Every year, sometime around late July, Mauritians around the world start getting an itch.
Not the hay fever kind - the “Have you ordered a Gateau Marie yet?” kind.

If you know us, you know we love a good Napolitaine - Two shortbreads, a delicious layer of jam and pink icing... Simple, humble, YUM! In fact, Napolitaines were the very first product we ever made when we started The Whisktakers. No fancy website, no shopfront, no equipment - just a tiny kitchen and big hopes.

Now this is a question we get asked almost too often. 

Let’s set the scene: You walk into your Mauritian grandma’s kitchen and ask, “Can I have some Pâte d’Amande?” She hands you a dense, sweet almond-scented slice of cake. Your cousin walks in and says, “You mean Pâte de Mariée.” Suddenly, it’s war. Somewhere in the distance, someone mutters “Oh there's Massepain”, and things escalate.

So which is which? Honestly, we were also confused when we first started but we spent some (too much) time talking to people and looking into this as we were developing our recipes. So grab a cup of tea and let’s break it down. 

Superstition says that if your pot pan (fa gao) cakes bloom and “smile” while steaming, good fortune is on its way. And let’s be honest - who doesn’t want a little extra luck (or extra dough 💰) to kick off the year? We’ve got a foolproof recipe that guarantees beautifully blossomed fa gao every time. So, if you’ve ever made these before and ended up with… well, sad little pancakes instead of happy, fluffy cakes, don’t worry. This is the one recipe that won’t let you down!

Okay, we'll admit it - we're always looking for more reasons to indulge in desserts. But honestly, who isn't? Desserts have this magical ability to turn the worst days into bearable ones and the best days into unforgettable celebrations. And if anyone dares to ask "Do you really need that slice of cake?" we're here to say, "Yes, Karen, we do - and here's why!"

​Oh 2024, you were our toughest year yet! You brought incredible highs that made me want to dream bigger and the most crushing lows that made me question everything ☹️

With Halloween just around the corner, we've been getting a few questions about black buttercream from our cake classes.

- How can I make black buttercream that won't stain my teeth?
- Which brand of food colouring would you recommend?
- Why does my black buttercream look grey?
- What does black buttercream taste like?
- Will my poopie turn black? 😂

Fret not! We're here to help! And the following methods can be used for any types of buttercream ​

Gato lacire (literally translates to "wax cake" in Mauritian Creole) is an orange-flavoured festive cake prepared during Chinese New Year. Growing up in Mauritius, it was our yearly family tradition to share cakes with classmates, colleagues and family. I remember getting excited to bring "gato l'annee sinois" to school - that my parents lovingly packed for us to share with teachers and friends. We'd also eat them later together during our family CNY dinner. So basically our mouths would be sticky and we'd be chewing all day haha.

What is Gato lacire? It is commonly known as Nian Gao, meaning "higher year"! It symbolises growing taller, achieving higher and wishing an even more prosperous year ahead. Traditionally they are steamed for 8-9 hours to reach the optimum taste and colour, but... I'm not patient enough, so here's a shortcut recipe, but it is as delicious! 

What a year 2020 has been!​ We really missed seeing you and wished we had posted this blog back when pickups and deliveries were contactless and conversations at the door were not possible. I’ll also admit it, sometimes we completely forget to give instructions to customers when they come to pick up their cake, sorry 🙈. 

​If you follow us on social media, you have probably noticed that lately we are really into those tall sleek cake designs, every cake artist has a phase I suppose hahaha! 😂
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Now I know what you’re thinking… how do you cut these towering layers of cake without making an embarrassing mess???

​We have all had that crazy craving for banana bread (or banana pie) and quickly realised that the bananas in-store are not ripe enough. Surely you can wait another long week and wait for the fruit to ripen slowly but let's face it, just like me, you want that banana bread RIGHT NOW!