The Vancouver Holiday Cake Challenge was a success featuring unique cake creations at restaurants, cafes and bakeries around greater Vancouver. Each establishment featured their creation on their menu from November 16 – December 10, 2023 and their customers voted for their favourites daily throughout the challenge. Our media judging panel determined the ultimate winners of the challenge, and this was quite the task as each judge who tasted each creation with a rigorous process based on taste, originality/uniqueness and presentation/appearance.
The Winners are:
1st Place:
{106 points}
75 West Coast Grill
Sweet Surrender
Price: $12
Created by: The culinary team
Description: Indulge in the exquisite Sweet Surrender, an irresistible cake crafted from the finest ingredients and offering a symphony of flavours. The base is a light, airy and luscious meringue surrounded by a rich, salted caramel sauce to add a sweet buttery note. Next up is a layer of velvety chocolate ganache, its smooth richness contrasting beautifully with the meringue’s fluffiness. Intertwined with the chocolate is a medley of finely chopped nuts delivering a satisfying crunch. And lastly, the crowning jewel of this creation is the praline topping, a captivating blend of caramelized sugar and more nuts.
Ingredients: White chocolate, pistachio, almonds, walnuts, dark chocolate, condensed milk, fleur de sel, chocolate crisp pearls, Grand Marnier, butter, egg whites, vanilla pods, whipping cream.
Offered: all the time
Available: dine-in only
75 West Coast Grill
7571 Westminster Hwy, Richmond
Tel: (604) 232-2804
Web: https://75west.ca/
Instagram @75westyvr
2nd Place:
{102 points}
Doppio Zero Pizza
Doppio Gusto
Price: $15
Created by: Ingala Daniele
Description: Delicious duo of our most popular Italian cheesecake: Limoncello and Classic. The limoncello cheesecake is made with whipped mascarpone cheese, fresh squeeze lemon juice and a touch of limoncello liquor (0% alcohol). Really refreshing and delicate. The Classic Italian cheesecake is made with mascarpone and ricotta cheese, slowly baked with mix berries sauce on top, like nonna used to it.
Ingredients: limoncello cheesecake: mascarpone, lemon, limoncello liquor, italian cookie
Italian cheesecake: mascarpone & ricotta cheese, mix berries sauce, italian cookie
Offered: all the time for dine-in and take out.
Doppio Zero Pizza
1655 Como Lake Ave #103, Coquitlam
Tel: (778) 355-5333
Web:https://doppiozeropizza.ca/
Instagram @doppiozeropizza00
3rd Place:
{97 points}
Trees Cheesecake + Organic Coffee
Ferrero Rocher Cheesecake
Price: Slice: $9 or 6-Inch: $40
Created by: The Ferrero Rocher Cheesecake was created by our Trees Kitchen Staff a few years ago. However, the latest version has been expertly crafted under the leadership of our kitchen manager, Nancy Lin Wang.
Description: Baked daily in our kitchen, Ferrero Rocher is back and better than ever! We’ve worked tirelessly to enhance the flavour of our beloved creation, and we’re proud to announce that we’ve elevated this cheesecake to new heights.
This year, we will combine premium cream cheese with the signature flavour of Nutella. But that’s not all: every slice will be adorned with a whole Ferrero Rocher chocolate, nestled on a new base of chocolate whipped cream and sprinkled with gold flakes!
For chocolate lovers, our improved blend of hazelnut paste and crushed hazelnuts ensures the perfect texture and rich taste that makes this cheesecake genuinely extraordinary.
Ingredients: Cream Cheese, Vanilla Paste, Eggs, Hazelnut Paste, Nutella, Crushed Hazelnut, Gold Flakes, Whipping Cream.
Offered: all the time
Delivery: Doordash.
Preorder and takeout: Anybody can call directly to our stores to order the cheesecake.
Trees Cheesecake + Organic Coffee
450 Granville Street
Phone (604) 684-5022
738 Granville Street
Phone: 604=688=6308
5078 Joyce St
Phone: 604-895-4211
10299 University Dr #104, Surrey
Phone: 604-496-1714
Instagram: @treescoffee
In the People’s Choice Awards category, the public who tried the holiday cake creations were the ones who had the opportunity to cast their vote throughout the challenge.
The Winners are:
1st Place People’s Choice:
Trees Cheesecake + Organic Coffee
Ferrero Rocher Cheesecake
Price: Slice: $9 or 6-Inch: $40
Created by: The Ferrero Rocher Cheesecake was created by our Trees Kitchen Staff a few years ago. However, the latest version has been expertly crafted under the leadership of our kitchen manager, Nancy Lin Wang.
Description: Baked daily in our kitchen, Ferrero Rocher is back and better than ever! We’ve worked tirelessly to enhance the flavour of our beloved creation, and we’re proud to announce that we’ve elevated this cheesecake to new heights.
This year, we will combine premium cream cheese with the signature flavour of Nutella. But that’s not all: every slice will be adorned with a whole Ferrero Rocher chocolate, nestled on a new base of chocolate whipped cream and sprinkled with gold flakes!
For chocolate lovers, our improved blend of hazelnut paste and crushed hazelnuts ensures the perfect texture and rich taste that makes this cheesecake genuinely extraordinary.
Ingredients: Cream Cheese, Vanilla Paste, Eggs, Hazelnut Paste, Nutella, Crushed Hazelnut, Gold Flakes, Whipping Cream.
Offered: all the time
Delivery: Doordash.
Preorder and takeout: Anybody can call directly to our stores to order the cheesecake.
Trees Cheesecake + Organic Coffee
450 Granville Street
Phone (604) 684-5022
738 Granville Street
Phone: 604=688=6308
5078 Joyce St
Phone: 604-895-4211
10299 University Dr #104, Surrey
Phone: 604-496-1714
Instagram: @treescoffee
2nd Place People’s Choice:
75 West Coast Grill
Sweet Surrender
Price: $12
Created by: The culinary team
Description: Indulge in the exquisite Sweet Surrender, an irresistible cake crafted from the finest ingredients and offering a symphony of flavours. The base is a light, airy and luscious meringue surrounded by a rich, salted caramel sauce to add a sweet buttery note. Next up is a layer of velvety chocolate ganache, its smooth richness contrasting beautifully with the meringue’s fluffiness. Intertwined with the chocolate is a medley of finely chopped nuts delivering a satisfying crunch. And lastly, the crowning jewel of this creation is the praline topping, a captivating blend of caramelized sugar and more nuts.
Ingredients: White chocolate, pistachio, almonds, walnuts, dark chocolate, condensed milk, fleur de sel, chocolate crisp pearls, Grand Marnier, butter, egg whites, vanilla pods, whipping cream.
Offered: all the time
Available: dine-in only
75 West Coast Grill
7571 Westminster Hwy, Richmond
Tel: (604) 232-2804
Web: https://75west.ca/
Instagram @75westyvr
3rd Place People’s Choice:
Doppio Zero Pizza
Doppio Gusto
Price: $15
Created by: Ingala Daniele
Description: Delicious duo of our most popular Italian cheesecake: Limoncello and Classic. The limoncello cheesecake is made with whipped mascarpone cheese, fresh squeeze lemon juice and a touch of limoncello liquor (0% alcohol). Really refreshing and delicate. The Classic Italian cheesecake is made with mascarpone and ricotta cheese, slowly baked with mix berries sauce on top, like nonna used to it.
Ingredients: limoncello cheesecake: mascarpone, lemon, limoncello liquor, italian cookie
Italian cheesecake: mascarpone & ricotta cheese, mix berries sauce, italian cookie
Offered: all the time for dine-in and take out.
Doppio Zero Pizza
1655 Como Lake Ave #103, Coquitlam
Tel: (778) 355-5333
Web:https://doppiozeropizza.ca/
Instagram @doppiozeropizza00
Our Media judges for this challenge were: Corey Lee, Jacqueline Chui and David Grange.
Thank you to the chefs and restaurants that accepted my invitation and featured their holiday cake creations on the menu for the past few weeks during this challenge.
I encourage you to visit the winning restaurants to try their holiday cake creations! See all the Challenge entries here.
By: Richard Wolak