Bar None: Chocolate bars made with all things nice

03 September 2014 - 02:00 By Kim Maxwell
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SUGAR AND SPICE: Nan and Jane White's chocolate bars evoke childhood memories
SUGAR AND SPICE: Nan and Jane White's chocolate bars evoke childhood memories
Image: SHELLEY CHRISTIANS

When Jane White, 24, got fed up with psychology studies she told her mother she just wanted to bake.

Nan White decided to help her daughter start a business, and after a few months of product fine-tuning, they settled on homemade chocolate bars.

The Cape Town mother and daughter duo hit on a winning formula. A week after showing off their Babycakes in pastel-coloured boxes, they were invited to take a stand at Woodstock's popular Neighbourgoods Market.

"Jane has an amazing ability to put together flavours that fit," says Nan. "The label design, fonts and messages are also hers."

The bars sell for only R25, despite using quality Cocoáfair bean-to-bar organic chocolate, and fillings of homemade shortbread, caramel and fudge.

Of five current choices, The Fudged Up is sweet and probably the closest in taste to a Bar One. It combines stove-boiled fudge and dark chocolate, a thin dulce de leche caramel layer, and dark chocolate ganache under a milk chocolate dipping.

The Smokey Joe targets a sophisticated palate with smoked cream and chocolate ganache partnering pecan shortbread layers under milk chocolate.

I liked the Angel Tears - ground almond shortbread layers around salted caramel and chocolate ganache. But friends (and their kids) preferred the Fresh Prince's chocolate shortbread layers sandwiching minty dark chocolate ganache, dipped in white chocolate.

But oh, the Crème Brûlée - the closest chocolate equivalent of its namesake cream-based custard dessert. Crumbling custard and vanilla-bean shortbread, sugar caramelised to crunchy honeycomb and an oozy caramel centre, all dipped in glorious white chocolate.

"It's exciting to see the joy on people's faces when they taste our chocolate," says Nan. "Often it's about the childhood memories they evoke."

  • Babycakes at EarthFair St George's Mall on Thursdays and Neighbourgoods Market on Saturdays. 082-409-5533 www.facebook.com/babycakes chocolates.
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