Birthday Cake or Pie?

[cynsaligia]

Re: Birthday Cake or Pie?

at eric's urging, i'm more pictures of some truly good cakes (he is also of the mind that anyone who thinks cake is glorified bread is not well-educated... gastronomically). pomai, i suggest you try these whenever you get the chance, because you've clearly never had what i would call a good cake. and expanding your food knowledge is always a joyful thing.

note: all these pics were from reid's onokinegrindz blog.

raspberry chocolate pyramid from jj's.

chocolate cake from grand cafe.

warm lilikoi pudding cake from mariposa.

i've heard that roy's does a really great molten chocolate cake. i intend to try it and see how it compares to the one at 12th avenue grill (which i like) or the one at morton's (which i love).

for a less gourmand cake experience that is still relatively good, try dobash or chantilly at liliha bakery. or you can go to mary catherine's. i've had her cakes at several weddings, and i remember them being pretty good.

oh, and for the record? the question specifically asks, "birthday cake or pie?" i'm the one with the "you're thinking too hard about this" vote. if it's your birthday, you get to choose whether to have cake, pie, cannoli, froyo, a bar of xocolatl dagoba organic chocolate, a variety of kankanen, or even zenzai.

[Leo Lakio]

Re: Birthday Cake or Pie?

I recently tried a slice of Okinawan Sweet Potato and Haupia Pie from Uncle's at Pier 38 (next to Nico's)...

I make a pretty wicked Okinawan sweet potato pie.

Now, that's something I'd loooooove to try!!!

Miulang provided us with a fine recipe for this, so the AF has made it a couple of times. The non-Hawai`i folks just kinda looked at it with concern...which left more for the Hawai`i folks to devour.

repeat after me:
CHEESEPIE
CHEESEPIE
CHEESEPIE

That would get my vote as well.

[Surfingfarmboy]

Re: Birthday Cake or Pie?

I have to add to my previous post to this thread, that besides the fruit pies which I enjoy so much at Anna Miller's, the all-time greatest slice of fruit pie I ever had was a memorable slice of gooseberry pie from the locally famous (in the Chicagoland area) Phil Smidt's Restaurant in Hammond, Indiana. I'm not sure if many of you know much about gooseberries, but in Hawai'i, the poha fruit comes pretty darn close to it. But to go on, Phil Smidt's gooseberry pie is the perfect contrast of sweet and tang, with just the right amount of spice. I may have to go back to Phil Smidt's someday, just for the pie. (I'm not a consumer of their other menu item which people come for miles around to eat: Phil Smidt's fried frog legs)

www.philsmidts.com

Bakers Square, a national restaurant chain that features dozens of different pies for dessert, similar to Anna Miller's (but alas, no cutie waitresses), once/may still have a boysenberry pie that was some ono.

Again, pie over cake any day, any occasion!

[scrivener]

Re: Birthday Cake or Pie?

Bakers Square, a national restaurant chain that features dozens of different pies for dessert, similar to Anna Miller's (but alas, no cutie waitresses)...

Well, then. Forget it.

[Pomai]

Re: Birthday Cake or Pie?

at eric's urging, i'm more pictures of some truly good cakes (he is also of the mind that anyone who thinks cake is glorified bread is not well-educated... gastronomically). pomai, i suggest you try these whenever you get the chance, because you've clearly never had what i would call a good cake.

Ouch! Hey, be nice!

I'm referring to the typical birthday cake, like the kind you can custom-order at Costco. How often have you had a birthday cake that was Molten Godiva?

Even a basic $5 Apple or Pumpkin pie from Foodland has all the moisture and texture qualities that even the best cakes wish to have. That's my argument, and I'm sticking to it!

oh, and for the record? the question specifically asks, "birthday cake or pie?" i'm the one with the "you're thinking too hard about this" vote. if it's your birthday, you get to choose whether to have cake, pie, cannoli, froyo, a bar of xocolatl dagoba organic chocolate, a variety of kankanen, or even zenzai.

Hey, I wouldn't talk. Look who's making so much effort in justifying CAKE!

Actually, to be fair, the pie has to have the proper physical attributes of a cake in order to be decorated like a cake. Cakes and pies are usually round an d cut into wedges for serving, but the top of a cake is sturdier, like for placing candles. With that, I'd go with the Okinawan Sweet Potato and Haupia Pie, as the Haupia top layer is firm enough for candles. Just gotta' make the whipped cream top layer thinner. A lemon meringue would never work as there's way too much whipped cream on top. Neither would a banana cream pie. A custard or pumpkin pie could work. I don't know about apple, as the crust wouldn't hold up the candles, unless you secured it with frosting.

Now I really am thinking too much about this. lol

Here's a molten chocolate cake (my ice cream had melted in the photo) I enjoyed at Washington Place by Chef Alan Wong...



And yes, this was a birthday cake! Just prepared individually instead of of one big cake. How was it? AWESOME! See, I like cake too.. if it reminds me of pie! lol As advertised, it's filled with molten chocolate.

Roy's Melting Hot Chocolate Souffle...





Almost identical to Alan Wong's in texture and flavor. Awesome of course.

[cynsaligia]

Re: Birthday Cake or Pie?

pomai--

okay, now that you've clarified, i'll lay off on the cake myself. i'm sorry for giving you an owie. it was this statement that i vehemently disagreed with:

Sure, there ARE some great cakes out there, but even the greatest cake cannot TOUCH just a moderate pie, let alone a great one. Just no comparison, IMO.

keep in mind i said this:

a good cake is, generally, exceedingly harder to create than a good pie, and a good cake can go not-so-good quicker than a good pie can go not-so-good (unless it's a meringue).

i'd rather have a good cake than a good pie, but yes, bad cake is far, far, far--did i mention far? cause it's pretty darned far!-- more ubiquitous than bad pie.

how many times have i had molten chocolate cake, or something similar, as my bday cake? almost as many times as i've had "regular" bday cake ... now that i'm of a certain age.

[Surfingfarmboy]

Re: Birthday Cake or Pie?

Well, then. Forget it.

It's not that the waitresses aren't cute, Mitchell; Bakers Square does have it's fair share of cuties. It's just the fact that their outfits aren't nearly as...as...what's the word I'm looking for...stylish..yeah, that's it...stylish..as the ones seen on the waitresses at Anna Miller's.

[Leo Lakio]

Re: Birthday Cake or Pie?

Yes, but do they serve bagels?

[oceanpacific]

Re: Birthday Cake or Pie?

I'm a PIE guy! Favorites, in no particular order, are:

CUSTARD (milky and eggy, not the bland corn starchy kind);
CHERRY;
STRAWBERRY (Anna Miller's);
HAUPIA CHOCOLATE (Ted's);
APPLE (cinnamon/nutmeg-laced);
APRICOT (Bakery Kapiolani).

Even one of my favorite cakes is called BOSTON CREME PIE!