by Rebecca Lee

Call me Marjorie Dawes, but I just freaking love cake. Chocolate, carrot, vanilla, fruit. Cake.. Cake.. I LOOOOOOVE DE CAKE!

So here we go- Ryde’s Top Eats does Chocolate Cake.

1. Abe and Gizelle- 14 Blenheim Rd, North Ryde – WINNER!

This magnificent creation is sure to impress. Somewhere between a sponge and a mud, and adorned with chocolate curls, at $35 it’s a lovely sweet something to bring to a dinner or BBQ.

Word on the street is that this delicious morsel retails in David Jones for closer to $75!!!!

2. Zumbo Chocolate Fondant Cake- Lvl 2, Macquarie Centre, Cnr Waterloo & Herring Road, North Ryde

A chocoholics dream. This is more of a fudgey dessert than a cake.. a bit like ganache shaped into a log and covered in more sickly goodness. At $29.50 it’s got an affordable price tag as well as the visual appeal, but it’s just not my cup of tea.

3. Woolworth’s Chocolate Mud Cake

At $4.50, this is the budget choice but is actually moist (such a terrible word!), chocolatey, without being sickly, and delicious. Presentation is basic as can be expected for the price, but could easily be zhoojed up (aka covered in sprinkles) for a quick kids birthday cake, or completely hacked such as these amazing examples over on Buzzfeed #birthdaygoals

4. Pattison’s Top Ryde

If you’re calorie counting, best steer clear of Pattison’s, located on the Lower Ground floor of Top Ryde City Shopping Centre. As you can see there are a number of exceptionally rich and fancy cakes on offer. On this occasion, we went for the Choc Mud Cake and weren’t disappointed. Dark and rich, this is a “couple of mouthfuls” cake for real chocaholics. Available whole in 3x sizes (from $38) or by the slice ($6/$7).

5. Boronia Bakehouse

Whilst there are more decadent treats at Boronia Bakehouse, we are here for the chocolate bar cake. It’s an old-fashioned style chocolate cake. Not too dark or rich. One bite takes me back to childhood backyard birthday parties and picnics at Terrigal beach. Yum!