TWELVE-CENTIMETER CAKE
REPORT # 24
http://www.twelve-centimeter.com/ (temporarily not available)
429 North Western Ave. #5, Los Angeles, CA 90004
(323) 871-8393
Mon - Fri: 9am - 9pm
Sat: 9am-10pm
Sun: 9am-9pm
Parking Lot
Near the outskirts of Korea Town is the bakery 12 Centimeter Cake. The namesake comes from their signature chiffon cake that is 12centimenters-tall, which is a little less than 5 inches. It is in a not-so appealing plaza shared with a few restaurants, but you'd be pleasantly comforted once you enter the bakery. It's clean, new, airy, very modern, simple, and there is a long case of beautifully presented macarons in two tiers.
I would say there were about 30 kinds of macarons, and that number is unmatched, compared with the other 23 bakeries I've been to already! Not even Paulette will have that many flavors in one day. It was very exciting to choose ones that I had never tried. Depending on the flavor, the prices ranged from $1.50 to $1.75, which is average. They accept credit cards.
OVERALL:
DETAILS:
- about 2" in diameter
- great presentation
- very aromatic and unique flavors
- huge air pockets
- very stale
DETAILS:
APPLE
Light green outer shell with a big air pocket. The inside is a translucent green filling with the flavor of natural green apple. It is very chewy and stale when you bite into it.
CHAI
A very fragile deep plum exterior with a translucent pink filling. The filling has a burst of chai spices, especially cloves, with a sweet and cinnamon after-taste. Unfortunately it was a bit dry.
CHAMOMILE
The exterior has a light pumpkin orange tint with a light gray semi-salty and sweet filling with speckles of chamomile. It has a very pleasant aroma and flavor of chamomile, but it is stale.
LEMON GRASS
Light yellow-green colored exterior has a light crunch, and the inside is very dry. The white filling has a very strong aroma of lemon grass, and the first bite is struck with a strong citrus undertone in the nose, then a sweetness on the palette and an ending of lemon flavor.
NOUGAT
The cream-orange colored exterior is very chewy. The light brown filling could be Nutella, a hazelnut chocolate spread. It is not really the flavor of nougat, a chewy bar that contains honey and nuts.
OLIVE OIL
Milky evergreen colored exterior with a translucent light green filling. There is a very aroma tic smell of possibly extra virgin olive oil, but the flavor is very faint. The finish is clean and sweet.
CONCLUSION:
It was unfortunate that the bakery sold stale macarons. If it weren't for the stale brittle outer shells and the huge air pockets that all the macarons had, it would have easily been my top five. Nevertheless, I would like to give acknowledgment and an applause for the bold decisions the pastry chef has made to create such unique flavors. It was brave and I definitely enjoyed them.
It was unfortunate that the bakery sold stale macarons. If it weren't for the stale brittle outer shells and the huge air pockets that all the macarons had, it would have easily been my top five. Nevertheless, I would like to give acknowledgment and an applause for the bold decisions the pastry chef has made to create such unique flavors. It was brave and I definitely enjoyed them.
