London Candy Co. owner Jig Patel (right) is happy to unveil Knock-Off pastries (photo by twi-ny/mdr)
The London Candy Company
1442 Lexington Ave. at 94th St.
212-427-2129
www.thelondoncandycompany.com
Whenever we go to London, we make sure to bring back a large bag of British chocolate; our favorites include Galaxy Minstrels and Flake, Aero, Crunchie, and Lion bars. But we no longer have to travel across the pond to fill our coffers; in April, Jignesh Patel opened the London Candy Co. on the Upper East Side, at the corner of Lexington Ave. and 94th St., offering a multitude of queen-approved delicacies. Last month the flagship store added Knock-Offs to their repertoire, original, individual-sized chocolate-covered cakes inspired by Coconut Bounty, Double Decker, Terry’s Chocolate Orange, Cadbury’s Turkish Delight, Topic, After Eight Thin Mints, Milky Bar, Smarties, Mars Duo, and Blackcurrant and Strawberry Fruit Pastilles. For pastry chef Khalidra Levister, the challenge in making the Knock-Offs was to re-create the taste of the classic English sweets without using the exact same ingredients, which would have been a copyright infringement; she particularly nailed the Topic and Double Decker cakes. Second-generation sweets-shop owner Patel and Levister, the chef of confections at Flavorprint and executive vice president of 4food, recently discussed Knock-Offs and more with twi-ny.
twi-ny: Where did the idea for Knock-Offs originate?
Jigs Patel: My parents also owned a sweets shop, so there was always candy around. It simply couldn’t be helped. My mother, desperate to keep me from eating all of it, decided to go ahead and start baking the chocolates into desserts. After all, I could sneak a cake into my bag less easily than a Bounty bar. When I opened the London Candy Company, I wanted to do something similar. We toyed with the idea of cupcakes, but it wasn’t quite right. When Khahlidra Levister, our pastry chef, came in with her ideas, I was blown away. The Knock-Offs are a brilliant way to honor my mother’s original work, to showcase the candy, and to please and surprise customers.
Khahlidra Levister: When I first visited the London Candy Company, my first thought was the layout and aesthetic is very sophisticated. When I heard they were thinking of offering cupcakes, I began thinking of a way to take the cupcake to the next level. Jigs and I spoke over the phone about his love of cakes and his childhood experiences and set up a meeting. At the meeting, I presented him with a cake I created based on the flavors of Terry’s Chocolate Orange. The name “Knock-Offs” came naturally during early development, as I was “knocking off” the candy-bar flavors.
twi-ny: What was the most difficult part of making them?
KL: The most difficult part of making a Knock-Off is translating candy bars to cake while maintaining the integrity of the original product. To do so, I make all the fillings from scratch—nougat, caramel, Turkish delight.
twi-ny: Which are your personal favorites?
JP: My absolute favorite cake is the Bounty-inspired one. I’m such a huge coconut fan and Khahlidra got this one just right. The cake is fantastic, the coconut is delicious, and the chocolate brings it all together. I can hardly believe that I’m not eating the real thing.
KL: My personal favorite is the After Eight Knock-Off, but I’ve always been a sucker for mint and dark chocolate.
Knock-Offs re-create the flavor of classic English sweet treats at London Candy Co. (photo by twi-ny/mdr)
twi-ny: Did you try any others that didn’t work out?
JP: We tried to re-create the Mars bar—chocolate and caramel—but it just wasn’t working for me. It didn’t have that extra something that we’re looking to bring to our customers.
KL: I haven’t figured out quite how to represent the Flake bar, or the Aero.
twi-ny: What makes British chocolate so much better than American chocolate?
JP: The Brits use real sugar in their chocolate—never corn syrup. Also, many American manufacturers use wax to stabilize their chocolate so it doesn’t melt; British manufacturers don’t. A fun fact: In England, chocolate must contain at least 20% cocoa solids, whereas in the U.S., cocoa solids need only make up 10%. A Cadbury Dairy Milk bar contains 23% cocoa solids, while its American counterpart contains just 11%.
twi-ny: How has the public reacted to the store in general and the Knock-Offs in particular?
JP: People come into the store very excited to try anything and everything from our selection. For a lot of people, the sweets bring out a sense of nostalgia for travel or treats from their childhood. Others are just excited to try something new. There’s been quite a bit of interest in the Knock-Offs. Since the cakes are single serving, they’re not much of a calorie or money investment and people are willing to take a chance. The bestsellers so far have been the After Eight, which is a chocolate cake layered with mint fondant, and the Turkish Delight.