December is my favourite month of the year. Celebrations begin with Christmas and end with a bang on New Year. The festive month makes you shed your thriftiness and pushes you to indulge. So, bidding adieu to the previous year, I rushed into the N&N Cake Shop on R.T. Nagar Main Road to celebrate the advent of the new year.
Splendid display
Although R.T. Nagar has its share of sought-after eateries, the cake shop is unique and stands out for its splendid display of appetising pastries, cakes, mudpies, mousse, cheesecakes and fudges.
What began as a humble departmental store set up in 1995 by Sunil and Neeta Punjabi — it's still referred to by many as the N&N supermarket — the cake shop has over the years gained a reputation of being “the place that sells the yummy cakes” in the neighbourhood.
They only began selling pastries five years ago on a regular basis. “Initially, I used to bake cakes only on advance orders. But now we have a unit to cater to last-minute orders and immediate takeaways,” says Neeta.
As soon as I stepped into the store, I was welcomed by glass shelves stocked with varieties of freshly baked cakes, including the special orders that were being brought in just then.
I got to sample some of the best desserts, amidst the excitement and flurry in the bakery.
Their special cake, made of three different sponges, is one of these desserts. The chocolate sauce atop the butterscotch and chocolate mousse layers dripsoff the edges like delicate lace.
The store also makes customised cakes by recreating photographs of your loved ones on sugar paper.
“Eggless cakes are our forte,” adds Neeta.
Death by chocolate
You could try their fresh cream fruit cakes, chocolate mousse served in a wine glass, cheesecakes and fudges.
This eatery is also a chocolate lover's delight with varieties such as walnut, KitKat, Ferrero Rocher, and ‘death by chocolate' among many others.
They also bake pizzas, kulchas and pastas on order. During festive seasons, fresh batches of home-made chocolates are sold.
Many of their regulars claim that N&N Cake Shop is addictive. “It has been here for quite a long time and the quality and taste is just great,” says a customer. Some bank on Neeta's suggestions to decide what flavours to try next.
“Many of them have been coming to me since the store was opened. In fact, I've been baking birthday cakes for their children just like I would do for my son,” says Neeta.