Thank you to all the Ultimate Taste Test Masters judges for rating, commenting, and supporting the new awesome products of 2021 from home-based food entrepreneurs and also the new ones from established names in the industry. This year’s competition included the Best Chili Makers in Manila in collaboration with the Philippine Hot Sauce Club.
UTT Masters Edition was tough because the judges had high standards, and just winning this taste test competition with a 3.8 rating above was a big achievement! Congratulations to all of the the Top 8 winners and the Top 3 Chili Makers winners from the Philippine Hot Sauce Club.
Also, we will do a special mention here of the brand that almost hit the 3.8 cutoff. We felt they deserved to win because of their good product.
Related Blog Post: Announcing… Ultimate Taste Test 2021
And the Ultimate Taste Test 2021 Winners are ….
- @THEKABUTEFARM 4.10
- @PUFFTDOUGHNUTS 4.00
- @NOMNOMJOY 3.88
- @KARABELLADAIRY 3.88
- @LOUISSEPATISSERIE 3.87
- @THEUGLYMUGPH 3.83
- @MONIQUECAKESPH 3.82
- @ARCTICCREAMERY @JMNAUGHTYNICECREAM 3.81
—— - @SCHROEDERS.DELI 3.71
7. MONIQUE CAKES @MONIQUECAKESPH 3.82
Our favorite baker of 2021, with her guava cake, strawberry shortcake and chocolate grand slam! Beautiful cakes, beautiful presentation, beautiful advocacy and beautiful personality overall.
Congratulations to Monique for winning the Ultimate Taste Test 2021—you deserve every accolade!
ULTIMATE TASTE TEST 2021 RATING:
COMMENTS:
• These are some of the prettiest cakes I have ever seen. Plus I love the story and the advocacy. Texture, bite, and technique were good, but the flavors were held back. It is as if the chef was afraid of making the cakes overly sweet. I know she can do better flavor wise. She has the personality for it and her decor shows it, too.
• I really reallllly reallllllly love the strawberry shortcake. Not that sweet and overwhelming in terms of sweetness.
• The Guava cake is so interesting. It was my first time to taste one. I like it but I think, I’ll like it better if chilled.
• The sponge is light which is good. But the flavor of the guava tastes like medicine for me. The strawberry shortcake is ok. Not a fan of their chocolate cake.
• To die for ang guava! galing ng combination! and so meticulously and beautifully made with 
• Super gorgeous cakes that are extremely delicious especially the guava!
• Strawberry shortcake was not too sweet but very delicious, especially the cream. Kulang lang unti ng strawberry flavor.
• Chocolate cake was amazingly fudgy and chocolatey. A bit too sweet for my taste lang if ever ako pipili ng cake, I don’t usually go for chocolate, but overall it was fantastic! Mapapakain din ako kahit di ko siya favorite!
• Guava cake was PERFECT! Unang kagat, lasang lasa agad yung fruity flavor 
Definitely my favorite!”
• Tastes like guava but it’s not sour and overpowering, it’s the one I liked best from the lot
• Really tastes like guava but not overwhelming! Strawberry shortcake wasnt too sweet, icing is good— creamy
• The strawberry shortcake was absolutely delicious. The guava cake—I feel like it could use a little more balance. The icing on both felt a little too thick, especially with the guava cake
About Moniques Artisanal Cakes
by Monique Tancongco
From hotelier to shipbuilder to baker
by Monique Toda, The Philippine Star
“Cooking and baking have always been her comfort zone. After a long day at work, she turned to the kitchen (and grocery shopping) to unwind. Monique would always find the time to cook a good meal. More cooking and baking happened with the abundance of free time during this pandemic. Aggravated by the limited social gatherings with loved ones, her cakes then became her “language of love” to family and friends.”
Helen’s Guava Cake
Dainty and fragrant masterpiece, subdued but with discernible hints of guava. Its moist and fluffy chiffon is filled with homemade organic real guava jam with just the right sweetness, garnished with generous slices of red guava fruit on top.
The Inspiration for Helen’s Guava Cake stemmed from the desire to bake delectable cakes and pastries for my family, my mom particularly, using the finest and most wholesome ingredients as much as possible. Guavas bring about the fondest childhood memories. Growing up, we had guava trees at my grandma’s house and relatives’ houses. My aunties, uncles, and elder cousins built swings and playhouses on and around them. My late grandma, late dad and my mom taught us the nutrional value of eating natural and unprocessed food as much as possible. Guava fruits are amazingly rich in antioxidants, potassium, fiber, and Vitamin C. My late dad, Crispino Tancongco, used to work for Del Monte Philippine packaging in Davao City. The Del Monte Guava juice was his brainchild. The jam recipe I used for this particular cake was my grandma’s “pamana” to my mom, Helen. It was my mom who inspired me to create a cake out of it. Hence the cake’s name. – Monique T.
Strawberry Shortcake
Fresh, juicy, in-season strawberries on a delicate, pillow-soft tender cake covered with light and velvety strawberry cream frosting.
Grand Slam Chocolate Cake (Caramel / All-Chocolate)
Luscious chocolate, gooey caramel, crispy chocolate wafers, and a moist decadent layer.
MONIQUE ARTISANAL CAKES
FB and IG: @moniquecakesph
SOURCE: ULTIMATE TASTE TEST