From The Straits Times    |

In the land of salted egg yolks, unicorn desserts and foods that are popular simply because they are rainbow coloured, it’s  refreshing, or even ‘ground-breaking’ to see a dessert like the Volcanic Avalanche.

You can find this hot new confection, that is slowly gaining traction on social media, at Fro Roll, a new but bustling cafe tucked away in Tai Thong Crescent, Potong Pasir. 

 

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We tried it, and let’s just say it lives up to the hype. Here’s why:

The Volcanic Avalanche is more than meets the eye. It’s not just any other run-of-the-mill dessert. For starters, it is not overpriced (as many Boomerang-worthy Instagrammable desserts are). Given that it can feed up to three people, the price tag of $15.80 is very reasonable. Also, it is almost entirely made from scratch and packs a lot of desserts in one.

There’s the brittle dark chocolate bark (which forms the surface of the volcano), warm lava cake in the core of the volcano, and delicate rolls of vanilla ice cream resting on top.

Ice cream rolls are Fro Roll’s speciality. Made by scraping flattened ice cream to form textured and delicate curls, these melt faster in your mouth than your regular spoonful.

But let’s break it this dessert down. Starting with the volcano itself, you’ll notice that the textured dark chocolate (made from gourmet couverture chocolate), does not melt easily until you break off a piece and put it in your mouth. That’s when the bittersweet chocolatey goodness hits you. This is because the chocolate has gone through a special process of tempering to withstand melting in room temperature.

 

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The base of the volcano is decorated with crumbs and clusters of treats, such as brownies, croutons, and maple granola crunch. The brownies are made from scratch, and the granola – consisting of almonds and oats – are freshly baked in-house. 

The crater of the volcano is dusted with powdered sugar, and glazed with drizzles of raspberry sauce that are meant to allude to rivulets of red-hot lava. After a few persistent smacks with the back of a spoon, we break through the chocolate crust to uncover an irresistibly soft lava chocolate cake. Dig in, and you’ll find a tart raspberry compote that helps offset the richness of the chocolatey taste.

The curls of vanilla ice cream were exquisite, coming apart layer by layer when you take bites. Dig deep enough, and you’ll uncover a caramelised almond cookie that is brittle and crispy.

Founder of Fro Roll, Keely Wee, said she was inspired to create this dish during a brief stint as a geography teacher some years ago. Flipping through a geography textbook, she saw a picture of a volcano and wondered if she could create a dessert just like it. So when she opened the cafe in August, she brought that idea to life.

 

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The 26-year-old knows that her customers enjoy seeking out Instagram-worthy desserts, and is always experimenting with new and fun options, like stuffing her ice cream rolls into hotdog buns – a fresh take on the traditional rainbow ice-cream sandwich. 

We also enjoyed the Berry Rosy Flower Pot ($15.80). A cross between a bingsu and tiramisu, you get crumbled oreo cookies, sweet and airy meringue, a lively and piquant lime ice-cream roll coupled with tart strawberry ice-cream roll, lemon curd, crumbly cheesecake chunks, and crispy buttered croutons that lent savoury respite. 

 

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At the end of it, we were so full, it almost felt like our stomachs would erupt – pun fully intended. You can be assured you’ll be well-fed at Fro Roll, so bring along your squad for the ride… and then leave with a guaranteed food coma.

Fro Roll

Address: 52 Tai Thong Crescent, The Venue Shoppes #01-26, Singapore 347836

Opening Hours: (Daily) 11am – 11pm

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