When your passion turns into your profession, it really is a great thing. And that’s exactly what happened with Mahak, the chef behind Bliss Bakery. She started the academic way (with a degree in engineering from DCE in tow), and started baking for family and friends as just a hobby. And she soon realized that’s where her heart is, and encouraged by friends, she started making baked goods from here home kitchen to sell to neighbors and friends. She then went on to pursue a course at Le Cordon Bleu, London, and upon returning, she worked under the guidance of Chef Saby to hone her skills.
Finally, this year, she opened her first brick and mortar shop at GK M-Block market. The cute little outlet is located near the parking area, just outside the main market block, and is easy to locate. The bakery has been done up in a chic and simplistic manner, and the delicious smell that comes out of the place the moment you walk in gets you salivating.
Bliss Bakery’s cakes, cookies, tarts and pastries owe their exceptional flavor to carefully sourced raw ingredients. They do not believe in using any preservatives, packaged syrups or essence, and there is a lot of focus on making everything using pure and natural ingredients.
I visited the bakery for a tasting and was not only impressed by the products, but also by the care and love with which Mahak and her husband attend to each customer that walks in.
The Raspberry Mint Italian Soda was made using actual fruit, and not fruit syrup, and the drink had pulp in it as well. The touch of mint really worked with the sweet-tart flavors of the raspberry and made the drink really refreshing.
White Chocolate Coffee Dome: White chocolate is a tough ingredient to work with, because if you’re not careful with the flavor combinations, it can easily make the dessert too sweet. But in this dessert, they have completely nailed it! The white chocolate mousse was really creamy and was layered with a coffee-soaked genoise sponge and coffee mousse to counteract the sweetness of the chocolate. The dome was coated with a shiny white chocolate glaze and decorated with cocoa nibs for a slight bitter taste. A lovely creation and a must-have!
Mangolicious Whipped Cream Cake: The cake had layers of genoise sponge, delicious and smooth vanilla-infused pastry cream and fresh diced mangoes, all topped with French dairy whipped cream. The sponge was really light and airy, and the layering was really neatly done. A lovely, light, summery dessert.
Lemon Meringue Pie: This was an absolutely smashing dessert. The pie crust was crisp, but not too hard, and was buttery and crumbly in texture. It was filled with some cake crumbs, topped off with a velvety smooth lemon curd. The curd was set perfectly, and had the most amazing zingy citrusy flavor. The level of sugar and lemon were perfectly balanced and the curd was simply divine. The tart was topped off with some lightly torched, soft, chewy meringue. Overall, this is one dessert I would go back for again and again!
Red Velvet in a New Avatar: Their rendition of red velvet is slightly different from the regular ones. Instead of cream cheese, they use white chocolate buttercream between the layers of the red velvet cake, which keeps it light and the white chocolate works really well with the sharp red velvet. The cake itself was also really fluffy and moist. It was topped with soft and airy white chocolate drips, which not only made the cake look beautiful, but were also delectable to taste.
Espresso Brownie: The brownie was soft and chocolatey, however, while there was a slight coffee note in it, I would have liked the espresso flavor to be amped up a bit.
Macarons: I tried the lemon, vanilla, coffee, and red velvet macarons. The macarons were all perfect in terms of texture- the macarons had a thin crust and just melted in the mouth. The vanilla one had a lovely mild flavor and the red velvet one had a filling of white chocolate and was topped with red velvet cake crumbs. The coffee one had just the right amount of coffee in it, and the lemon macaron had a sharp lemon curd filling, and was really delicious.
Ice-creams: The bakery also has a variety of fresh ice-creams that they make in-house, ranging from vanilla and strawberry, to Mocha Almond Fudge, Red Velvet Cheesecake, Hazelnut Chocolate, Banana Honeycomb Caramel, and Chocolate Sorbet. The mocha almond fudge was really rich and delicious, and the banana honeycomb is a nice option if you want to try something different. The red velvet cheesecake ice-cream had the sharpness of cream cheese in it, and is surely something worth trying. The hazelnut chocolate had a deep, rich flavor of dark chocolate, and the chocolate sorbet, which was diary-free, and made with chocolate and water, was really nice as well.
Bliss Bakery also has a few savories on their menu, of which I tried the Chili Cheese Toastie and the Pesto Brioche. The toastie had a lovely, fresh bread which was nicely grilled, and was filled with gooey stretchy cheese- a mix of mozzarella and cheddar. It had some jalapeno pieces as well for spice. A really good snack. The pesto brioche had a soft, buttery bun with a spiral of fresh and zingy pesto in it. A lovely bite to have with tea.
What’s also great is that they bake a range of fresh breads as well, and they are made without using chemical leaveners.
Overall, for its delicious desserts, and tasty, fresh breads, and the warmth with which each customer is greeted, Bliss Bakery should certainly be tried.
Overall Rating: 4/5
Location: M-2, GK1, M-Block Market, Near Gate No 1 Parking, Delhi
Phone No.: +91 11 4907 0220
The Feast That's Life 