Green tea lovers would enjoy their matcha desserts and cakes – delectable treats with that lingering slight bitter taste, all not too sweet at all.
If you are a matchholic, here are 10 cafes in Singapore to get these delicate cakes:
Matchaya – The Cathay
The Cathay, #01-08/09, 2 Handy Road, Singapore 229233
Opening Hours: 11am – 10pm (Sun – Thu), 11am – 10.30pm (Fri – Sat)
Matchaya started off with pop-ups and a kiosk at Icon Village, has opened a fuller-fledged space at The Cathay.
The crowd favourite is the Koicha Azuki Roll Cake ($6) made with generous amount of ceremonial matcha and Chantilly cream, Azuki red beans and 100% activated charcoal sponge cake.
Moist and fluffy on the outside, yet oozing with rich and distinctive matcha cream, I would say this is possibly worth the calories.
I appreciate the sweetness from the Azuki red beans that cuts through the rich and bitter matcha cream, keeping the balance in this dessert. Matchaya (Cathay)
JW360° (Japan Way Three Sixty)
78 Airport Boulevard, #01-223/224/225, Jewel Changi Airport (Nearest Terminal T1)
Tel: (Retail) +65 6242 8377 I (Restaurant) +65 6243 2466
Opening Hours: 11:30am – 1opm (Mon – Sun)
If you are a sweet tooth or just needing a tea break while walking around Jewel Changi Airport, the JW360° café corner is for you.
They have a range of cakes and gelato using Japanese ingredients like matcha, adzuki bean, and wasanbon, an expensive fine-grained Japanese sugar made from Shikoku sugarca
Try their Matcha Baked Cheese Cake with Fig Wine Paste ($6.50), or the Matcha Opera ($8.00) made with layers of matcha sponge, buttercream and ganache. If you like the nutty taste of Adzuki beans, go for the Matcha with Sweet Beans Roll ($6.50)
The picturesque Matcha Mont Blanc ($9.00) with Japanese chestnut paste is my personal favourite; while Matcha Mille Feuille ($9.00) with matcha butter, custard and sweet chestnut are both art-on-a-plate. Get them early before they are sold out. JW360° (JEWEL Changi Airport)
Lee’s Confectionery
343 Jurong East Street 31, #01-59, Singapore 600343
Tel: +65 9183 8447
Opening Hours: 12:00pm – 10:00pm (Thurs – Tues), 11:00am – 10:00pm (Sat – Sun), Closed Wed
The owner-baker Lee Yin Quan holds a Diploma in Intensive Professional Program in French Pastry from one of Europe’s most prestigious culinary institute, Ferrandi Paris.
He also had internships with Michelin Star chef, Jean-François Piège and Pastry Chef Nina Métayer and Jean-François Perret of Hôtel Ritz Paris.
The best-seller here is the Dale ($8), which includes matcha included 4 ways – in a sponge, as crumble, matcha mousse, passionfruit compote with seeds on a tart sprinkled with… matcha powder.
A refined and polished version with multiple different textures.
Soft sponge cake, crispy crumble, creamy mousse, crunchy passionfruit seeds and sturdy tart base. Lee’s Confectionery (Jurong East)
Hvala
CHIJMES, 30 Victoria Street, Singapore 187996
Opening Hours: 11am – 9:30pm (Mon – Sun)
Specially designed to look like a Japanese teahouse, Hvala has a minimalist touch with wooden elements incorporated into every single details, yet brought out the beauty and the simplicity in the design.
A selection of cakes such as Goma (Sesame), Chocolate Truffle, Honey Earl Grey Hazelnut, Matcha Azuki ($7.80 per slice) are available.
The slice of Matcha Azuki cake drizzled with matcha sauce, has soft and fluffy texture though could be a tad sweet. Hvala (CHIJMES)
Keong Saik Bakery
41 Keong Saik Road Singapore 089146
Opening Hours: 7:30am – 5pm (Mon), 7:30am – 8pm (Tues – Fri), 8am – 8pm (Sat – Sun)
What makes Keong Saik Bakery’s Burnt Cheesecake ($7.50) different is that it is made using four different types of cheese.
While I thought that the texture could have been a tad softer, the layered cheese flavours was quite appealing and would make you want to take small bites for the taste to linger.
Other than the original, the Matcha Burnt Cheese ($8) is also quite popular though the green tea powder may not be as distinct as you wished.
Available in limited quantities, the Two Face ($8.50) wins as it is a two-in-one cake, containing the creamy original cake at the top and matcha cheesecake at the bottom.
LUNA
53 Amoy Street, Singapore 069879
Opening Hours: 9:30am – 8:30pm (Mon – Fri), 10:30am – 6pm (Sat), Closed Sun (soft launch timing)
LUNA is a new cake cafe located at Amoy Street. The Matcha White Chocolate ($7.50) stood out among all other cakes with its intense shade of green. It did not disappoint.
Coming with alternating layers of matcha chiffon sponge and matcha white chocolate ganache, the texture was moist and not too dense.
The top layer was coated with droplets of matcha white chocolate cream generously sprinkled with matcha powder to give provide a more pronounced vegetal notes – though I can imagine not all would appreciate that.
One suggestion is to eat all the layers in one bite, as the chiffon cake is on the sweeter side, which can be balanced off by the bitterness from the matcha powder on the top layer. LUNA (Amoy Street)
L’Atelier’s Tiramisu
The Central, 6 Eu Tong Sen Street #B1-09 Singapore 059817 (Clarke Quay MRT)
Tel: +65 9389 8582
Opening Hours: 12pm – 9pm (Mon – Thurs), 12pm – 10pm (Fri – Sat), 12pm – 7pm (Sun)
L’Atelier Tiramisu can be a little hard to find, well hidden at the corner of the basement of Clarke Quay Central. It is at the furthest end.
Owner Judith learnt her tiramisu-making skills in France, not Italy as some would assume. She met her husband in Paris, stayed there for a few years, and learnt the ropes.
This was a recipe handed down by the family for generations, but she modified it with additional flavours.
The Matcha Tiramisu has biscuits soaked in a brew of the Japanese green tea. While retaining the essence of a tiramisu, this cake has a lighter, refreshing finish, and loads of matcha powdered on top.
HYGGE
37 Haji Lane, Singapore 189230
Tel: +65 8588 7869
Opening Hours: 12pm – 6:30pm (Mon – Sat), 12pm – 4:30pm (Sun)
Pronounced as “Hue-guh”, this is Danish term which denotes the way of living by appreciating life’s simple pleasure, or to pursue quality coziness in individual’s well-being.
Their butter cream cakes was dense and moist with rich buttery fragrance. Good and not so good.
Good if you like your cakes creamy and heavy-flavored, but it would usually outshine the nuanced flavor of the cake.
Try the Matcha Berry Berries ($7.80), with rich buttery cream, coupled with piquant berry jelly layer, though the matcha flavor could have been slightly on the light side and would be better if more pronounced.
Nesuto
53 Tras Street, #01-01, Singapore 078992 (Tanjong Pagar MRT)
Opening Hours: 12pm – 9:30pm (Mon – Thurs), 12pm – 10:30pm (Fri, Sat), 12pm – 5.30pm (Sun)
The desserts at Nesuto are dainty and delicate, that some customers couldn’t help but to take multiples photos of them, and with them.
The Matcha Azuki Tart ($8.80) is made using 35% chantilly cream, matcha nama ganache and Azuki beans, though the tart was somewhat dry and without a buttery fragrant.
However the matcha nama ganache, made using the same “Gyomuyo Maccha” powder has a distinct tinge of bitterness that matcha lovers should adore.
Hidden under the layer of matcha nama ganache was a thin layer Azuki beans to complement with the bitterness from the matcha, well, the classic combination.
Lady M
181 Orchard Road, Orchard Central #01-27 & #02-07 Singapore 238896)
Tel: +65 6509 3673
Opening Hours: 11am – 10pm, Last order 9:30pm (Mon – Sun)
While slightly pricey, one of Lady M’s most popular crepe cake is the Green Tea Mille Crepe ($9.50), made with over 20 layers of paper thin crepes.
Fine green tea powder is infused between the layer of thin crêpes, enveloping the light pastry cream. Plus topped with powdered matcha on top. Yums.
The sweetness of the pastry cream wedded the subtlety of the fine green tea powder.
How do you eat your crepe cake? You can choose either to peel layer by layer, or take a spoonful of its entirety.
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* Compiled by Daniel Ang @DanielFoodDiary, Nicholas Tan @stormscape, Lewis Tan @juicyfingers and Song Yu @__sy_g.