A CLOSER LOOK AT THIS WEEK’S HOUSE SPECIAL: Gluten-free Mocha Macadamia Nut Cake ($18.95 for 6-inch, $30 for 8-inch)
You could miss it, but you really don’t want to. Tucked away in a corner across from Hawaiian Humane Society, just before the freeway onramp, is Cake Works. And behind the cases filled with rainbow-colored French macarons and mini cupcakes of unimaginable flavors, stands chef Abigail Langlas, or simply chef Abi. Owner and mastermind of this thriving sweet shop and catering business, chef Abi brings her experiences and passions from her time in Europe to the sweet-toothed fanatics of Hawaii. Macarons are a constant favorite, but customers always are looking for something different. New favorites include Chocolate-Dipped Homemade Marshmallows ($7.25/five-set), and a gluten-free item will be featured every month. This month’s gluten-free special is Mocha Macadamia Nut Cake.
Layers of soft chocolate butter cake made with gluten-free flour, of course, are accentuated with Waialua grown cacao chocolate called Kokoleka.
Another lesson from Cake Works’ chef: “Macarons are pronounced ‘Ma-ca-rons’ not ‘Ma-ca-roons,’ there only is one o.” Thanks, chef Abi!
To literally “top” everything off, generous amounts of macadamia nut brittle are crumbled onto the cake, adding the last component needed: a little bit of saltiness.
For a pleasant and welcomed surprise, chef Abi has thoughtfully placed a layer of chocolate ganache into the cake, just in case you didn’t get enough decadence.
Encasing the cake and holding the layers together is a subtle yet prominent coffee butter cream, with just the right consistency of thickness and lush; the bite of the coffee flavor effortlessly offsets the sweet.
“I want to have it (gluten-free choices) available all the time, instead of as a special-order option only,” Langlas states.
Cake Works
2820 S. King St.
946-4333
Monday-Saturday, 9 a.m.-7 p.m.
Sunday, 9 a.m.-6 p.m.
Honolulu, HI 96826
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