Puro Patisserie-Flavourful Filipino Cakes and Specialty Drinks

Cakes may hold a special place in many people’s hearts, evoking fond memories of childhood and special get togethers. For many, it’s simply just being with family and friends sharing their favourite sweet treats. In the Philippines, where food and gatherings are central to family and community life,  cakes and bakeries play a significant role in creating those nostalgic moments.

For Filipinos, particularly those abroad, the aroma of freshly baked pandesal or ensaymada can transport them back to their childhood days, where they eagerly awaited breakfast or merienda time.

Traditional Filipino desserts like leche flan, ube in all forms, bibingka, and sapin-sapin often have strong nostalgic associations, as they are commonly enjoyed during gatherings. These desserts are not only yummy, they also serve as reminders of cherished traditions and cultural heritage passed down through generations. And this was how the aroma of coffee and cakes welcomed us when we opened the door to Puro Patisserie, the first Filipino cakery in Vienna.

Bringing Filipinos Closer To Home

I’ve often mentioned that Austrian (and probably German) cakes lean more to having a tinge of sour than sweet because they tend to add glacé fruit. Filipino cakes (and dishes) tend to be sweeter and this is why we still love to indulge in them when we get the chance. Thankfully, Puro Patisserie make it easier for us to have a taste of our favourites and try new flavours that suit our Pinoy palate.

Our first taste of Puro goodness was at the end of last year’s summer during the KUBÖ festival. As with many happenings at the fest, Puro took us closer to home offering our favourite summer treats like halo-halo, ube yema cake, and the usual best-loved treats from our childhood.

And because Puro offers a variety of cakes depending on the season, we tried the special one for this month, the leche flan cake. We also had the bestsellers; ube latte and pandan cakes.

For the Love of Baking

Coming from a family where baking is a recurrent affair, it is no wonder that pastry chef Rachelle Anne Choi developed a love for this art. She has double licenses having received her Culinary Arts Degree from the Philippines and the Konditormeister title in Vienna.

While Puro started out as an online shop for artisan cakes for certain occasions, Rachelle always had the idea to open a café on the side. And now that it finally happened, it’s been a success even in its early stages.

Puro comes from the Filipino word for pure, not mixed with anything else. Thus, the colorful cakes are made from natural ingredients – purple yam that makes ube purple or pandan (vanilla grass) that makes buko pandan green.

What To Have

If you can, try everything on the menu! ^_^ We suggest to visit with friends so you can have different slices each to try. Teehee!

If you aren’t sure, here’s what we recommend:

Ube Latte and Chiffon Cake

Ube is a type of purple yam that is popular in Filipino cuisine. It’s commonly used in desserts and sweet treats, imparting a distinctive purple color and a mildly sweet flavor. In the Philippines, you’ll find ube used in various dishes such as ube halaya (a sweet jam-like dessert), ube ice cream, ube cakes, and pastries. It’s not only delicious but also adds a vibrant hue to the dishes, making them visually appealing. Ube has become quite trendy in recent years, with its unique flavor and color gaining popularity beyond the Philippines.

Who knew that coffee and ube would be so good together? We didn’t expect this marriage to work but it did! While this visit didn’t include an ube cake order, we had it during the KUBÖ fest and it didn’t disappoint. Moist, decadent, melt-in-your-mouth goodness that isn’t overwhelmingly sweet, I did break my carbohydrate limit then and this time, too. ^_^

Buko Pandan Latte and Chiffon Cake

Buko pandan is a popular Filipino dessert made with young coconut (buko) and pandan-flavored jelly. Pandan or vanilla grass is a tropical plant with long, narrow leaves that are often used in Southeast Asian cooking to add a unique aroma and flavor. In buko pandan, the pandan leaves are typically boiled to extract their essence, which is then used to flavor the jelly.

This dessert itself is delicious, but having pandan and buko into a cake is a delightful combination of flavors and textures, with the pandan-infused cake base complementing the creamy buko filling. It’s a perfect dessert for those who enjoy the tropical flavors of the Philippines.

Leche Flan Chiffon Cake

Leche flan is a traditional Filipino dessert that is a type of caramel custard. It is similar to creme caramel or flan in other cuisines. The name “leche” comes from the Spanish word for milk, while “flan” refers to the dessert’s custard-like consistency. Leche flan is made from a few simple ingredients, including eggs, condensed milk, evaporated milk, and sugar.

Puro’s take on this treat is a decadent dessert that combines two beloved Filipino sweets: Leche Flan and chiffon cake. The bottom layer is made of chiffon cake, which is light, airy, and slightly sponge-like in texture and hints the taste of our beloved leche flan. The chiffon cake provides a soft and delicate base for the cream and a piece of flan to rest upon.

We’re sure to try the other cakes next time. Namely: Matcha (my favourite overall), Red Velvet, and Earl Grey among others. Let’s see what memories would be evoked then. In essence, cakeries (at least for us Filipinos) are more than just places to buy baked goods; they are repositories of memories and symbols of joy, togetherness, and celebration. Whether it’s indulging in a childhood favorite or sharing a slice of cake with loved ones, the experience can bring back a flood of warm and comforting nostalgia. And we’re glad Puro Patisserie’s here for all these.

How To Get to Puro

Puro is located at Magdalenenstraße 8, at the 6th district. It is a few minutes away from the Haus des Meeres (Neubaugasse) and from the U4 station Kettenbrückengasse.

The distance between Kettenbrückengasse/Naschmarkt and Magdalenenstraße 8 is approximately 1.5 kilometers (about 0.9 miles), and it’s a pleasant walk through the city. Start by heading southeast on Linke Wienzeile, which is the main street running through Naschmarkt. The intersection between Magdalenenstraße and Linke Wienzeile isn’t hard to miss.

When coming from Neubaugasse (U3), walk down to the Haus des Meeres then down Kaunitzgasse further to Eggerthgasse then turn left to Magdalenenstraße.

Open Fridays to Sundays from 12noon until 5pm.

Visit https://puropatisserievienna.com for more info.