Sweet Treats By Cielo

A friend once said that I look like someone who bakes. Maybe it's the way I carry myself or my mannerisms perhaps or just my love for anything baked. I don't get it either. Unfortunately, as much as I want to invent a "Sundrenched, the baker" persona, I'm not a kitchen person. I just go there to get food. And eat food. That's why I have so much respect for women who cook and bake, on top of being housewives/mothers and/or career women. Salute!

One housewife and baker I admire is Cielo Algaeed, a Filipina married to a Saudi and has two daughters. She began baking months ago and she's venturing out into a small home business now. We met her in one of the coffee shops in the city last Eid vacation so we can ogle at and sample the pastries she baked. 

50 of these, please!

Among the pastries she presented, the coconut macaroons won my and Eyecandy's hearts. WE LOVE THEM! The macaroons are moist, chewy, and sweet. It's packed with grated coconut but it's not crumbly. It has traces of the famous Goldilocks' butter macaroons but Cielo's are not too sweet and it has that raw, undercooked taste to it. In a good way, because it doesn't taste commercial. It tasted and looked fresh underneath its thin plastic cover. Even after a day (because, yes, we got to take home most of the stuff), the macaroons remained moist and yummy.

Mango cheesecake

Oreo cheesecake

The cheesecake bites were delicious also. It was just the right size for one, just enough to enjoy the creamy and cheesy consistency without being cloying. The Philippine mangoes used in her mango cheesecake was the highlight of the cake for me. I wouldn't have probably enjoyed it as much if she used the kinds of mangoes available here in the city. We like the Oreo version too.

Cream puffs

The cream puffs were good but I find the pastry used different from what I am used to. It's almost like soft bread instead of the crunchy, hollow one I am familiar with and where are the hardened caramel strings on top? Hehe. The cream tasted like the Bavarian filling of donuts. It was a little bit fragile too as it can lose its shape with a slight of the hand. This is not to say we didn't like it. We did! It wasn't too sweet and we lost count on how many pieces we finished in one sitting. 

The Toffee Bars

Chocolatey, nutty

The Toffee Bar was the weakest link of the bunch. It was too sweet and the base was a little bit bland. I'm also not fond of nuts in pastries so I might be a little bit biased on this. A tweak in the amount of sugar might make this one a winner.

Cielo has more stuff in her pink Celine mini luggage that we wanted to steal haha kitchen that you might want to try. We recently saw her chocolate cake in her blog and it was a sight to behold. She offers tarts, mousse, and other baked goodies. She can also make dessert and candy buffets for your parties. Check out her blog for more details. 

TPT xThe Algaeed ladies

If you want something really home made and made with love, then try Cielo's Sweet Treats. She's one of our featured home bakers in The Pink Tarha Marketplace (that we will formally launch soon). A bonus when you order from her is the chance to meet her equally adorable and pretty daughter, Rania. Oh my goodness, you have to meet the little girl! She's sooo cute and witty! Her husband, Abdul, is nice and friendly too. We were honored to meet such a lovely family. :) ~ Sundrenched

Cielo's Sweet Treats
cielo.p.algaeed@gmail.com
thefashiondomain.blogspot.com

Disclaimer: Pastries were all provided free of charge by Cielo Algaeed. Comments and opinions in this entry are mine (Sundrenched) with input from Eyecandy.