Celebratory bakes

Singapore — When one talks about Ramadan feasting, images of delicious curries and other traditional treats come to mind. However, some say this Ramadan is also the perfect excuse to go out and indulge in sumptuous cakes, thanks to a slew of offerings that Muslim-owned or Halal-certified bakeries have rolled out for the festive season. And there are quite a few to choose from, whether it is the rainbow cake from Lynn’s Cakes & Coffee or the cute confections from Fluff Bakery.

While not all the Muslim-owned bakeries mentioned here are certified Halal, its owners assure that they adhere stringently to Halal precepts in their kitchens. Lynn Saijan, of Lynn’s Cakes & Coffee on Eng Kong Terrace, said: “When customers ask, we tell them that though we are not certified, we are Muslims ourselves and we make sure that we have good suppliers who provide us with Halal-certified ingredients.”

Dewi Imelda Wadhwa, who owns And All Things Delicious along Crawford Lane, added: “For example, we only use Halal-certified vanilla essence, because regular vanilla essence has alcohol in it.”

One reason is that the certification process can be lengthy and costly. But that did not stop Shannon Lua of The Butter Studio, who is not Muslim, from ensuring that her bakery received Halal certification. “Growing up in Singapore, we have lots of Muslim friends and neighbours who we exchange food with often. So when I started the bakery, I wanted it to be community-centric and have our cakes accessible to everyone. That’s why we applied for Halal-certification, so that all our customers can enjoy our cakes with peace of mind.”

With that in mind, here’s where you ought to try:

Fluff Bakery

12 Jalan Pisang, http://fluffbakery.sg, email: order [at] fluffbakery.sg to order

A queue forms the moment this popular bakery opens its doors at noon. The people don’t mind the wait, as long as they get their hands on Fluff’s popular cupcakes (S$4), which comes in flavours such as Nutella Red Velvet and Salted Caramel. Owner and baker Nursyazanna Syaira Md Suhimi, 28, makes four rotating offerings every day, including the very popular Ondeh Ondeh (pandan cupcakes with a core of molten gula Melaka). This week, she is introducing a special Ramadan flavour: Maple Pancake Beef Dendeng. It is a riff on the hipster-favourite combination of maple and bacon. The vanilla cupcakes are filled with maple pastry cream and topped with maple frosting and a slice of dengdeng, which the plucky baker describes as “the Malay version of bak kwa, which the Muslim community loves to eat, especially during the festive period”.

And All Things Delicious

462 Crawford Lane #01-61, Tel: 6291 4252, http://andallthingsdelicious.com

It was granola that started it all for 36-year-old Dewi Imelda Wadhwa, who first created her blend using oats, pumpkin seeds, almonds, sunflower seeds and raisins for her two young sons. Mel’s Houseblend Granola remains a popular item at her light-filled store along Crawford Lane, alongside other seasonal flavours such as the Ramadan Edition, which includes Deglet Nour dates flown in from Tunisia (S$8 for 200g/S$16 for 500g). This season, she has also created three new cakes — Gula Melaka (S$6 per slice/S$49 per 8-inch cake) topped with Swiss meringue buttercream, Orange-Infused Sugee (S$6 per slice/S$36 for a 7-inch cake) with a fresh orange drizzle, and Sticky Pineapple Jam Scones (S$34 for six) that come in a pretty Japanese cotton tea towel.

Lynn’s Cakes & Coffee

11 Eng Kong Terrace, Tel: 6314 2886,

http://www.lynnscakes.com.sg

With their bright, happy hues, Lynn Saijan’s rainbow cakes — comprising layers of a light, moist butter cake frosted with whipped cream — are her bestseller. The 41-year-old began learning to bake in 2009 when her then 12-year-old daughter wanted to bring something to school as a Teacher’s Day treat. “I didn’t want to trouble my mum to do it, so I Googled a simple recipe, and that’s how I discovered my love for baking,” said Saijan. Four years later, with her husband Jonathan Lim as her business partner, she opened Lynn’s Cakes, which does brisk business selling popular flavours such as red velvet, carrot, salted caramel (S$6.50 per slice/S$40 for a six-inch cake) and Oreo cheesecake (S$7/S$75 for nine-inch cake). Slices of these cakes are available throughout the day at the cafe, while whole cakes require advance orders at least three days ahead. For Hari Raya, she has created a Pumpkin Seed and Cranberry Crunch, as well as an Almond Crunch, both of which sell at S$30 for 500g.

The Butter Studio

147 Jalan Besar, Tel: 6294 7115,

http://www.thebutterstudio.com

Bringing people together by way of delicious treats was the reason Shannon Lua decided to start The Butter Studio. “I grew up in a family of bakers and was inspired by my mum and grandma,” she said. “Our family would often come together for special occasions to bake. So to me, cakes are the things that bring people together in the kitchen and at the table.”

This season, she is featuring the special Pandan Pineapple Tarts (S$29.90 for 30 pieces), Red Velvet and White Chocolate Cookies (S$23.90 for 50), and cake rolls in two flavours: Salted Gula Melaka and Speculoos Butterscotch (S$21 each). “Our items are often inspired by local flavours, but always made with a contemporary touch,” said Shannon.

Spatula Bakery

87 Frankel Avenue, Tel: 6243 3208,

http://www.spatulabakery.com

When former air stewardess Anna Majeed, 28, first traded in her kebaya for a spatula in 2012, she never imagined that her little home-based business would take off so well. Just a year later, she moved into her first brick-and-mortar store in the Joo Chiat area before moving again to her current premises in Frankel Avenue where she enjoys a larger kitchen and her customers get to dine in. On any given day, her best-selling cake and cupcake flavours include Rockin Red Velvet, Saucy Salted Caramel and Bouncy Butterscotch, though she also offers a rotating menu of flavours that include Diabolical Durian, Tarty Party (a pineapple tart-inspired cake) and Gula Gila (with pandan, gula Melaka and coconut). Throughout Ramadan, all cupcakes will be sold at a promotional price of S$20 for half a dozen instead of the usual S$24. And although Spatula is primarily a dessert cafe, Anna is now also offering a Break Fast Dinner Package (S$26), comprising a savoury waffle, a dessert platter of mini treats such as brownies, macarons and eclairs, and free-flow of selected drinks.