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Photograph by Paul Myers

The Prolific Oven in Saratoga boasts chocolate-on-chocolate as its signature cake, which is reflected in the display case.

Prolific Oven offers assortment of cakes, pastries and other treats
By Suzanne Cristallo

The Prolific Oven in Saratoga is truly fruitful, producing an abundance of Danish pastries, croissants and cakes every day. However, the bakery and coffeehouse, tucked at the rear of the Quito Center on Cox Avenue, tempers its proliferation of product with a zeal for quality, according to owner Henry Chan. He emphasizes that only fresh and natural ingredients are used, right down to those in its "famous" chocolate mocha drink.

"We don't want to lower quality," he says, "so we won't use preservatives or artificial flavors."

Chocolate-drink fans used to stirring powder into their hot milk might be surprised to discover that Chan uses whole chocolate in each hot chocolate order. He buys 5-pound chunks of Nestle milk chocolate and, for each drink order, shaves 3 ounces from the block into two scoops of milk--a ratio of about 1-to-1. The mixture is then heated and served piping hot. "We have to order the chocolate from Los Angeles, because you can't get it here," he says.

Cafe latte and other espresso-flavored drinks also benefit from natural goods. Chan says he pays $120 for a gallon of the pure vanilla syrup he uses in cakes as well as drinks.

Cheerfully admitting he doesn't know how to bake, Chan gives credit to his wife, Sophia, for overseeing much of the cake-baking and decorating. She commutes each day to another Prolific Oven they have owned for six years in Palo Alto. A cousin, Yiqi Chen, carries on the baking, beginning at 5:30 a.m. each day in the Saratoga store, which the Campbell couple has owned for two years. Chan spends time in both stores happily doing what he calls the "quality control"--or tasting--along with general management.

Specializing in holiday, wedding and bar mitzvah cakes, the Prolific Oven signature cake is the "chocolate chocolate," which is flavored with shavings from a bar of chocolate to give it richness. A French-style cake uses 1 teaspoon each of real rum and orange curaçao liqueur, and real whipping cream is used to foam up the mousse cakes flavored with fresh mangoes or strawberries.

Proud to recognize their 14-year-old daughter, Regina, who works weekends in the store, the Chans have created The Lady Regina--a white cake with a raspberry-and-cream-cheese filling.

Two items are new on the cake list: a green tea mousse cake and tiramisu, the Italian "pick-me-up" composed of sponge cake or ladyfingers dipped in a coffee-Marsala mixture, then layered with an ultra rich Italian cream cheese (Mascarpone) and grated chocolate.

Small cakes with 6-inch diameters generally run $14.50, while 10-inch cakes are $31.50.

For breakfast lovers, there are seven kinds of croissants at $1.50 each for regular and $1.65 for filled. These include plain, chocolate, cherry, apple and cheese. Fruit- and cheese-filled Danishes also come in combinations of various fruits and cheese.

Two weeks ago, the Chans extended their business hours to 10 p.m. every night. As a way of introducing the longer day, through November Chan is offering everything in the store after 7:30 p.m. for $1: cake slices, cookies, croissants, drinks and more. He says he hopes his customers will use his bakery as a dessert stop in the evening. For a complete look at what he's offering, he suggests customers visit his new website at www.prolificoven.com.

This article was originally published in the November 14, 2001 issue of the Saratoga News. Copyright © Metro Publishing Inc. Maintained by Boulevards New Media.