ROUGH-ONLINE Night Out - Get Your Freak Shake On At Molly Bakes!

Freak shakes: the calorific, mega concoction of ice cream, layers of flavourings, toppings, desserts...and more toppings. The sugary treats started out in Australia and have since gained popularity in the UK. One of the places to stop by for a freak shake is Dalston’s very own Molly Bakes - founded by Maria Goodman and husband Olly (Maria and Olly = Molly). Famed for their colourful and oh so yummy cakes, the East London cafe launched their freak shakes in January 2016 with queues lasting up to 2 hours! We wanted to get hip to the freak shakes hype so we stopped by Molly Bakes to talk cakes and shakes with Maria.

The cafe seats approximately 20 people, with a few benches outside during the summer season. Intimate yet airy, with a counter and kitchen area brimming with cakes and other desserts, perfectly positioned against the backdrop of their large illustrated chalkboard menu.

Working in the baking business for six years and known for having some of the best desserts in East; the launch of the freak shakes came as a natural progression to take the Molly Bakes brand to the next level. With new products, came new opportunities for the bakery. They’ve recently teamed up with Bailey’s for their #WhenCoffeeMetBaileys collaboration launching this month - a special edition freak shake containing Bailey’s, a shot of espresso and vanilla ice cream which “tastes soooo good!” according to Maria (we believe her!)

In between chats, we tried the Peanut butter freak shake. Vanilla ice cream, peanut butter, topped with a brownie and blow-torched toasted marshmallow, garnished with caramel, chocolate flakes with extra peanut butter, cookie dust and caramel oozing around and down the sides of the glass jar. If you’re feeling adventurous you can opt for the split ice cream cookie sandwich topping. Other flavours include raspberry, caramel and the best selling, chocolate. The freak shake didn’t disappoint, each layer a different riot of flavour all blending together for one heck of a delectable shake.

These mega shakes can be pretty intimidating. How and where do you start to devour these mountainous things?! “Messy is the best way!” Maria tells us, to enjoy the freak shake in all its glory, you’d have to be prepared to get a bit messy and use your hands. Judging from the aftermath on my table, one can attest to this!

So what’s in store for Molly Bakes for 2018 and beyond? The cafe will also be hosting a month of ‘late nights’ serving the Bailey’s flavour and an assortment of alcoholic hard freak shakes - an exclusive for ROUGH readers! We can also expect the introduction of more flavours including ‘cookie dough’ and some other exciting plans in the pipeline, so we’re definitely keeping our eyes peeled and taste buds at the ready.

If you’re wondering down Kingsland Road, don’t forget to stop by to get one of these bad boy shakes for £7 and be sure to grab a cupcake or brownie while you’re at it.