From The Straits Times    |

Image: Anna Pustynnikova / 123rf

Nothing beats a Lana chocolate fudge cake.

It came up tops in a blind taste test conducted by The Sunday Times to find the best chocolate fudge cake in Singapore.

The panel, comprising Alysia Chan, executive sous chef of American smokehouse Meatsmith in Telok Ayer Street, Straits Times food editor Tan Hsueh Yun and food critic Wong Ah Yoke, sampled 10 chocolate fudge cakes from 10 stores across Singapore.

The cakes were presented in rectangular sizes no matter what shape they came in. They were assessed on the taste and texture of the chocolate cake and frosting, and the appearance, for a total possible score of 25 points.

Chef Chan says chocolate fudge cake is her go-to cake for special occasions.

She has made her own version about five times since 2011 to celebrate her colleagues’ birthdays or whenever they had cravings for the cake. She steams it to make it more moist.

She says: “A good chocolate fudge cake should be rich and satisfying just by eating a small slice.

“The cake has to be moist and not too fluffy, the frosting has to be dense and thick. Sprinkling flecks of salt on the cakes brings out the taste of chocolate and adds some crunch.”

The top three cakes in the taste test are from Lana Cake Shop, Awfully Chocolate and The Patissier.

The judges say the cake and frosting have a good chocolate flavour, a good cake-to-frosting ratio and neat, distinct layers.

Ranked according to taste test results

1. LANA CAKE SHOP

All photos: Gin Tay / ST

Where: 36 Greenwood Avenue; tel: 6466-8940; open: 10am to 6pm (Tuesday to Friday), 10am to 5pm (Saturday), closed on Sunday and Monday

Price: From $42 for an 800g cake, order one week in advance

Score

Cake: 6.5/10

Frosting: 6.5/10

Appearance of cake: 3.7/5

Total: 16.7/25

Ms Tan says: “The cake’s layers are fluffy and light, without an oily taste. The smooth and glossy frosting has a stronger chocolate flavour with a hint of salt and the cake has distinct layers and a homespun look.”

2. AWFULLY CHOCOLATE

Where: 12 outlets, including 2 Orchard Turn, Ion Orchard, B4-50 and 5 Changi Business Park Central 1, Changi City Point, B1-07; various opening hours; go to www.awfullychocolate.com

Price: From $34 for a six-inch All Chocolate cake

Score

Cake: 6.3/10

Frosting: 5.7 /10

Appearance of cake: 3.7/5

Total: 15.7/25

Chef Chan says: “I like the texture of this cake most among the 10. It is dense but relatively moist. The chocolate flavour is strong, but the frosting is too gooey and has less chocolate flavour than the cake.”

3. THE PATISSIER

Where: 4 Mohamed Sultan Road, 01-01 ; tel: 6737 -3369; open: 10am to 7.30pm (weekday), 10am to 4.30pm (weekend); go to www.thepatissier.com

Price: From $48.15 for a 500g cake, order at least four days in advance

Score

Cake: 5.2/10

Frosting: 6/10

Appearance of cake: 3.7/5

Total: 14.9/25

Mr Wong says: “I like how the taste of the frosting changes. It tastes like milk chocolate initially and ends off on a darker note. The consistency of the frosting is quite good and the thin and even layers of cake and fudge make it look like a French pastry. However, the cake does not have much of a chocolate taste and is a little too sweet.”

4. CHOCOLATE ORIGIN

Where: Seven outlets, including 313 Orchard Road, 313@Somerset, B3-10A and 1 Jurong West Central, Jurong Point, 02-K3; various opening hours; go to www.chocolate-origin.com

Price: From $32.80 for an Original six-inch cake

Score

Cake: 5/10

Frosting: 5.3/10

Appearance of cake: 3.8/5

Total: 14.1/25

Mr Wong says: “The cake is more mousse-like, which makes the texture light and smooth. It looks quite beautiful and glossy. However, the chocolate taste is not strong enough.”

5. CHOC.A.BLOC

Where: Block 86 Bedok North Street 4, 01-179; tel: 6446-6096; open: 11am to 9pm daily, go to chocabloc.biz

Price: From $38 for an 800g cake, order three days in advance

Score

Cake: 5/10

Frosting: 4.5/10

Appearance of cake: 3/5

Total: 12.5/25

Chef Chan says: “The cake is moist but lacks chocolate flavour. The ratio of frosting to cake is off, as the top of the cake is quite thick. However, the frosting is smooth.”

6. CEDELE

Where: 29 outlets, including 83 Punggol Central, Punggol Waterway Point, 01-66 and 290 Orchard Road, Paragon, 01-20A; various opening hours; go to cedelegroup.com

Price: From $55 for a 1kg cake, order three working days in advance

Score

Cake: 4.3/10

Frosting: 5.3/10

Appearance of cake: 2/5

Total: 11.6/25

Ms Tan says: “The cake has little chocolate flavour. There’s an oily taste that coats your tongue.”

7. JANE’S CAKE STATION

Where: 265 Jalan Kayu; tel: 6481-1322; open: noon to 6pm (weekday and Saturday), noon to 4pm (Sunday), closed on Wednesday

Price: $40 for an 800g cake, order two to three days in advance. The shop accepts only cash.

Score

Cake: 2.7/10

Frosting: 2.7/10

Appearance of cake: 2.8/5

Total: 8.2/25

Ms Tan says: “The cake has a vague taste of salt but no chocolate flavour. But the texture of the cake is moist and fluffy. The frosting is smooth and its dark chocolate colour is beautiful. But why eat a chocolate cake with no chocolate flavour?”

8. MATT’S THE CHOCOLATE SHOP

Where: 44 Amoy Street; tel: 6557-2274; open: 11am to 6pm (weekday), 11am to 3pm (Saturday, for collection only), closed on Sunday; go to www.matts.com.sg

Price: From $30 for a 500g cake, order at least two days in advance

Score

Cake: 1.8/10

Frosting: 3.3/10

Appearance of cake: 1.8/5

Total: 6.9/25

Chef Chan says: “I like how dense and thick the frosting is and its texture is smooth, but the cake has a strange coconut oil aftertaste. It is heavy and crumbly, and it is quite hard to eat.”

9. VICKY’S CAKES

Where: 833 Bukit Timah Road, Royalville; tel: 6466-4000; open: 9.30am to 6pm (Monday to Saturday), closed on Sunday; go to www.vickycakes.com

Price: From $36 for an 800g cake, order at least three days in advance

Score

Cake: 1.7/10

Frosting: 1.7/10

Appearance of cake: 2/5

Total: 5.4/25

Mr Wong: “The cake and frosting have zero chocolate flavour; it just tastes sweet and oily. It has an unidentifiable taste and is nothing that I have tasted before. The layers of cake and fudge have melded together too.”

10. DON YOUR PERSONAL PIE CLUB

Where: Three outlets, including One Raffles Place, B1-06 and 8 Boon Lay Way, Trade Hub 21, 01-28; various opening hours; go to www.donpieclub.com.sg

Price: $34.70 for a 750g cake, order at least one day in advance

Score

Cake: 2/10

Frosting: 1.7/10

Appearance of cake: 1.3/5

Total: 5/25

Chef Chan says: “This cake is beyond dry. You could use it to soak up spills in the kitchen. The frosting is too dense, grainy and crunchy.”

 

A version of this story was originally published in The Straits Times on March 6, 2016. For more stories like this, head to www.straitstimes.com/lifestyle.