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Top 10 Birthday Cakes

Photo: Photography WINSTON CHUANG Art Direction & Styling NIKKI HO Tableware ROBINSONS THE HEEREN & TATTY MARSH

1. EARL GREY CAKE
From $30 (550g), from Little House of Dreams, #B1-27E The Central, tel: 6222-2972
This drew ‘oohs’ and ‘ahs’ all around the table as we savoured moist sponge laced with the delicate flavour of Earl Grey tea. The non-greasy Swiss buttercream rosettes truly were the icing on the cake.

Top 10 Birthday Cakes

2. CARIBBEAN LEMON SLICE
$70 (1.8kg), from The Fabulous Baker Boy, #01-15 The Foothills, 70 River Valley Road, tel: 6694-8336
This mammoth cake coated in coconut shavings cuts open to reveal a super-moist crumb that lures the taste buds with a zingy hit of lemon. It’s impossible not to keep diving back in for more.

3. TIRAMISU
$170 (1.8 kg), from Quarter to Three, 88 Tanjong Pagar Road, tel: 6222-2214
This doesn’t come cheap, but here’s what you’re paying for: generous amounts of liqueur, coffee and mascarpone assembled in just the right ratio, so every bite is simply phenomenal.

4. STRAWBERRY SHORTCAKE DECOR
From $38 (800g), from Patisserie Glace, #01-16 Republic Plaza, tel: 6536-0169
Cottony clouds of incredibly soft sponge plus a layer of fresh cream embedded with strawberries – we’d be happy to dig into this on our birthday… and any other day.

Top 10 Birthday Cakes

5. BLUEBERRY CHEESECAKE
$58 (1.3kg), from The Dispensary, 69 Tiong Bahru Road, tel: 6536-0225
There’s something very satisfying about the way the plush cream cheese cake melts in the mouth, with spurts of juice from whole blueberries to cut through the richness. Resistance is futile.

6. EGGLESS CHOCOLATE TRUFFLE CAKE
$48 (1kg), from Cedele, #03-14 Wheelock Place, tel: 6732-8520
Built on a crumbly base, the chocolate mousse is highly satisfying with its smooth, ultra-luscious texture. An indulgent birthday treat, indeed.

7. RAINBOW CAKE
$35 (500g) or $58 (1kg), from The Bakery Chef, 161 Bukit Merah Central, #01-3711, tel: 6273-9211
Not just another saccharine rainbow cake, this mascarpone-layered one is subtly tinged with passionfruit syrup for a refreshing surprise. Plus, it uses the prettiest of pastel colours – we couldn’t help but feel happy just looking at it.

8. STRAWBERRY SOUFFLE
$44.90 (800g), from Flor Patisserie, 2 Duxton Hill, #01-01, tel: 6223-8628
So much texture in every bite, from the plump strawberries crowning the pillowy cheese souffle cake, to the grainy crumble of buttery almond biscuits – yum!

9. LADY M SIGNATURE MILLE CREPES
$50 (750g) or $80 (2kg), from Lady M, #02-103 Marina Square, tel: 6822-2095
We can only attempt to describe how dreamy this stack of 20 silky, thinner-than-paper crepes layered with light pastry cream under a caramelised veil really is. A must-try!

10. CARROT CAKE
$40 (1.2kg) or $70 (2.5kg), from Lynn’s Cakes & Coffee, 11 Eng Kong Terrace, tel: 6314-2886
The walnuts in this cinnamon-spiced carrot cake appear in little studs, so you get the crunch without it getting in the way of the moist, fluffy crumb, and velvety cream cheese frosting.

This article was originally published in Simply Her November 2014.