Ruby’s Top Bites of May
Caffe Panna: Olive Oil Chocolate Cake Scoop
Every day around 1:30 p.m., my boyfriend and I religiously check Caffe Panna’s Instagram to see their daily rotating scoop menu and decide whether a flavor is tempting enough to make the trip. On a beautiful sunny afternoon, we spotted a flavor I had never seen before: Olive Oil Chocolate Cake.
As someone who is obsessed with chocolate cake and dates someone equally obsessed with olive oil, this immediately became a must try. Sweet, savory, and impossibly creamy, the scoop paired rich chunks of fudgy chocolate cake with silky olive oil ice cream. It was a combination I never knew I needed but one I have thought about far too often since. Now, I find myself constantly waiting for it to make another appearance.
2. Duo Cafe: Dessert Sampler
One of my favorite desserts in the world is Basque cheesecake, so when I heard about a new tea house and café in New York City offering an entire sampler plate of different cheesecake flavors, I knew I had to visit.
Upon being seated, guests are presented with an extensive tea menu featuring everything from earthy, robust blends to lighter, sweeter options. I love pairing tea with dessert, especially when there is a lot of sweetness involved, so I was already a fan before taking my first bite.
While Duo Cafe offers individual slices of its Basque cheesecakes, I am both indecisive and overly ambitious when it comes to dessert, making the sampler an easy choice. The plate includes five seasonal cheesecake flavors alongside a crème brûlée sweet potato served with vanilla ice cream, which was just as memorable as the cheesecakes themselves.
My personal favorites were the hojicha, pistachio, and sweet potato varieties, though honestly, I would happily order any of them again. Each slice is perfectly balanced, rich without being overwhelming, and packed with flavor. Luxurious, not overly sweet, and deeply satisfying, it is exactly what I want from a cheesecake.
3.Seoul Sweets: Ssal Cake
There is a stunning dessert boutique tucked away in Koreatown that I knew would be dangerous for me the moment I walked through the door.
Seoul Sweets specializes in traditional Korean desserts, many of which are commonly enjoyed during celebrations and are made with rice flour. If I had to describe their offerings in three words, they would be delicate, elegant, and irresistible.
While I never skip their beautifully crafted jooak or yakgwa, the standout on my most recent visit was the Ssal Cake. It is, without question, the softest cake I have ever eaten. Filled with a light, luxurious milk cream, each bite feels almost cloudlike.
People often say cake can feel heavy after a meal, but this one is the complete opposite. It is airy, delicate, and surprisingly light, making it dangerously easy to order more than one flavor. Trust me, you will want to.
