To the average English speaker, kueh lapis legit is a rather head-scratching name. It means ‘sweet layer cake’ in Bahasa Indonesia. Contrary to popular belief, the ‘legit’ (pronounced as ‘le-geet’ with a hard g) in its name does not refer to how awesome the cake is — it’s simply the Indonesian word for ‘sweet’.

Kueh lapis legit has its roots in Indonesia, via Dutch colonists who modified the German baumkuchen, a layered spit cake which literally means ‘tree cake’ as it resembles a log slice with tree rings. The Dutch zhng-ed the recipe by adding local spices — cinnamon, clove, mace and nutmeg — that perked up the heavy European-style batter. They named it spekkoek (bacon cake), as the dark and pale-coloured layers resemble bacon. The Indonesians later gave it the localised name of kueh lapis legit.

Due to time and logistical constraints, we whittled a long list of brands down to 17 for this feature. There were some we would’ve liked to include, like Pine Garden and old-school Katong bakery Dona Manis Cake Shop, but their next batch of cakes are only available in early February after this article was due. Pity.

Luxury lapis brand Royal Istana was also considered. Its Grand Lapis, handmade in Jakarta and exported to Singapore, is reportedly favoured by Indonesian presidents Suharto and Jokowi. But its price, at a whopping $128 for a 1kg cake, is not exactly mass-targeted (the average price for a kueh lapis of similar weight is around $50 to $60). We left it out for a list that would be easier on everyone’s pandemic-hit wallets.

Eventually, we settled on a mix of obscure and well-known mass market shops. But the list is non-exhaustive (we’ll forever be on the lookout for mind-blowing kueh lapis...) No home bakers are on this list, as it would be an uneven playing field against professional kitchens. We are also ranking only the original cinnamon flavoured kueh lapis for consistency.

We bought all the cakes undercover — no ads, affiliations or insidious under-the-table hand-shaking involved. Then we placed ’em all, side by side, and tasted them for comparison. 

Our gold standard kueh lapis legit should be as beautiful to look at as it is lovely to eat. It should have beautifully even layers that come together in a smooth, rich and dense mouthful, with a good balance of quality butter (there’s so much of it in the cake, so cheap butter is unforgivable) and warm, toasty notes of archipelago spices. Good kueh lapis should make us worry for our waistline, but induce us to reach for another slice anyway.

Of course, taste is subjective — so feel free to tell us on Facebook or Instagram why you agree, or disagree, with our choices.

And now, starting from our least favourite kueh lapis…

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Lapis Cake, $13.20 for quarter; $26.50 half; $53 whole (1kg)

Backstory: This old-school bakery in Bedok specialises in Indonesian pastries like kueh ambon, pulut inti, and kueh lapis (it’s also famous for its plump ang ku kuehs). We find its traditional shopfront incredibly charming, and its packaging for our kueh lapis order refreshingly unpretentious; the cake was placed in a styrofoam box within a red plastic bag. No fancy labels, no fussy cling wrap — it was as if we had tapow-ed cai png from a kopitiam.

Taste test: Unfortunately, our lapis cake is hard, with a stale hint of what tastes like low quality butter (or, gasp, margarine). It also has a strangely onion-ish, oily whiff that smells and tastes like leftover economical rice grease. Was it stored in a chiller with onions? Could the cai png packaging be playing tricks on our mind? We’re not sure — but we won’t be buying this again.  

Blk 537 Bedok North St 3, S460537. Tel: 6442-7637. Open daily 7am-9pm.

Lapis Cake, $46 for whole

Backstory: Founded in 1968 by a family from their home, this nonya bakery has been operating at its current Bedok location since 1972. It has also modernised its business with an online shop selling pastries like egg tarts and banana cake with islandwide delivery. It also has commendable customer service; a helpful staff member promptly procured a lapis cake for us when we enquired via e-mail, despite it being listed as out of stock on Lek Lim’s website.

Taste test: The kueh lapis here is not as great as the service, sadly. Like Borobudur Snacks Shop’s cake, this pale yellow version is hard, with the same jarringly bizarre oily pong that’s not present in most of the other brands on this list. But the pong is slightly less pronounced for Lek Lim’s cake, and so we’ve placed it at #16.

84 Bedok North St 4, #01-21, S460084. Tel: 6449-0815. Open daily 5am-5pm. www.kuehkueh.com.sg.

Kueh Lapis, $1.60 for a slice; $46 whole

Backstory: Subway Niche is a Singaporean chain of unassuming but popular nonya kueh kiosks that started in 1987. In 2007, American sandwich chain Subway filed a copyright infringement lawsuit against Subway Niche for its similar-sounding name. But the court ruled in favour of Subway Niche, which was founded before Subway registered its trademark here in 1989. We usually can’t resist buying its affordable homely kuehs whenever we pass by its Orchard outlets.

Taste test: Our slab of kueh lapis looks overbaked, with an almost burnt crust. The cake is dry and hard, with an aggressive egginess and barely a whisper of toasty spices. We only like that it comes with a grid pattern on its crust, which makes slicing the cake into even portions easier.

Three outlets including 290 Orchard Rd, #B1-K33 Paragon Shopping Centre, S238859. Tel: 6738-5535. Open daily 10am-10pm.

Lapis Legit, $22 for half, $43 for whole

Backstory: Halal kueh specialist Ratu Lemper is named after the Indonesian savoury snack of glutinous rice stuffed with spicy shredded chicken (they do a decent version). Ordering our kueh lapis from the shop via WhatsApp was a joyful breeze; we got a friendly reply promptly, paid up via PayNow, and secured our self-collection order.

Taste test: Ratu Lemper’s lapis legit boasts so many spiced layers, it’s more brown than yellow in appearance. But it’s also rather bland with a texture that’s more spongy than dense.

31 Arab St, S199730. Tel: 9813-2450. Open daily except Mon. Tues-Thur 10am-2pm; Fri-Sun 10am-6pm. www.ratulemper.com.

Kueh Lapis Original, $17 for half; $34 whole

Backstory: The well-known halal bakery chain has outlets islandwide. It started out as Swee Heng Bakery in the heartlands before rebranding itself as Swee Heng 1989 Classic Bakery. It also started offering more modern picks like rainbow lapis in recent years.

Taste test: Despite being so greasy it was practically lying in a pool of oil, Swee Heng’s kueh lapis inexplicably tastes like a drier pound cake. Its flavour is also not rich enough with a lacklustre cinnamon-y whiff.

33 outlets including Blk 449 Ang Mo Kio Ave 10, #01-1727, S560449. Tel: 6459-7071. Open daily 6am-9.30pm. www.sweeheng.com.sg.

Lapis Original Spekkoek, $35 for half; $60 whole

Backstory: Rainbow Lapis has four bakery outlets here. Other than its signature rainbow lapis, it also sells a butterfly pea lapis flavour and assorted kuehs. It also has its own e-commerce store online, as well as platforms on Shopee and Lazada.

Taste test: The anaemic-looking kueh lapis tastes overwhelmingly of milk powder and a hint of cinnamon. It’s also rather dry, with lots of air bubbles between the layers (it appears that the layers weren’t pressed down well during the baking process).

Four outlets including 101 Upper Cross St, Level 1 People's Park Centre, S058358. Tel: 6244-8719. Open daily 8.30am-6pm. www.rainbowlapis.com.

Cinnamon Kueh Lapis, $22 for quarter; $43 medium; $80 for large

Backstory: The Lapis Place was founded in Bangkok by “a team of like-minded young entrepreneurs” in 2017, and set up shop in Singapore in 2018. Other than offering trendy  lapis flavours like Speculoos, it also modernises the decadent kueh lapis by using “less butter and sugar”.

Taste test: Less butter and sugar is good for your health, but bad if you want to make a satisfying kueh lapis. The Lapis Place’s rendition is rather tasteless, save for a smidgen of eggy flavour. The intricate layers also turn to mush the moment it enters our mouth. Not ideal. But The Lapis Place’s branding is on-point, though. The cake is housed in a classy red gift box with a magnetic clasp. Fancy.

#B1-K4 Plaza Singapura, S238839. Tel: 9338-1685. Open daily 11am-9pm. www.thelapisplace.com.

Signature Original Spice Kueh Lapis, $26 for half; $50 whole

Backstory: Deli-Indo is a kueh lapis brand by online bakery Daribell, which was established in 1998 and specialises in kueh lapis. Other than CNY pop-up booths around Singapore, it also sells its bakes on Shopee and Lazada.

Taste test: The packaging for this cake reminds us of the kueh lapis legit sold in Batam. It’s so greasy that our slice left an oil film on our plate. The cake, though attractive-looking with dozens of thin layers, is a tad stale, with faint floral undertones and not much else. We had ordered it through Shopee and had it delivered, so we wondered if it would have tasted better fresh.

Order via Shopee, Lazada and www.deli-indo.com.sg. Tel: 6741-0638.

Signature Kueh Lapis Legit, $25 for ⅓ roll; $66 whole

Backstory: This heritage kueh brand’s flagship stall opened in Tiong Bahru Food Centre in the early ’50s, and is, according to the brand’s website, still “manned by our friendly founders uncle Harry and auntie Annie”.

Taste test: Harrianns’ bright yellow kueh lapis is more floral than spicy, with a very soft, almost mushy texture. Not our ideal lapis legit, though the dainty ⅓ portion is a nice size for serving to guests as a CNY snack.

Five outlets including #01-01A Bugis Junction Towers,  230 Victoria St, S188024. Tel: 6238-1200. Open daily, Mon- Fri 7.30am-8.30pm; Sat 8.30am-9pm; Sun 8.30am-8.30pm. www.harrianns.com.

Lapis Legit, $25 for half; $48 whole

Backstory: Tingkat PeraMakan is the casual offshoot of Peranakan restaurant PeraMakan, which opened in Keppel Club in 2013. We have always been fond of its eateries’ pretty, mod Nyonya decor. But our chilled lapis legit was packed in a soggy, generic pink paper box with ‘kueh lapis’ printed on it in Comic Sans font. Some branding would’ve been nice.

Taste test: Appearance-wise, this is a kueh lapis that needs some sprucing up. It’s garishly yellow with thin dark brown stripes, and is inexplicably blackened around the edges at the bottom. Flavour-wise, it’s a bit stale, though surprisingly buttery with a decent firmness.

#03-44 Thomson Plaza, 301 Upper Thomson Rd, S574408. Tel: 6251-6557. Open daily 11.30am-9pm. www.peramakan.com.

Kueh Lapis, $26.80 for half; $50.80 whole

Backstory: Local halal bakery chain PrimaDeli was launched in 1992, and can be found in almost every heartland neighbourhood. It’s more well-known for its freshly-made pandan waffles, but it also makes a selection of bakes like chocolate fudge cake and kueh lapis.

Taste test: PrimaDeli’s kueh lapis has a pretty fab texture… if it was a plain butter pound cake. There’s barely any hint of lapis legit spices in this, though it tastes heavily of milk powder. It’s not the best kueh lapis, but it has very few shortcomings (the cutting grid on the crust is a good touch), and so it sits on the seventh spot.

45 outlets including #B1-50C, Chinatown Point, 133 New Bridge Rd, S059413. Tel: 6694-9088. Open daily Mon-Fri 10am-8.30pm. Sat & Sun 11am-8.30pm. www.primadeli.com.

Kueh Lapis, $35.70 for whole

Backstory: Piece of Cake claims to be the “one-stop solution for your party needs”. Its website sells a random mish-mash of birthday cakes, macarons, bentos and… kueh lapis. Its brick-and-mortar bakery in Woodlands has a different name called Take a Bake. Yeah, we’re confused too.

Taste test: At first glance, this kueh lapis is oilier than a teenager’s complexion, with erratically thick and thin layers. We also baulk at the garish neon yellow colouring. As it turns out, greasy-looking kueh lapis can taste decent too. Its oiliness yields a buttery richness that’s deliciously indulgent, though it could do with a stronger spice kick. A dark horse, this one.

Blk 304 Woodlands St 31, #01-113, S730304. Open daily 9am-9pm. www.pieceofcake.sg.

Kueh Lapis, $38 for medium; $105 large

Backstory: IndoChili is a halal Indonesian restaurant that claims on its website to make the “best kueh lapis in Singapore”. Bold. The cake is spiked with a “secret spice concoction”, and IndoChili also prides itself on making its lapis “non-greasy”.

Taste test: Original-flavoured kueh lapis legits are usually unadorned. IndoChili’s version is studded with almond slivers. Our family members like the extra crunchiness, though we find the crunch on kueh lapis a tad strange. The cake itself is scrumptious with a fragrant cinnamon whiff. And yes, not-too-greasy, which makes serving this cake less of an oily nightmare. We can’t say this is the best kueh lapis in Singapore, but it’s more than decent.

Three outlets including 54 Zion Rd, S247779. Open daily Mon-Thur 11.30am-3pm; 5pm-9.30pm, Fri-Sun 11.30am-9.30pm. www.indochili.com.

Kueh Lapis, $31 for half; $62 whole

Backstory: Lina Confectionery & Trading was founded by Linawati Sukhamta in 1989 in Alexandra Village. Her shophouse bakery offers handmade Indonesian-style kuehs like lemper ayam and bika ambon. The shop also supplies kueh lopes to The Lobby Lounge at the Shangri-La Hotel Singapore. Our order comes in a nice batik-print paper bag that’s good for gifting.

Taste test: We can taste the individual layers in each dense slice of Lina’s kueh lapis and their subtle spicy notes, which is especially aromatic. Very nice. But it’s noticeably sweeter than the other kueh lapis on this list, which makes it quite jelak after one slice.

124 Bukit Merah Lane 1, #01-138, S150124. Tel: 6271-6996. Open daily except Sun, 9.30am-8pm. www.linaconfectionery.com.

Signature Spiced Lapis, $21.80 for quarter; $80.80 whole

Backstory: Despite having only been around since 2016, Ollella has quickly established a name for its elegant lapis legit, made with a 60-year-old recipe from its owner Marcella Tanuwijaya’s Indonesian grandmother. The cake is also slightly pricier than its counterparts, due to ingredients like “the most premium Dutch butter” and house-ground spices.

Taste test: Ollella’s cake has a much more natural shade of brown than the rest of our lapis contenders. The cake is luscious and velvety with a good bite, and imbued with the intoxicating fragrance of cinnamon, nutmeg, cardamom and cloves. It’s also faintly gritty from the ground spices — which we at first find off-putting. But the grittiness is less pronounced after we let the cake sit for a day. ’Cos we had tasted a few other cakes that were fairly muted, we also initially found this spiciness overwhelming in comparison. On its own, this kueh lapis is a much more toothsome treat. We can properly enjoy its sumptuous potence like the Indonesians, who usually prefer stronger flavours. If you want a ‘legit’ Indonesian-style lapis legit, this is it.

454 Race Course Rd, S218697. Tel: 6917-7273. Open daily except Tues, 10.30am-6pm. www.ollella.com.

Kueh Lapis, $2.20 a slice; $52 for medium; $65 for large

Backstory: The ubiquitous homegrown bakery chain needs no introduction. Given that its cakes are often trotted overseas as souvenirs, it’s unsurprising to find Bengawan Solo’s paper-wrapped kueh lapis nicely packaged. It comes in a festive red reusable air-tight tin similar to those used for mooncakes. Good for keeping your precious lapis legit fresh.

Taste test: We admit we aren’t enormous fans of the chain’s pandan cake, but we like its kueh lapis very much. Our cake, bought on the spot from a Toa Payoh outlet chosen at random, tastes freshly baked with a heady aroma from its warm spice blend. It’s also, in our opinion, the best-looking lapis legit on this list, with a golden-brown hue and neat, even layers. We automatically reach for a second slice after polishing off the first one. Our only bugbear is that its texture is a tad wet on the day we bought it, but better the next day when we do a second tasting (perhaps because it was too freshly baked when we first tried it).

41 outlets including Blk 500 Toa Payoh Lor 6, #02-31, S310500. Tel: 6354-1079. Open daily 10am-10pm. www.bengawansolo.com.sg.

Lapis Legit, $31 for half; $56 whole

Backstory: This low-profile Indonesian kueh chain was founded in 2003. It apparently had five outlets at locations like 313@Somerset and Tampines 1 some time ago, though they have since closed down. It appears to have only one kiosk now at Great World City. According to its website, the shop supplies its kueh platters to “5/6 star hotels, renowned banks, VIP lounges, luxurious train [sic] and more”. Our lapis legit was packed in a crisp white paper box with a Kedai Kue Kue sticker on it. Serviceable, if rather plain.

Taste test: We got to Kedai Kue Kue’s lapis legit after pigging out on over half of the contenders here. But once we took a bite, we immediately thought: “This is The One.” Compared to some of  the other brands, this cake doesn’t boast as many layers. But its widely-spaced brown and egg-yellow stripes are satisfyingly uniform, and its texture decadently dense, moist and rich without being cloying. We’re even more impressed with its depth of flavour: it’s a perfect union of what tastes like premium butter and a just-right dash of perfumey spices, like a coy spritz of a sensuous scent. As far as this list is concerned, we declare this the champion.

#B1-K107, 1 Kim Seng Promenade, S237994. Tel: 6733-6788. Open daily 9am-8pm. www.kedaikuekue.com.

PHOTOS: YIP JIEYING

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