Alyanna's Cakes and Cafe

Alyanna's Cakes and Cafe is a new coffee shop / restaurant in Antipolo that specializes in cakes, coffee, and home cooked meals. Located at the lower part of Antipolo, specifically in Marcos Highway / Masinag area, Alyanna's Cakes and Cafe used to be just an online store that caters to those who needs downright impressive customized cakes.

It's success led into a full blown coffee shop that serves all sort of delicious things including one of their specialties, cupcakes. But trust me, there is more to Alyanna's Cakes and Cafe than cupcakes.

I am still on a roll for my Antipolo Food Trip Blog Series and while I went down further Antipolo area than my usual route which is near the city town proper, Alyanna's Cakes and Cafe is a welcome addition to my series. 

The ambiance at Alyanna's Cakes and Café does not hold the usual daintiness of the just another cupcake store you can find elsewhere. It also does not boasts of the usual wooden infested ambiance which is very common to coffee shops these days. 

Rather, Alyanna's Cakes and Café took a different route by using gray, black, and white hues made more interesting with surprising splash of colors from here and there. Gentlemanly you say? Sophisticated - more like it.

Entering Alyanna's Cakes and Café, you will be greeted with display of different variants of cupcakes. During my visit, there were flavors such as Red Velvet, Lemon Vanilla, Peppermint Kiss, Banana Hazelnut, Chocolate Coffee, among many others. These flavors are changed every other day or depending on the demand.

There were also various of coffee, teas, and other beverages including imported beers. But as rule of thumb, if there is Matcha which I am a big fan of, it must be tested. 

Alyanna's Cakes and Cafe's White Chocolate Green Tea Cake Smoothie may not posses the matcha-in-your-face kind of flavor I adore, it is still a great option for a drink. It leans heavily on the white chocolate flavor which is equally delightful. 

Aside from the usual coffee shop grubs, Alyanna's Cakes and Cafe boasts of homemade dishes. Think of the famous Banapple and you would have an idea of what this lovely store has to offer.

On the table:

Tuna Mushroom Melt (Php140) ~ Tuna mayo spread with sliced mushrooms and loads of shredded mozzarella cheese on ciabatta bread.

Very simple and yet very filling. I love the generosity of the tuna spread, even more so the cheese. A serving is hefty enough for sharing. 

Spaghetti Con Gamberi (Php195) ~ Pasta in olive oil, shrimp, mushroom, and garlic flakes.

A pasta dish with such a winning flavor that I cannot forget to this day. Oil based pasta is not my usual cup of tea as I always favor cream based, but this one - worth the try and worth falling in love to.

Lasagna Roll (Php175.00) ~ Seasoned ground beef in rolled up lasagna noodles topped with tomato sauce, Bechamel, and loads of mozzarella cheese.

Tagged as one of the best sellers, rightfully so in my opinion, since with flavor as good as it has, it is rather impossible to be disappointed. The flavor strikes a fine balance between sweet and savory. The buttered bread that comes with it comes handy when mopping up the remains of the delicious sauce.

Norwegian Salmon (Php320) ~ Succulent Norwegian salmon baked into creamy garlic goodness and infused with special herbs and spices.

I rarely favor fish over meaty dishes when dining out but this salmon dish was so good I was so glad it graced our table. The white sauce was made of cream cheese so needless to say, it was pure heaven in my book.

Baby Back Ribs (Php265) ~ Fall-off-the-bone, slow roasted ribs with sides fries and baked beans.

The smokey sweet savory flavor of this ribs was what endears me to it. Its tenderness was another. I appreciate that the slab has a right amount of fat to it, not too overwhelming. 

The sides I am guessing depends on the availability of the ingredients since the menu says that it can also be served with carrots, corn on a cob, and green beans. But the baked beans as well as the potato wedges were very much welcome addition to the dish which I enjoyed immensely.

Banana Hazelnut Cupcake (Php50)

This I must say, Alyanna's Cakes and Cafe's cupcakes are not your run-of-the-mill cupcakes as the good quality ingredients they use are very apparent in every bite. This particular flavor I enjoy the best because who does not love hazelnut chocolate spread?

Chocolate Coffee Cupcake (Php50)

I love that this one tasted more like coffee than chocolate because if I want chocolate cupcake, I would order for that exactly. This is one of my frustrations when dealing with coffee and chocolate combination on cupcakes. I am glad that this one that Alyanna's Cakes and Cafe offers is spot on.

Cashew Sansrival Cake (Php85)

There's no describing how much I love sansrival cake and I am glad that this one got cashews on it instead of the usual peanuts because trust me, it elevates the flavor. There is so much variety of cakes to check out at Alyanns's but this one can be a good option for a start.

Photo below shows the hand painted cake by Alyanna's Cakes and Cafe featured on a French Cake Magazine. Yes, they are that great! Hitting Foreign magazine before the local ones. Well, the aesthetic is well worth publishing if I do say so myself.

The place was jam packed after some minutes that I entered the store. But I was glad that the owners took some time to sit with me for a little chat despite the busy lunch service that day. 

Meet the owners:

The store's namesake is this charming lady who used to work for the corporate world but is brave enough to ditch climbing the ladder to handle their family business. With acquired knowledge and inborn talent, she baked all the cupcakes sold in the store on the day of my visit.

The murals that made the ambiance of the store more beautiful and interesting was created by Alyanna. If this isn't talent, then I don't know what it is.

Equally charming and talented,Ms. Aileen is Alyanna's mom who is the brain and the soul of the business. She used to be a banker by profession, now she is living the dream and making a living out of it. A blessing well deserved, I must say since judging by the way she interacts with people, you would know how good of a person she is.

Speaking of talent, the paintings displayed on the walls of the store were all created by Ms. Aileen. It only goes to show that art runs in the family. When visiting their store, please do check out the big painting of four women that represents the women of different generations in her family.

I must admit that prior to visiting Alyanna's Cakes and Cafe, I have very little expectation thinking that it is just another coffee shop. But upon tasting their offerings and meeting the owners, the feeling of having discovered a gem surfaced. 

So when in Antipolo and in search for a really good place to spend your time over good food and good ambiance, I suggest you consider Alyanna's Cakes and Cafe and you wouldn't be disappointed.

Alyanna's Cakes and Cafe
Unit 203, Rikland Center
Marcos Highway
Antipolo City
Landmark: BPI and Mercury Drug Store Masinag
Contact no.: 959-0814
Facebook: /AlyannasCakesandCafe
Instagram: @alyannasph_