GUIDE: The Dreamiest Desserts to Bring Sweet Cheer to Your Holiday Parties

(SPOT.ph) In a holiday spread, past the lechon and morcon and Tita Gail’s famous Pinoy-style spaghetti, are the colorful rows of desserts—towering cakes and glossy entremets waiting to be sliced; rows of cupcakes embellished with sprinkles; boxes of cookies in all shapes and styles, laid open for the taking. If you’ve got a penchant for the sweet stuff, you might even find yourself reaching for them before you’re done with the savory ulam on your plate. No doubt desserts make for especially memorable and festive gatherings, as well as great gifts for pretty much anyone on your list. Here, we’ve compiled sugary suggestions bound to elicit oohs and ahhs at all your events this season.

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Most versions of tiramisu are on the decadent side, but Sainte Anne’s makes a case for a lighter interpretation of the Italian dessert. Their Tiramicups (P2,400/one dozen)—essentially tiramisu in a cup—presents the coffee-mascarpone pairing in an ethereal light, similar to the fruit shortcakes the brand is known for. Each cupcake has a fluffy sponge-cake base that absorbs its espresso soak without getting soggy; and a generous crown of billowy mascarpone dusted with cocoa.

For orders, fill out Sainte Anne’s order form or send them a message on Facebook or Instagram.

Sometimes you just need a classic that won’t let you down. Enter 50 & Co., the purveyor formerly known as 50 Shades of Dough, who presents a lineup of bakes that are great versions of crowd-pleasing originals. Think: Classic Chocolate Chip Cookies (P1,500/dozen) that are chewy in the center and generous on the melty chocolate; Food for the Gods (P1,500/dozen) chock-full of dates and buttery walnuts; Carrot Cake (P1,900/six inches; P2,900/nine inches) with a dense but moist crumb, and a good helping of tangy cream-cheese frosting; a Coffee Crunch Cake (P1,900/six inches; P2,900/nine inches) crowned with amber cubes of honeycomb; Basque Cheesecake (P2,200/six inches) with a burnt top and molten center; and a deep, dark Chocolate Ganache Cake (P1,900/six inches; P2,900/nine inches). What they lack in gimmicks and frills, they more than make up for in sheer quality—you and your crew deserve no less this holiday season.

For orders, send a message to 50 & Co. Bakery on Facebook or Instagram.

Having a bilao of kakanin on the table makes for an especially festive holiday spread, and Cakes by Gel Salonga’s giving us an especially indulgent way to enjoy the flavors associated with them. They've come out with a line of Mini Cheesecakes (P2,000/32 pieces) in Bibingka, Maja, and Ube variations, great for passing around or sharing—their tiny size allows you to sample reasonable portions of all flavors in one go. Best part? They’re thoughtfully packaged in sambalilo—traditional hand-woven hats from Cavinti, Laguna, made of dried pandan leaves.

For orders, send a message to Gel Salonga-Datu on Facebook, or visit Cakes by Gel Salonga’s website.

Does the sound of the crinkling foil when opening a ball of Ferrero Rocher get you salivating like a Pavlov-trained dog at the ring of a bell? Now imagine that chocolate-hazelnut duo in a lush medium that gets more molten and creamy as you get to the center. El Born Cheesecake’s making that dream come to fruition with their limited-edition offering, the Ferrero Rocher Cheesecake. Here, chocolate, praline, and the brand’s Basque Burnt Cheesecake base make sweet love in a creamy filling that fills a buttery biscuit base. Rounds of this treat are available at the the El Born Cheesecake nooks at MITSUKOSHI BGC and The Grid, Rockwell.

El Born Cheesecake is at B1, MITSUKOSHI BGC, Bonifacio Global City and Stall 15, The Grid Food Market, Power Plant Mall, Rockwell, Makati City. For more information, check out El Born Cheesecake’s Instagram page.

What's Simbang Gabi without bibingka? Sebastian's Ice Cream has taken it upon themselves to translate its telltale flavors as a cool, creamy frozen dessert as they debut what might be their best Bibingka ice cream yet—one that tastes especially close to the real deal, being smoky and a touch earthy from being infused with roasted banana leaf in the ice-cream base. You can get a pint of just the ice cream for P495, or go even grander with the Bibingka Ice Cream Cake (P185/slice, P1,950/whole) which has layers of bibingka and cheddar cheese ice cream plus bibingka cake and salted duck egg chunks. Other holiday treats not to miss from Sebastian's are the Puto Bumbong Ice Cream, Ube Leche Flan Torte, and Chocolate Peppermint Crinkle Chilly Burger.

Sebastian's Ice Cream is at 4/F The Podium, 12 ADB Avenue, Mandaluyong City. For orders, visit Sebastian's Ice Cream's website.

The appeal of Wadough’s Black Bottom Cupcake (P950/dozen) is multifold. The glossy swirl of Davao tablea ganache draws you in, and it’s an absolute joy sinking your teeth into the plush, squidgy base of chocolate cake peeking from behind the cupcake liners. As you get to the center, you’re met with the best part: a velvety filling of cheesecake, which has just the right amount of tang to even out the chocolate’s bittersweet thrum without completely taking over. For a more decidedly holiday-themed treat, Wadough’s also has special Christmas cakes available in Tree, Snow Angel, and Wreath motifs, available in four-, six-, and eight-inch variations.

Wadoughs is at 154 Maginhawa Street, Quezon City. For orders and inquiries, visit Wadoughs’ Facebook page.

If you like your sans rival with crisp, airy layers of meringue and smooth-as-silk buttercream that isn’t too sweet, Cipriano is your gal (or guy). They make the dessert with different nuts, all of which are excellent in their own way: Cashew (P800), Macadamia (P1,200), Pistachio (P1,300), and for the indecisive, Triple Nut (P1,595). Though best enjoyed out of the freezer—that’s when you get the best textural contrast between the meringue and the buttercream—it takes on a more chewy consistency when softened a tad, which is dreamy in its own right.

For orders, visit Cipriano Sans Rival’s website or Facebook page.

Chocolate and cheesecake are fantastic individually, but also make beautiful music when they come together. Illustrating this wonderfully are the new collaboration treats from Cheesecake by Chele and Auro Chocolate, available only for a limited time. Choose from the lighter, brighter Auro Blanco Calamansi Tarta de Queso (P290/slice, P1,400/seven inches, P2,300/nine inches) or the sultry, orange-kissed Auro Dark Chocolate Orange & Hazelnut Burnt Basque Cheesecake (P290/slice, P1,400/seven inches, P2,300/8.5 inches), both of which boast of lush, creamy centers. These are available at the Cheesecake by Chele nook at The Podium, and at the Auro Chocolate Café in BGC.

Cheesecake by Chele is at G/F The Podium, 12 ADB Avenue, Mandaluyong City. Auro Chocolate Café is at Unit 01, G/F One Maridien Tower (U/C), 27th Street, Bonifacio Global City. For delivery orders, contact 0917-703-8877 through Viber or fill out Cheesecake by Chele's order form. For more information, check out the Instagram pages of Cheesecake by Chele and Auro Chocolate.

Trust Leonisa’s Kitchen to deliver on desserts that are knockouts in the visual and taste department—we’ve been fans of their choux au craquelin-style cream puffs for a while, and they have a Christmas version available with holiday-themed embellishments. You can opt for a box of assorted flavors, so you get a piece each of its Vanilla, Mango, Strawberry, Green Tea, Black Sesame, Dark Chocolate, Ube Cream Cheese, Hazelnut Milk Chocolate, and Kalamansi with Chocolate Ganache variants. For a real impressive treat, make room for their multilayered entremets and other cakes. The Malagos Chocolate Raspberry Entremet presents the chocolate-raspberry combo in a multitude of textures, thanks to its layers of almond chocolate crumble, chocolate sponge, dark chocolate mousse, raspberry chocolate ganache, raspberry compote, vanilla crémeux, and a chocolate glaze. Their use of Malagos dark couverture chocolate makes for a robust, fruity note that’s beautiful with the tang of the raspberries.

For orders, send a message to Leonisa’s Kitchen on Facebook or Instagram.

Not even the 'Ber-month chill can stop a true-blue dessert fan from diving into a pint of ice cream, and Pinkerton’s got four Christmas-y flavors worth stocking in the freezer for the season. The Fruitcake (P550) is infused with the famous Casa San Luis fruitcake that’s aged one year; Shrek the Halls (P550) combines the trendsetters that are matcha and ube, plus a swirl of mango jam; Bad Santa (P550) goes naughty and nostalgic with a chocolate-chip crumble, cookie dough, and whisky caramel folded into milk ice cream; and Home Alone (P550) brings together cooling and bittersweet worlds with mint chocolate ice cream and dark chocolate mint bits.

For orders, visit Pinkerton’s delivery website or contact 0945-825-0123 on Viber. You can also check out their Instagram page.

‘Tis the season for warming spices, like those found in the European biscuit known as speculoos—and Patisserie Le Chouxcolat gives the flavor a fun upgrade by using it in the Speculoos Chocolate Entremet (P2,850). Showstopping even from the outside with its intricately decorated exterior, it also boasts layers of speculoos cream ganache, Biscoff praline crunch, hazelnut dacquoise, a moist chocolate sponge, vanilla chantilly cream, and a Speculoos mirror glaze.

For orders, fill out Patisserie Le Chouxcolat's order form. You can also check out their Instagram page.

Pies are synonymous with the holidays in the Western world, and Old Boy Bakery gives the dessert surprisingly fitting Filipino flair in their Gabi Keso version (P900). Taro and cheese is a common ice-cream flavor tandem in Bataan, where owner Anton Miranda hails from. He combines the said ingredients with coconut cream to form a rich, nutty, barely-sweet filling that fills a buttery saltine-cracker crust. You can catch them at bazaars in the Metro (closest as of writing is the Assumption Christmas Bazaar, open ‘til November 30); at the Salcedo Market on Saturdays until December 27; or by giving them a call.

For orders and inquiries, contact Old Boy Bakery at 0908-597-5107. You can also check out their Instagram page.