Anyone who grew up in Dhahran over the past few decades knows what Aramco Cake is.
Now, you can get it locally in individually sliced squares at the four new Fai store locations, each adjacent to Aramco gas stations in the area.
Vanilla and not too sweet, the all-white inside and out cake is a crowd-pleaser. The sponge is pale, light, topped with perfectly piped cream. I’ve never seen anyone refuse a taste.
Lines across the slice — with more a decorative flair along the edges — give it a textured yet smooth finish.
With one bite, you are transported back to childhood.
As someone who grew up in Dhahran, moved abroad to study, and returned to the Kingdom to work, I was curious and giddy on hearing it was sold in my childhood hometown— with no need to work at Aramco or enter Aramco camp or navigate the multiple security checkpoints to grab a slice.
I recently had some from the Fai location near Villaggio Restaurants Village. The paper box was splashed with a vintage black-and-white photo on the top, seemingly of the Dining Hall, and an Arabic phrase promising “like the old days, but tastier.”
For Aramcons — employees and families of Saudi Aramco company — it was a staple for gatherings, large and small. Vanilla was the classic, though you could pay a little extra to add strawberries.
Affordable, delicious and universally liked, it was an easy choice that satisfied almost everyone. A bit like the unofficial, but widely popular, “Burj Al-Arab Juice,” the layered juice known to many expats in the UAE, here in the Kingdom, and in the Eastern Province specifically, Aramco Cake is entirely niche to the Dhahran part of the Aramco sub-culture.
Back then, you had to order it in sheet cake form and pick it up from the back of the Dining Hall within Aramco camp.
I am not sure if they still sell it there, but having them sold already sliced in a little box is perhaps the best thing here since, well, sliced bread.
Many local cafes sold variations of Aramco Cake over the years but none hit the spot for me. And many an amateur baker attempted at replicating the very basic recipe in their homes, with mixed results. Turns out, making something easy is sometimes hard.
At the small Fai stores, a slice of Aramco Cake sells for SR9.50 each ($2.50).
It is already cut into the perfect portion to help you easily fuel up your body and soul as you fuel up your car.
