Years ago, we remember having to drive up and down the Metro just to find baking ingredients like real vanilla, bittersweet chocolate, or walnuts. It even took one of our old writers an entire month just to get her hands on 9×9-inch baking pans! Nowadays, we’re happy to see that several baking stores have popped up in different cities or made a presence online. This has made it a million times easier for home bakers to get what used to be niche ingredients to finish those elaborate baking recipes.
For those who have just started playing in the kitchen—or for those who still need help looking for specific ingredients—here’s a list of some of our go-to baking stores in Metro Manila.
Chocolate Lover, Inc.
What can’t you find in that infamous castle in Cubao? It’s baking supply heaven. They sell the basic ingredients (in bulk) and the not-so-basic, such as glucose, glycerine, and fondant. They also have the cheapest baking pans that [we] know of, as well as pastry boxes in every size you could ever need. Ready-made sugar flowers in a rainbow of colors, royal icing faces of Mickey Mouse and his friends, and teeny-tiny heart-shaped sprinkles are also available to spruce up your cakes. Chocolate Lover also sells some of the cheapest walnuts, pecans, and almonds, easily 40-50% cheaper (and probably fresher) than the ones you can pick up at the supermarket.
Address: 45 P. Tuazon Blvd, corner C. Benites st., Cubao. (It’s the castle.)
Order online through www.chocolatelover.ph
Unimart
This supermarket has been around since 1970, and, in some aspects, it shows. Unimart is like your stubborn, resilient grandmother. Though slow and old-fashioned (they were among the last of the big supermarkets to adopt a bar code scanning check-out counter), you can always depend on her. They’re so well-stocked that if Unimart, sometimes carrying products other supermarkets probably don’t.
You can find Baker’s brand chocolate that come in individually packed one-ounce squares. (Most other commercially available baking chocolates come in huge blocks.) They also carry a wide range of Ferna products, like Dutch-processed cocoa, glucose, and light corn syrup. They even have malted milk powder, of which they carry two brands.
Address. Greenhills Shopping Center, Ortigas Avenue, San Juan.
Unimart doesn’t have an online shopping channel. But you can find their latest deals on their Facebook page.
Cook’s Exchange
Think of Cook’s Exchange as the smaller, pricier sibling of Chocolate Lover, Inc. All their stores are tiny, but filled to the rafters with baking tools and ingredients. Most items are imported and then sold in smaller amounts, so they’re more expensive. But what it lacks in affordability, it makes up for in convenience. All their branches are located in malls.
They carry Ina Garten’s favorite chocolate for baking, Callebaut, as well as the pricier Valhrona chocolate and cocoa powder. This is also where our old recipe developer bought the food coloring gel she used for her red velvet cupcakes. They also carry a wide range of baking pans, both regular and non-stick, including hard-to-find models. They have Madeleine, mini-muffin, and mini springform pans. Nuts are also available in smaller amounts, but slightly more expensive than in Chocolate Lover. Buying only a little at a time is best if you won’t be using a lot as nuts go rancid quickly.
Address: Branches in Powerplant Mall and Glorietta 4.
Note: For deliveries, call +63 927 437 6521 or order through their Facebook page.
Gourdo’s
Mostly known for selling china, silverware, and branded cookware (Wustof, Calphalon, etc.), Gourdo’s offers an impressive range of baking-related products. They are the official distributor of Wilton in the country. Availability varies per branch, so it would be best to call ahead for the item you are looking for. You can also shop online on their website.
Gourdo’s carries Wilton’s huge line of bake-ware and tools, including silicone molds, cake stands, and pedestals, and themed cupcake liners. Wilton also has ready-made frosting, sprinkles, and fondant. You can find Crisco shortening and Pam cooking spray in the store as well.
Address: Branches in Alabang Town Center, Glorietta 4, SM Aura, Robinsons Magnolia, TriNoma, UP Town Center, The Podium, and SM City Fairview.
Order online through gourdos.com
Healthy Options
Healthy Options is the local alternative to Whole Foods, only smaller, with a more limited selection, and probably higher prices. That being said, they sell a lot of items our local supermarkets don’t. There’s something for everyone at Healthy Options, especially for people who eat non-organic, non-free range, and gluten-laden foods.
Most of Healthy Options’ offerings are on the expensive side, but they sell the cheapest real vanilla we could find. They also sell a variety of flours that aren’t generally available anywhere else, including unbleached white, whole-wheat pastry, and spelt flours in both regular and organic. Healthy Options also carries cornmeal, a wide range of oats (who knew there were so many different ways to cut and roll an oat?), almond milk, and other things you would need if you wanted to make healthier baked goods.
Address: Multiple branches, click here for store information.
Order online through shop.healthyoptions.com.ph
Pinkie’s Farm
Pinkie’s Farm offers all-natural dairy products from grass-fed cows: milk, yogurt, frozen yogurt, butter, and kesong puti. (Some of the best in Luzon, if you ask us.) What we love about their products is that everything’s produced the old-fashioned way. Their cows, which are raised on a farm in Batangas, are cared for in a way that’s similar to household pets. Their dairy products aren’t processed like commercial milk, retaining their original flavor, texture, and nutrients. Plus, they’re sold in old-timey glass bottles!
Beyond dairy, Pinkie’s Farm also regularly hawks fruits, vegetables, and grains. They also have cacao, adlai, fruit jams, poultry, deli products, and cooked food.
Address: Hubs for pick-up in Old Swiss Inn in Makati and Manila, Mini Cooper in Alabang, and Suzuki in San Juan.
Order online through store.pinkiesfarm.com
Auro Chocolate
Auro Chocolate is one of our favorite local chocolate brands. Their high-quality bean-to-bar chocolate products—some of which have garnered international acclaim—are proof of the country’s rich cacao industry. The flavors are deep and distinct, and we love how these really shine when we use them in the kitchen. You can get them in bars or, more conveniently, in couverture coins or blocks. Auro Chocolate also offers pure tablea, as well as cacao nibs.
Address: Available in multiple stores nationwide. Check here for what’s nearby.
Order online through aurochocolate.com
Risa Chocolates
Risa Chocolates offers artisanal chocolate products including bars, barks, truffles, pralines, and pilitas. You can buy bars in interesting flavor combos and other chocolate snacks just for eating—which we highly recommend you do. But since you’re here for baking ingredients, then we can tell you that Risa Chocolates also sells 70% unsweetened, dark, bittersweet, or white chocolate couvertures.
Order online through their order form. Pick-ups are in Las Piñas.
Baking and Home Depot
Baking and Home Depot is one of those neighborhood baking stores that sells a wide variety of baking ingredients, ornaments, and tools in bulk. You’ll find baking chocolates (in a variety of brands), fondants, alternative flours, edible gels, character cake toppers, and more. Plus, they also have condiments, frozen meats, and ready-to-eat products.
Address: TSL Building, #59 E. Rodriguez Sr. Ave., Brgy. Doña Josefa, Quezon City
Order online through their Facebook page. Baking and Home Depot also ships nationwide.
Bake & Beyond
Aside from baking ingredients, Bake & Beyond also sell items that are useful for purveyors: boxes, foil containers, sealers, industrial equipment, etc. They also have spatulas, pans, scoops, squeeze bottles, and other tools useful for regular home bakers. You’ll also find milk tea kits and kakanin kits (e.g. buchi, palitaw, kutsinta).
Address: 1479 Jose Abad Santos Ave., Tondo, Manila
Order online through their Facebook page.
We originally published this article in 2013. But we’ve re-published it to include more baking stores, new illustrations, and updated information.
The post Baking Stores in Metro Manila: Where to Buy Baking Ingredients appeared first on Pepper.ph.