A bakery is an unruly process. Unlike its sister cooking, it requires precise measurements and delicate maneuvering. Breaches to this process result in creations that lack power and emphasis. Of course, I only know this from the Great British Bake Off, so take that for what you will. I love baked goods, they make up probably half of my diet. But whenever I tend to buy baked goods, I do so at a bakery. Or a coffee shop, as I sheepishly hide in the back and leech off the shop’s free internet. Rarely do I choose to buy baked goods from a restaurant. But when you are looking into that clear display case at Aladdin’s and spy a frosted majesty of a cake, inspiration strikes and you pay. Or is it stupidity. Only the tongue will tell.

Aladdin’s is a hit and miss restaurant for me, but I have never held much contempt for their deserts. I just never had room for them after stuffing my mouth with pita. But on a whim, I chose to try their Twilight cake. My waiter told me it was their most popular cake, so I thought it would be a nice place to begin. 

The cake arrived and it looked alright. It held the chocolate drizzle that adorns most modern cakes, a design I neither love nor hate. I plunged my fork into the cake, and its flavors unfolded in my mouth. Vanilla and chocolate sponge cake, baked rather well and with decent flavors. The frosting hit the corners of my mouth with sweetness, which a glutton like me of course enjoys. A thin layer of custard binds the two together, its folds smooth and delightfully creamy. To top it all off, a ball of pure chocolate sits at the top of the cake as a final treat. 

So obviously the cake was good. Sweet, decadent, a nice treat. But how the flavor was delivered posed a problem. The cake was dry, surprisingly so. Perhaps the dry and wet ingredients were not properly mixed. But most egregiously, the cake was just… well… boring. Simple would be a better way of putting it. Vanilla and chocolate flavors are everywhere, and the frosting only offered more sweetness. There was no balance, no gusto. But I do not deny that sometimes, you just want sweet. And if this diabetic urge strikes you, you can do a lot worse than the Twilight cake at Aladdin’s.