News location:

Canberra Today 20°/22° | Friday, March 29, 2024 | Digital Edition | Crossword & Sudoku

Dining / Jasmine knows how sweet it is…

Sweet couple… Jasmine Seah and husband Alvin Kho. Photo by Maddie McGuigan

HOW sweet it is to own a business called The Dessert Jar, which makes customers deliriously happy with pastries, cakes, cookies and all things sweet.

Wendy Johnson
Wendy Johnson.

The story begins with Jasmine Seah, who has a special compartment in her tummy that she leaves empty so she can indulge in a sweet ending after every meal.

Jasmine eventually baked her way through a patisserie certificate. Then husband Alvin Kho got in on the act by falling in love with the idea of a desserts career. He, too, studied at the William Angliss Institute, Australia’s largest hospitality training provider, and is now the official dessert decorator.

The Dessert Jar was launched after two years of experimenting, planning and baking a mountain of sweets. I know this because around that time, I was given a small round biscuit by a local restaurant owner to try. My reaction was that the creator should start a business. And so it has come to pass.

The Dessert Jar specialises in wedding cakes, special-occasion cakes, petit gourmet cakes and tarts, and a wide range of cookies all sweetly wrapped in a glass jar with a burlap cover. All desserts are crafted from scratch using the freshest ingredients.

I confess that I’ve put my tastebuds to the test on several sweet products by The Dessert Jar. They’re all decadent without being overly sweet or sickly gooey. Each is a feast for the eyes. Yes, most desserts are decorated, but there’s a distinct quality about the way The Dessert Jar finishes off its products.

The petite yoghurt and orange blossom cake, with buttercream, lemon meringue, a baked meringue kiss and bright flowers is one of my fave edible creations. It’s so delicate and pretty.

[tribulant_slideshow post_id=”148013″]

Photos by MADDIE McGUIGAN

The roasted green tea (hojicha) was inspired by a holiday to Japan where Jasmine and Alvin saw shop owners roasting their own green tea in porcelain pots over charcoal. They loved the smell and now import hojicha and pipe it on their small white chocolate and macadamia cakes.

Another wonderful small delight is the Persian Love Cake, with rhubarb, rose glaze and strawberry buttercream. Don’t get me started on the Belgian chocolate and salted-caramel dessert.

To die for is the old-fashioned baked cheesecake with an Oreo cookie base. It’s decorated with fresh seasonal flowers with baked and torched meringues delicately decorating the cake. It’s super creamy and stunningly beautiful.

As for the bite-size cookies? They’re perfect with a cup of coffee or tea. Something sweet but without the guilt (at least, only bite-size guilt). I love the chocolate-dipped Earl Grey; the cranberry, orange and almond; the hazelnut latte and the lemon-glazed lavender. Time to stop…

Visit The Dessert Jar at the Old Bus Depot Markets or cruise its photo gallery on thedessertjar.com and order online.

Who can be trusted?

In a world of spin and confusion, there’s never been a more important time to support independent journalism in Canberra.

If you trust our work online and want to enforce the power of independent voices, I invite you to make a small contribution.

Every dollar of support is invested back into our journalism to help keep citynews.com.au strong and free.

Become a supporter

Thank you,

Ian Meikle, editor

Wendy Johnson

Wendy Johnson

Share this

Leave a Reply

Related Posts

Follow us on Instagram @canberracitynews