particular thought with the cake. Fondant cakes are the epitome of personalisation and again, design plays a particularly important part in the same. You can be funny, mushy, joyous or kiddie. You can make someone feel special. You can tell your story with a themed fondant cake.

You want a themed designer cake. Now not all themed cakes require fondant. But it all comes down to the design. There is certain level of intricacy & pliability that just cannot work with buttercream. For instance, 3D toppers, flowers, character cakes, and so on, will definitely need fondant. There are some designs which may get away with being semi fondant, that is, where you only use fondant accents or toppers. So I urge you to work with your baker for the design basis your preference.

Now here are the reasons why you may not want to go ahead with fondant at all!

• You have tasted fondant and you do not like the gummy, candy like taste of fondant. You are NOT a sweets person at all. Though the market is today flooded with high quality non-too-sweet ones, fondant is essentially very high in sugar versus say a buttercream which is very high in fat.  
• It is humid and pouring outside! Fondant is weather driven & becomes a pain to work with in the monsoon season. This is because as mentioned before, it is icing sugar and absorbs the high moisture content in the air. Humidity and fondant are lifelong enemies. Constant air conditioning is required at those times for sure. Consider the logistics of transport, storage, etc. while choosing a design.
• You don't have enough time. Most fondant cakes require at least two days to make. You definitely need to plan ahead, if you want to maximize its potential.
• If you have a tight budget because fondant cakes are more expensive than regular cake. Of course, handmade details like characters, human figurines, take hours to make and a baker charges you accordingly. It comes down to the basic question - how important is the cake itself for you and how much budget are you ready to allocate toward it?

So if you love a fondant cake for its looks, I know where you are coming from and am there to guide you. But If you simply hate it, I hear you too. End of the day, it’s your personal decision.

Hope this post helps you to make an educated choice next time you are ordering a themed cake.

Thanks for stopping by!

Cheers,
Indrani