Yangjaecheon bakery café: cream vs chocolate castella at Minimale

What kind of bread is babka?

Babka is a sweet Eastern European bread made from yeast-fermented dough filled with things like chocolate or cinnamon, then rolled up and baked. It's also the signature bread at Minimale Gaepo, so let's start with a little babka background before eating.

'Babka' comes from the Polish word 'baba'. 'Baba' means grandmother or an older woman. Babka is a traditional sweet bread of Eastern Europe. It is made on a base of yeast-fermented dough. It is known to have developed in Poland and Ukraine. It is also famous as a traditional bake of the Jewish community. Chocolate, cinnamon and the like are added to the dough. The dough is spread with filling and rolled up into shape. Sometimes several layers of dough are twisted together and baked. In modern times, chocolate babka is especially famous.

A Yangjaecheon café bakery problem solved: Minimale Gaepo!

What is Minimale Gaepo like?

Minimale is a bakery café you can only find in Gangnam-gu or Seocho-gu. The Gaepo branch bakes all sorts of desserts in-house, but babka? It's not easy to find anywhere but here, I tell you!

Minimale Gaepo menu and prices

This time I ordered four things at Minimale Gaepo: an iced Helsinki Latte, fresh cream castella, chocolate fresh cream castella and original babka, which came to ₩20,400 in total. What to eat? Stop agonizing!

• Helsinki Latte (iced) ₩5,100
• Fresh cream castella (sponge cake) ₩4,600
• Chocolate fresh cream castella ₩4,900
• Original babka ₩5,800
• Total ₩20,400

Everyone, do you like fresh cream castella? I really like babka too. Let me give it a try!

Atmosphere: the smell of baking bread

Wooow... true to a bakery & coffee bar, Minimale Gaepo smells of freshly baked bread~ How could it not taste good?

How does the original babka taste? Cinnamon and nuts

Let's dig into Minimale's signature original babka (₩5,800) first! It has a unique shape, like a long rope wound round and round, but you can't just grab it with your hands and unwind it, right? So use the knife that comes with it and saw away, shkit-shkit!! A gentle cinnamon scent and crunchy nuts go pop-pop in your mouth!!

What does the Helsinki Latte taste like?

The Helsinki Latte at Minimale Gaepo (iced, ₩5,100) is a bewitching drink that rounds off espresso's bitterness with smooth milk and a gentle sweetness...

Fresh cream castella vs. chocolate fresh cream castella

Fresh cream castella (₩4,600)

Craving something soft and sweet? How about the fresh cream castella at Minimale Gaepo? Cut a big piece and pop it in, ahhh~!! The tiredness piled up today just melts away!!

Chocolate fresh cream castella (₩4,900)

And the chocolate fresh cream castella? The rich chocolate flavor totally overpowers the sweetness of the cream!! Yum yum yum!!

Huh, wait? Is this a certified Yangjaecheon café bakery? Yep, certified!

The result: empty plates

Deeeeelicioooous!

I was taught that a good restaurant is proven by empty plates!!

Minimale Gaepo tumbler discount

If you bring your own tumbler to Minimale, you get a tumbler discount. Worth knowing if you want to enjoy Minimale at home too.