Desserts in Dubai: three new pastry shops to try

From couture cakes to petit choux, there is an increasing number of delights now available in Dubai, courtesy of celebrity cake artists and pastry chefs. Whether you're looking to treat yourself, add panache to your next party or give a gift to a loved one, here are some sweet shops to enjoy. British cake artist Beth Lauren, who has studied fashion and illustration, prides herself on creating “edible art”. Think sugar pineapples and palm leaf prints; buttercream flowers that start out as bows and end up looking like candles; and even a tiered concoction in the colours of the UAE flag for Emirati Women’s Day . In August, Lauren launched The Cake Boutique, a made to order online shop in Dubai. It was launched in partnership with the Waldorf Astoria DIFC, with orders available for collection at the hotel as well as home delivery. The boutique offers seven types of cakes, including vegan, gluten-free and sugar-free options. Choose from 24 carrot gold; cheeky monkey; white chocolate and raspberry; sugar-free berries; pistachio and raspberry; Lotus Biscoff and cocoa. Simple as these flavours may sound, Lauren puts a great deal of thought, love and creativity into each. The vegan-friendly Lotus Biscoff cake, for example, is crafted with a cinnamon-flavoured sponge topped with lotus ganache pressed between each moist sponge layer and an ivory whipped lotus plant-based buttercream, which is fused with a velvet lotus sauce and crunchy biscuit pieces. The cakes range from Dh360 for the small white chocolate and raspberry cake (suitable for 10 people), to Dh975 for the large sugar-free berries cake (suitable for 24 people). More information is available at thecakeboutiquedifc.com Pastry chef Alexandre Dufeu made his foray into the UAE after an enviable, decade-long stint working under Alain Ducasse , the Michelin Guide ’s second-most decorated chef. Last Thursday, Dufeu opened Margaux, a patisserie named as “a love letter” to the charming French village the chef calls home. Located off Jumeirah Mina A’Salam’s lobby, Margaux comes across as super-welcoming with its flattering mirrors and soft lighting, and also offers online shopping and home delivery. On the menu are a batch of Parisian treats: from delicate millefeuille and decadent fruit tarts, to marble and button cakes, chocolate eclairs and pistachio flan. The petit choux are available individually or in swish-looking gift boxes, priced from Dh145 for three pieces to Dh295 for seven pieces. Dufeu says Margaux is his way of bringing the requisite dessert-fuelled stroll one embarks upon in Paris to Dubai. More information is available an 058 601 7474 From Queen Elizabeth II in Buckingham Palace to Prince William at Expo 2020 Dubai, the British royals are regular patrons of the “couture cakes” whipped up by British food scientist Mich Turner , as are celebrities such as Madonna, Pierce Brosnan, Gordon Ramsay, David Beckham and Emma Thompson. When the long-anticipated Atlantis The Royal opens its doors (the grand opening is in November, we’re told), it will house along its gilded corridors Turner’s Little Venice Cake Company. Chef de cuisine Aizhan Tazhigulova will run the day-to-day operations at the new spot, which is fitted out with a show kitchen, consultation room (accessible by invitation only) and an atelier, and is designed by New York studio Jeffrey Beers. The menu offers up everything from loaded brownies and cupcakes, to tea loaf cakes, layer cakes and other teatime treats in addition to Turner’s famed theatrical creations. Turner’s desserts include vanilla cake with strawberry jam; salted caramel and chocolate cake; puppy pinata, and the Queen Elizabeth date cake baked with medjool dates, fresh apple, lemon and ginger. The atelier will offer a curated collection of bone china from Royal Crown Derby and William Edwards; silverware from Thomas Lyte; Tregothnan Estate teas; chocolates and truffles from Prestat; plus Turner’s books and craft baking kits. More information is available at atlantis.com

Desserts in Dubai: three new pastry shops to try

The Cake Boutique and Margaux opened their doors this summer, while Little Venice Cake Company will follow suit at the end of the year