It was my birthday recently, and I received the Hummingbird Cookbook from my brother. Having never been to the bakery when I opened the present, but having heard lots about it, I read the prologue and recipes with interest. The pages of sumptuous images certainly did whet my appetite.
The first opportunity I got, I decided to take a well over due trip to one of their shops to see what all the fuss was about. I was expecting a kitch, pink frosting colour interior shop, with a great sense of Americana. Deep armchairs, glass cake stands, and deep rich colours. I was met with in Soho however was something a little more plastically futuristic. Bright plastic cake stands, and candy pink kitchen cupboards hung from the walls behind the cake counter. I was surprised to only see two seating options, one being four or five stools lining the wall where the queue snakes along, or a cordoned of armchair trio squeezed into the corner of the shop.
I was looking forward to seeing an array of pies, cakes, bakes and everything Tarek Malouf had said did so well in the shops. However the options underwhelmed me a bit. Everything that was on offer though, looked amazing. There was a three tiered carrot cake, a 6" red velvet cake, two types of brownie and then the cupcakes. The largest batch was of the red velvet with cream cheese frosting. The special cupcake for that day was Rose, and being a sucker for floral tastes I asked for one of them and...I wanted to try something else. My eyes hit the smaller selection of Whoopie pies; chocolate, pumpkin (seed?) and red velvet. I still had yet to try a Whoopie pie. I was waiting for an opportunity where I thought the quality would be good enough, and the baker to know an authentic Whoopie recipe. Where better than Hummingbird. I opted for the red velvet, the sponge Hummingbird are so renowned for. My boyfriend picked out the black bottom cupcake, a brownie like sponge, topped with a dollop of cheesecake, and cream cheese frosting.
After a rather brisk, busy but friendly till service, we walked, brandishing our mini Chinese take away boxes by their dinky metal handles and found a sunny pew on the grass in Soho square.
Whoopie first. I was eager to see what the 'muffin-like-lighter-denser-chewier-heavier-had-a-million-words-to-describe-it" sponge was actually like. It was heavy to lift, and big. I bit in, and didn't get at all what I was expecting. It was surprising, denser than a cupcake sponge, heavy like a muffin but with a much finer consistency. It built in the roof of your mouth a bit as you chewed. I was chuffed with the cream cheese filling and red velvet sponge. The flavours subtle and not over sweet. That said, I couldn't get through more than 2/3 without nestling it back in it's box.
I took a sizeable bite out of my boyfriends black bottom cupcake. And then another. An immediate powerful hit of rich chocolate packed a moist brownie like punch, yet in the soft lightness of a sponge. The chocolate chips gave something to nibble between the teeth, adding some needed bite along side the melt in your mouth cheesecake. The sweet yet almost tangy cream cheese frosting complimented the chocolate sponge beautifully, not only in taste but also colour. I was a little blown away, I'm not going to lie. I began, two cakes down, to see what all the fuss was about.
At this pointed I noticed a huge number of the surrounding people basking in Soho square, a five minute walk from the Hummingbird store, had hummingbird boxes next to them. A hummingbird haunt.
By this point I was pretty full, but wanted to try a bite of my final purchase, the rose cupcake. Definitely deserving of two photographs, the icing was beautiful shade, sprinkled with crystallised rose petals. I took a swipe of the icing with my finger and it was deliciously sweet and floral. Took me back to days of palmer violets. I then sunk my teeth all the way through icing, sponge, petals and all. At first I found the vanilla sponge overpowered the soft rose all together. Another bite showed it to be a more layered progression of flavour. First the rose icing, as that melts away, the sponge builds in the mouth, then a hit of vanilla arrives and finally a large wash of sugar that stayed in the mouth a while after. I was a bit let down, but I guess a strong floral taste would be over kill, yet enabling a subtle floral taste not to be over powered is a pretty challenging task.
All in all I was really impressed with the cakes I tried. The black bottom was certainly incredible, although I think my favourite was the Whoopie pie. It left a feeling in your stomach like you had just had a small bowl of warm pasta, but in a good comforting, substantial way, not a heavy bloated way. I suppose I was a bit upset at the 'in-out' no-nonsense...or sitting down in the shop comfortably, malarkey. But I suppose that's one of the best ways to make money, and Londoners want something on the go. Maybe I will try the other Hummingbird shops and see if they are done in the same way.
I small part of me, actually a rather big part, still craves and hopes that one day, if and when I open my own shop, there will be comfy seats galore, and time to mull over you cake with a cup of tea. Bliss. Until that day, I shall enjoy every moment in Soho square, munching a Hummingbird cake in the sunshine.
