Purple Oven: Cakes, Cakes and Something Else

I once stalked a girl in Makati carrying a Purple Oven cake box. I was excited because I have heard so much about this bakery from a friend of mine (who swear their cakes are good) and thought that there's a branch nearby. Imagine my disappointment when the girl told me that she got it from Pasig City. I live in the South so I thought, oh well ....

Fast forward 2 years later and my friend asked me to go with her to the Purple Oven branch at Sacred Heart Ave in Makati. Finally, I have the chance to see (and taste) what the fuss is all about.

Store Front

The Makati branch of the Purple Oven is a small unassuming store located along quiet Sacred Heart Ave inside the YMCA building in front of the Sacred Heart Church.

Cute Logo

We went there Saturday mid-afternoon and luckily there weren't too many people. It's a small store but all of their cakes and breads are well displayed. Most of the time people just come in, buy and leave but there's also 3 tables you can use if you want to have a cup of coffee and taste some of their baked goods. Which is what we did.

Quiet Saturday afternoon

3 small tables 

Schedule of the baking just in case you want it hot

all kind of baked goods

We decided to try the Tuna Bun and Soft Cinammon Roll. I wanted to try some cake slices but they only sell the whole cake.

Soft Cinnamon Roll P65

Tuna Bun P75

First, I was disappointed that they didn't take the time to heat up the Tuna Bun. No knife as well, not even plastic ones. The Cinnamon Roll was soft, nicely done but the cinnamon was a little skimpy and the icing on top was a little too sweet. The Tuna Bun was a disappointment. When you cut into it (wish I took a picture) you had this big gaping space and a little bit of tuna filling. Both were not worth it based on how much it cost.

Cakes, Cakes and Something Else

We hoped that the cakes were a bit better.

Unfortunately, you cannot buy per piece

one of their bestsellers

bread galore

intriguing descriptions

no description for the banana loaf?

After checking everything out, my friend and I decided to buy 2 cakes to share. Initially we asked the staff if it was possible for them to cut it in half and then switch one side but they said they couldn't. Even with our assurance that we wouldn't blame them if it gets destroyed during the process :) So my friend and I decided to just do it ourselves at her apartment. 

two boxes

I chose the Stardust cake which is a light cream, light cake with meringue crust covered in buttered cream encrusted with chopped pistachio.

mmmmm ....

no mercy!

My friend who is a chocoholic really wanted to try the Grandma Cake which is chocolate cake covered in chocolate frosting with caramel filling in between layers.

chocolate, chocolate but how to cut it in half with all that hard chocolate on top?

turns out you just need to do it very carefully

2 in 1 

The Stardust cake was a big hit with my family. The cake was indeed light and very very soft (2 days in the fridge and it was still moist), the icing was just right and not too sweet. I wished the meringue on the bottom would have been thicker or even between the layers. But overall, very good.

The Grandma cake was very moist, not to dense, icing was good - not too sweet with a good amount of chocolate - but the best part is the caramel which was thick and gooooooooood.

Final Verdict

After the initial disappointment with their bun and rolls, the cakes were surprisingly good. Not wow good but a solid very good. Most of the cakes had interesting flavors and I am intrigued enough to go back for more. The cakes were a bit expensive (P630-P850) and they don't accept credit cards so be prepared to bring cash.

If you are looking for an alternative to the usual gooey, sweet cakes from Red Ribbon or Goldilocks then Purple Oven is for you.

P.S. I've heard it whispered that Purple Oven is the supplier for my favorite favorite banoffe pies from that popular coffee chain. So next time, I think I'll try that one and compare.

The Purple Oven

63 Saint Peter St., Oranbo Pasig

YMCA Bldg. 7 Sacred Heart St., San Antonio Village Makati City

Contact numbers: 6314221 / 9101363 / 9101364

Open 8am-9pm