I love Patisserie Caroline’s Calamansi Dacquoise.
Last week, I was invited to try Patisserie Caroline along M. Paterno St. in San Juan. I used to pass by M. Paterno on the way to Greenhills. I have been noticing that certain parts of the area have developed and that there’s a thriving cluster of small neighborhood businesses there now. I’ve always meant to try some of those places and I’m happy that I was invited to try Patisserie Caroline and discovered their Calamansi-flavored cakes.
Patisserie Caroline Bakery Cafe is a small bake shop started in 2008 by sisters. It’s a cozy little cake shop that is filled with baked goodies!
Patisserie Caroline is more famous for its cakes, and particularly its bestseller, the Calamansi Dacquoise. Here are some of their cakes on display:
This is the Salad Caroline (P215.00). OMG, I loved it! It was like all my favorite things put into one salad – I can taste creamy garlic, honey mustard, and on top, that’s chicken sandwich filling! And mangoes! What’s not to love? Yup. Totally love this salad!
This is their Clubhouse Sandwich (P214). I never met a clubhouse sandwich that I didn’t like 
So I liked this one, too!
Patisserie Caroline also serves pasta, here’s their Pasta con Sarde (P160). It’s spicy because of the Spanish sardines. I love Spanish sardines, but I just wasn’t feeling their pasta. Best to stick with their salad & cakes 
Cakes!
Here is the famous Calamansi Dacquoise!
This is an original Patisserie Caroline creation. It’s made of layers of crispy cashew meringue (also known as cashew dacquoise; it’s the same thing used for sans rival), with a sweet, sour, tart calamansi curd type filling, and enveloped in whipped cream! Unlike sans rival, there is no butter filling, so people who don’t like layers of pure butter won’t have a problem.
The calamansi filling is what makes this cake unique! It’s just sweet enough to let the sourness of the calamansi shine through. The whole cake is not too sweet – each bite is soft/crunchy meringue, sweet and tart calamansi curd, all mellowed by whipped cream. As you can see from the picture, the calamansi layers are thick – I like that they don’t scrimp on the filling and put a lot in the cake!
If there is one thing you should make the effort to go try, it is the Calamansi Dacquoise! (It’s pronounced da-kwaz) If you live too far away, fortunately, Patisserie Caroline also has a kiosk at SM North EDSA, 2nd Floor Main Hall.
Calamansi Dacquoise Prices:
Loaf – P400
6″ Round – P540
9″ Round – P980
This Bailey’s Cheesecake (P195) is another one of their premium cakes. It’s quite creamy and I could really taste the Bailey’s. The cheesecake is topped with mini chocolate kisses.
Another of their specialty cakes is the Mango Sans Rival. Other people at the table loved it – it’s not too sweet, and not oily (I know some people don’t like super buttery sans rival).
Here’s the Frozen Calamansi Brazo (P450 per loaf). This is something that I liked too. Apparently, I like calamansi-flavored cakes 
Since the cake is cold and the calamansi refreshing, I think it’s a great cake to order when summer is getting too hot!
Summary:
If you are in the area, check out Patisserie Caroline. Their cakes are good – especially their specialty calamansi-flavored ones. If you like sweet & sour/tart flavor combinations, their calamansi cakes may just become your next favorite! They are now mine!
Patisserie Caroline
17-E M.M. Paterno St., Pasadena, San Juan City
Contact #s: (632) 722-6839 & (632) 570-2898
Email: [email protected]
Facebook: www.facebook.com/patisseriecaroline
HOURS OPEN: 10 AM – 7 PM
