Who Makes The Best Castella Cake In Singapore?

This three-month-old Selangor brand opened its first Singapore outlet at Bukit Panjang Plaza on July 14, a rather cramped, no-frills takeaway space with an open counter where you can see the sponges being hoisted out of the oven and cut into slabs. Nope, you can’t watch the baking action going on as the kitchen is hidden. The last we checked, the average queue time here is over an hour.

A slightly obiang paper box in a huat red shade, the same hue used for the chinoiserie counter at its shop. Since the flap was left open, the cakes weren’t soggy when they were delivered to us.

Just like Le Castella, Ah Mah’s cakes come in two flavours: Original and Cheese. At first glance, both look almost identical, down to the round logo seared with a hot metal stamp on the same golden-brown crust. But Le Castella’s crust is smoother, while Ah Mah’s crust is shakily imprinted with lines from the grill it was placed on. Ah Mah’s serving of cake, at 20cm by 15cm, is slightly smaller than Le Castella’s at 23cm by 16cm. When we bit into both brands’ original flavours piping hot, Le Castella’s version tastes fluffier and lighter than Ah Mah’s super-eggy, denser take. And unlike the Taiwanese Le Castella’s version, Ah Mah’s sponge made by a Malaysian head chef who learnt the recipe from a Taiwanese chef, did not boast that prized quiver that has launched a thousand Instagram videos.

Ah Mah’s cheese sponge boasts a slightly crackly crust pockmarked with crunchy parmesan cheese bits. Shiok, even if its sponge with a cheddar cheese heart is unmemorable and not as fluffy and oozing with cheese like Le Castella’s. We like the rich eggy flavour and comforting old-school taste of Ah Mah’s cakes, but Le Castella trumps this with its more refined texture.

#01-18 Bukit Panjang Plaza, 1 Jelebu Rd, S677743. Tel: 6325-4508. Open 10am-10pm daily. www.facebook.com/iloveahmahsg

This Taiwan import kick-started the castella craze in Singapore when it opened a franchise at Tampines 1 mall in May. It spawned an eye-watering five-hour wait back then — it has since calmed down to a more manageable two hours, after the shop implemented a time slot collection system. The shop is a wood-clad, elegant space that is more spacious than Ah Mah’s (alas, no open concept kitchen where you can witness food porn magic). But you can also watch the hot, wobbly cakes being sliced up here.

A sturdy brown cardboard box emblazoned with the brand’s name. It’s got a cleaner, classier look than Ah Mah’s. Also, a vent in the box allows steam to escape from the hot cakes, so they won’t get soggy if you can’t eat them warm on the spot.

Each soft, moist slab is more wobbly than Ah Mah’s cake, and also boasts a lighter, bouncier texture. It is not in-your-face eggy like Ah Mah’s offering, with just a fragrant hint of rich egg yolks. The texture and height of this sponge has improved since we tasted it when the shop first opened here. Super comforting and addictive if you like simple cakes.

Le Castella’s cheese sponge resembles its original flavour, except with oozy, salty processed American-style cheddar melting decadently within the cake. The crust is generally smooth save for a light sprinkle of powdered parmesan for added sharpness. Savoury and pretty yummy when contrasted with the delicately egg-scented cake. The only thing we prefer is the crust on Ah Mah’s cheese sponge, which has more texture from the crunchy parmesan bits.


#B1-32 Tampines 1, 10 Tampines Central 1, S529536. Open 11am to 10pm daily. www.facebook.com/LeCastellaSG

Meanwhile, Chef Pang Kok Keong of Antoinette — who, like BreadTalk (see Slide 14), reacts just as quickly (albeit more elegantly) to hawt pastry trends — has rolled out an entire range of castella cakes called the ‘Queen’s Castella collection’. It comes in six flavours: Ondeh Ondeh (Pandan Gula Melaka), Vanilla, Vanilla Cheese, Earl Grey, Earl Grey Cheese, and Nutella. While Le Castella and Ah Mah’s pillowy cakes are made the Taiwanese-style, Chef Pang is an amalgamation of both Taiwanese and Japanese versions. His castella cakes are baked in a cardboard-lined box to prevent the edges from drying out, and placed in a tray of hot water in the oven for more even heat distribution.

Each cake comes in Antoinette’s signature girlish, floral paper box. Pretty.

Maddeningly aromatic pandan sponge studded with melted gula melaka bits. The texture of each petite 9.5cm by 20cm slab is not exactly like the eggy, bouncy cakes from Le Castella and Ah Mah, and it's slightly airier. This is like a cross between a moist steamed cake and a superb pandan chiffon made with fresh pandan juice, plus caramelly gula melaka and crunchy bits of dessicated coconut crowning the crust. Very sedap and our fave among all the flavours offered.

Queen’s Castella Cake collection available at Antoinette, 30 Penhas Rd, S208188, and from July 22, also at its Mandarin Gallery outlet.

Joining the castella cake bandwagon is this version from BreadTalk that comes with a cute name, Pong Pong Cake (‘pong pong’ means fluffy in Hokkien). BreadTalk is quick to jump on pastry trends — it also offered its version of cheese tarts and salted egg yolk croissants shortly after the craze started. Could they be the Charles and Keith of pastries? Its castella is housed in a simple brown cardboard box similar to Le Castella’s, though it's not as sturdy.

This is combined with a salted egg yolk filling. The 15cm by 12cm block with pockets of orange yolk sounded promising, but we were let down by the rather bland sponge. The texture is airy but not as springy or moist as the others. Meanwhile, the salted egg yolk is savoury enough, but a tad too gritty. Not bad, but not great. Note that the cake is not available in July as the bakery chain is celebrating its 17th anniversary, but will be re-launched next month.


BreadTalk outlets at Paragon Shopping Centre, Novena Square, Toa Payoh, Chinatown and Westgate, and The Icing Room outlets at Jurong Point and Nex. www.facebook.com/breadtalksingapore