10 Lana-Style Chocolate Fudge Cakes, Ranked From Worst To Best

It’s been the chocolate cake of choice for generations of Singaporeans since the 1970s. Even a boring birthday party was a decent party if it came with a Lana cake (those who were kids during the ’70s to early ’90s will know what we mean). Distinguished by its incredibly light and moist chocolate chiffon cloaked in a gooey pudding-like dark chocolate frosting, Lana’s chocolate cake has been widely imitated and spawned bakeries selling similar cakes over the decades.

Lana Cake Shop founder Mrs Violet Kwan, 91, first learnt to make her signature cake from her sister-in-law Lani in 1964, when the latter visited from Honolulu where she lived. Lani got the recipe for the unique, now-famous fudge cake while working in a bakery in Hawaii. Mrs Kwan’s friends loved it so much that she eventually began selling the cake from her Hillcrest Park home. She opened Lana Cake Shop — named after Lani — in 1975 at Greenwood Avenue near her home, where it continues to operate.

In early 2016, Mrs Kwan (above), then 88, announced that she was thinking of retiring. Her shop space alone was valued at $4 million — but the asking price for her recipes wasn't included in this amount. She was looking for the “right person” to take over the business. So Singapore waited with bated breath, wondering who Mrs Kwan would end up striking a deal with. While waiting, we had come up with a super popular Lana-Inspired Chocolate Fudge Cake recipe. (Which, dare we say, produces a cake that some have remarked is as good or even better than the real thing. Ahem. Check it out here.)

Photo: Lana Cakes

As it turns out, that person is her son Jason Kwan. Last month, news broke that Mr Kwan, 53, had given up his job as a banker in Tokyo over a year ago to take over his mother’s business. That explains the distinct improvements to Lana’s signature chocolate fudge cake, whose quality had been in consistent decline in the years before he took over. The faded shop which looked like it was trapped in a time warp also had a long overdue makeover, with a fresh coat of paint, new signboard and an overall brighter, more contemporary feel.

“My mum was very stressed during that period [after news of her intention to retire spread]. There were a few serious offers on the table, but she couldn't bear to let go of the business. When she asked me to take over the shop, it was almost a plea. I’d never considered doing this full-time before, so she was shocked when I finally said yes,” shares an articulate, bubbly Jason when we chanced upon him at the shop after this taste test. He declined to be photographed for this story as he was due for a haircut . Jason isn't totally new to the biz — he has helped out with parts of the baking process since he was in secondary school. “It’s not easy working with your parent, especially in the initial stages,” he shares. Mrs Kwan visits the shop a few times a week and even bakes a couple of cakes for regular customers. “She commented that everything is so scientific in the kitchen now — I’ve switched to measuring ingredients by weight whereas she used cups that were decades old! But she's pleased with the cakes' quality now — or so I've heard from the people she's told. You know Cantonese parents from that generation, they never praise you directly,” he chuckles.

This recent turn of events inspired us to arrange a taste test of all the Lana-style chocolate fudge cakes we could find in Singapore. There were the usual suspects — Awfully Chocolate, Jane’s Cake Station, Vicky’s and Choc A Bloc — plus a couple that appeared on our radar thanks to chocolate cake-loving friends. It was a difficult search, but we managed to pull together a list of 10 which we thought fit the Lana-style fudge cake bill. Then we bought all the bakes incognito for this ranking story.

Unlike typical angmoh-style chocolate fudge cakes, which often comprise a denser butter-based sponge or buttermilk chocolate cake and heavier, sugary frosting whipped up with butter or cream, the Lana ilk are defined by a moist, delicate-textured chocolate chiffon baked with oil, enrobed in a coat of chilled jelly-esque frosting made using ingredients like mung bean flour, gelatine and often little or no dairy products. The light, easy-to-eat cake seems unique to this part of the world — it certainly isn’t common in the West (other than Hawaii in the ’60s apparently, where the recipe came from), or even Japan.

Many of the cakes from our list of 10 have enjoyed a long following among Singaporeans, but we found them devoid of any real chocolate flavour. How is it that people can love a chocolate cake that tastes almost nothing of chocolate, we wonder (instead, there was an overpowering chocolate emulco note in some of them, a type of artificial flavouring). While the results between the top two choices were close, it must be said that the quality gap between the cakes that ranked #3 onwards were far and wide.

Read on and let the calories count before you indulge in your next choc fudge cake binge.

(From right) Florence Fong, senior food editor of 8 DAYS and avid home baker; Annette Tan, food writer, cook behind modern Peranakan private diner Fat Fuku and creator of the 8 DAYS Lana-Inspired Chocolate Fudge Cake recipe; Yip Jieying, writer, 8 DAYS.

​​​​​​​​​​​​​​Chocolate Fudge Cake, $5 for 300g/5.5-inches ($5.80 at Orchard branch)

Backstory: This Halal chain of cake shops started life in 1989 as Swee Heng Bakery in the heartlands, selling traditional bakes like buns and butter cakes. It later spawned Swee Heng 1989 Classic Bakery, which retails more modern treats such as rainbow lapis at malls like Northpoint City. The chocolate fudge cake here is sold in handy 5.5-inch blocks — but it has the colour of watered-down caramel… or mud. The extremely thin layer of “fudge” doesn’t hold the promise of a sumptuous confection either.

Photo: Swee Heng 1989 Classic, Facebook

ANNETTE: “The first thing you taste is the overwhelming flavour of coconut oil, which is really off-putting. Is there even any chocolate in this cake?”

FLORENCE: “Tastes of cheap coconut oil — or canned coconut milk. And the fudge is like stiff jelly. Pass.”

JIEYING: “If you eat it with your eyes closed, you might think it’s a pandan cake — but with chocolate on top.”

16 outlets including Tangs at Tang Plaza, 310 Orchard Rd Basement, S238864. Open daily. Mon-Sat 10am-9.30pm; Sun 10am-9pm. Tel: 6732-2883. https://sweeheng1989.com.sg/

​​​​​​​Royal Chocolate Cake, $16 for 500g

Backstory: This popular old-school cake shop-cum-cafe was established in 1992 in an Upper Thomson shophouse. It now also has a takeaway outlet tucked away in Bukit Timah Plaza. It’s famous for its rather yummy sugar rolls (which can almost rival Polar’s) and nostalgic numbers like New York cheesecake, black forest cake, and corn flake cookies. The Royal Chocolate, a “dark chocolate cake with chocolate sponge and fudge” is touted on its website as the bakery’s “Number 1 seller”. Of course we had to try it.

ANNETTE: “Too sugary and dry. It’s just a very simple, old-school neighborhood confectionery-style chocolate cake.”

FLORENCE: “Although the fudge looks dark and chocolatey, it tastes of grease and disappointment.”

JIEYING: “Horrible and dry. It’s too sweet and the layer of fudge is thin and not chocolatey enough. Not decadent enough to be worth the calories.”

257 Upp Thomson Rd, S574384. Open daily 9am-9pm. Tel: 6552-5088. http://www.dino.com.sg/

​​​​​​​Signature Chocolate Fudge Cake, $33 for 500g

Backstory: Vicky Tan is Lana cake shop founder Violet Kwan’s niece. Vicky used to work for her aunt at Lana before setting up her eponymous bakery at Henry Park Apartments in the early ’80s. Vicky later relocated her shop to Royalville along Bukit Timah Road and earlier this year, to a cosy spot within Bukit Timah Plaza. Her Signature Chocolate Fudge Cake looks like a slightly more rustic version of her aunt’s — a gleaming rectangular confection with a not-super-neat but still tempting layer of swarthy fudge. After all, as its Facebook page says, Vicky’s is “fondly known for our Signature Chocolate Fudge Cake and bespoke hand-crafted purposefully ‘not-so-perfect’ looking yummy bakes”.

Photo: Vicky's, Facebook

ANNETTE: “The sponge is nice and moist, and there’s a mild Nutella-like flavour — but there’s also an aftertaste of crayons. It’s ranked this far at the bottom because you expect more from this given its price, and the fact that it looks a lot like a Lana cake.”

FLORENCE: “This looked promising with its sexy dark fudge. But aside from its pleasantly soft texture, it tastes like I accidentally ate a display cake made of wax. Did they forget to put real chocolate in this?”

JIEYING: “It’s got a very oily aftertaste too.”

#02-K47 Bukit Timah Plaza, 1 Jalan Anak Bukit, S588996. Open daily except Sun. Mon-Sat 9.45am-7.30pm. Tel: 6466-4000. http://www.vickycakes.com/home.html

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Chocolate Fudge Cake, $5.30 for 230g

Backstory: This Halal-certified bakery chain was launched in 1992 and can be found in just about every heartland hub, hospital and neighbourhood mall. We love their soft, fluffy buns and freshly made pandan waffles, so we had high hopes for its chocolate fudge cake. Shaped in a petite block, however, the cake has the colour of diluted Milo rather than decadent chocolate.​​​​​​​

Photo: Prima Deli, Facebook

ANNETTE: “This is more like a generic cocoa powder sponge cake. But it’s cheap and cheerful, so you don’t expect too much from it anyway.”

FLORENCE: “It’s kinda like a light coffee-flavoured cake from a heartland bakery — those soft rolls that barely taste of coffee but are quite comforting to eat.”

JIEYING: “It’s pretty tasty and surprisingly chocolatey for a $5.30 cake that gives you four slices.”

49 outlets including #B2-K1&K3 Vivo City, 1 Harbourfront Walk, S098585. Open daily 10am-10pm. Tel: 6225-4579. http://www.primadeli.com/index.php

​​​​​​​Original Choco Fudge Cake, $45 for 1kg

Backstory: Founded in 2005 by baker Jean Loh, this humble store in Bedok North is well-known for its Original Choco Fudge Cake and selection of cookies like Italian biscotti and fruity shortbreads. This was the best-looking chocolate fudge cake in our line-up, with a generous layer of fudge, pretty swirls on its surface and an alluringly rich dark cocoa hue. The sponge cake looks moist even if it has a tighter crumb than the other options here. Jean says that the cake is made using Belgian chocolate couveture so that it’s not too sweet, and a mix of soybean oil and butter.

Photo: Julien 2016, Google Photos

ANNETTE: “The chocolate flavor is too thin. It has a metallic endnote despite the creamy fudge on it. Quite a letdown as it doesn’t have the chocolatey-ness that you expect from its looks.”

FLORENCE: “The swirly frosting is the best thing about this pretty cake. And the sponge is very soft, but slightly too close-textured instead of airily light. Too bad it tastes nothing like it looks. There’s an almost soapy quality to it that’s disturbing.”

JIEYING: “It tastes very artificial and strange.”

#01-179 Blk 86, Bedok North St 4, S460086. Open daily. Mon-Tue 11am-7pm; Wed-Sun 11am-9pm. Tel: 6446-6096. https://chocabloc.com.sg/

​​​​​​​Dark Chocolate Heaven Cake, $50 for 800g/six-inches

Backstory: Owner and baker Lynn Saijan began baking in 2009 when her then 12-year-old daughter wanted to bring something to school as a Teacher’s Day treat. Four years later, she opened Lynn’s Cakes with her husband Jonathan Lim. Though the bakery is not certified Halal, Saijan — who is Muslim — uses Halal-certified ingredients in her popular cakes. The Dark Chocolate Heaven Cake is a rich and tall oil-based chiffon, with a thin layer of shiny dark fudge.

Photo: Lynn's Cakes, Instagram

ANNETTE: “Tastes more like an American-style butter-based cake. It has a strange waxy flavour.”

FLORENCE: “The fudge is not bad, quite chocolatey. But there’s too little of it and too much of the rather rough chiffon that smells faintly of... cardboard.”

JIEYING: “I’m not wild about it, too spongy for my liking, but it tastes like it has butter in it.”

11 Eng Kong Terrace, S598983. Open daily except Mon. Tue-Sun 11am-7pm. Tel: 6314-2886. http://www.lynnscakes.com.sg/

​​​​​​​Small Chocolate Fudge Cake, $40 for 800g

Backstory: Purportedly inspired by the durian cakes from Goodwood Park Hotel, owner Jane Lim started making and selling durian cakes from home in the 1980s. Her bakes proved so popular that she eventually opened Jane’s Cake Station in 1995, where she continues to sell her durian cakes and her equally popular chocolate fudge cake. Jane’s fudge cake, which uses Belgian dark choc, looks like a chocolate cake you’d want to grab whole and eat by yourself in front of the telly. It’s almost brown-black, with a glossy sheen and delightful wobbliness. It holds the promise of something sumptuously chocolatey.

ANNETTE: “The cake’s texture is really lovely, but why does it taste like durian rather than chocolate? It looks dark and moist, but it’s terribly bland. I know we’re ranking it fourth out of 10, but it must be said that the gap between #3 and #4 is huge.”

FLORENCE: “This looks so good. Its texture is probably the best, or second best on this list. Super soft, moist sponge with a fudge that’s more creamy like a frosting instead of pudding-like. However, Annette is right about the taste. You know how leftover durian in the fridge taints everything in it, including water? This cake tastes just like that water.”

JIEYING: “I like the texture, so it’s a pity about the durian taste. This is otherwise a very decent chocolate fudge cake. Maybe they stored the cake in the same fridge as their durian cakes and the chocolate one got tainted.”

265 Jln Kayu, S799493. Open daily except Wed. Mon-Sat noon-6pm; Sun noon-4pm. Tel: 6481-1322. www.facebook.com/Janes-Cake-Station-Jalan-Kayu-110955728990817/

​​​​​​​Double Chocolate Cake, $88 (before GST) for 2kg/eight-inches

Backstory: This swanky café in private members’ club Straits Clan has a good selection of local offerings, including an enviably light and silky kueh salat. Its Double Chocolate Cake is made based on an old-school family chocolate cake recipe. At first, we baulked at its $88 price tag, but then realised that, pound for pound, it’s on par with most of the other cake prices here, since it’s a large 2kg offering. This is the only confection on the list that comes topped with fancy fresh berries.

ANNETTE: “So far the most wholesome-tasting cake on this list. Like someone actually made it from scratch using good ingredients — it’s the least commercial tasting”.

FLORENCE: “It’s just okay for me — there’s not enough of a rich chocolate kick. The sponge is denser than a usual Lana-style cake. But the fudge is quite nicely gooey. This tastes more like a milder Cadbury fruit & nut milk chocolate bar than a sinfully dark choc fudge cake.”

JIEYING: “The cake could be a bit more moist, but I like the flavour, since I prefer milk to dark chocolate. The cake also has a denser texture compared to the other cakes, which I also like. If I have to choose one cake as my favourite from this list, it’s this one.”

31 Bukit Pasoh Rd, S089845. Open daily except Sun. Mon-Sat 8am-10pm. Tel: 6320-9180. https://straitsclan.com/

​​​​​​​All Chocolate Cake, from $36 for 750g/six-inches

Backstory: Now a household name when it comes to chocolate cake, Awfully Chocolate was founded by ex-lawyer Lyn Lee in 1998. Her dream: to make a great chocolate cake that she’d want to eat every day. Evidently, she’s succeeded, having not only created a chocolate cake that’s beloved by Singaporeans, but also an ever-growing empire that includes bakeries and cafes across the island and throughout China. Her signature smallish but tall cake made with Belgian dark chocolate is an oil-based sponge that comes with two layers of fudge.

Photo: Awfully Chocolate

ANNETTE: “I like this almost as much as Lana’s, especially the ratio of cake to frosting in this. It makes the cake more luscious texturally. It also has a deeply mellow chocolatey flavour.”

FLORENCE: “While the sponge cake is pillowy and its fudge silky, the cocoa flavour seems slightly flatter and more bitter than our #1 choice (see below). But this is also less sweet, so you can indulge more without feeling jelak. Plus it has the best fudge-to-cake ratio with its two fudgy layers. It’s still a good cake.”

JIEYING: “This would’ve been very jelak if not for the fact that it’s less sweet and bitterer compared to the other fudge cakes. But the sponge could do with more flavour.”

15 outlets including #B4-50 Ion Orchard, 2 Orchard Turn, S238801. Open daily 10am-10pm. Tel: 6884-6337. www.awfullychocolate.com

​​​​​​​Standard Size Signature Chocolate Fudge Cake, from $48 for 1.15kg

Backstory: We’re mighty pleased that Mrs Kwan’s son Jason has taken over the business and put the life and quality back into their beloved chocolate cakes. Over the last five years, we’d found ourselves consistently disappointed every time we tasted them. They were either dry, lacked the flavour of good chocolate, or were skimpy on the frosting. “Well, my mum was getting on in years, and she was tired,” replies Jason simply when we tell him the cakes are much better now than before. However, he adds that the signature bake’s recipe remains the same — all I’ve changed is the operational process so the quality is more consistent, and the source of certain ingredients. For example, the cocoa powder now is different from what my mum used years ago — back then there were only the few usual brands available, like Van Houten and Cadbury. Today, there are so many options. I did a taste test of about 20 different types of cocoa powder and we now use a blend of two kinds for our cake,” he shares.

He remains tightlipped about the other ingredients, including whether the fudge contains melted couverture chocolate or not — “if I reveal everything, the magic of the cake would be lost,” he reasons. Anyhow, now that Mrs Kwan’s son is at the helm, the cakes are back on top and are even available for order online, with island-wide delivery. Welcome back, Lana! Don’t be fooled by the iconic cake’s no-frills looks — it may be draped in a dullish fudge that appears somewhat dry, however... well, see the tasting panel’s comments below.

Photo: Lana Cakes

ANNETTE: “It's been at least two years since I last ate a Lana Cake and I’ve stopped buying it since then because the cakes were consistently dry — but it's so much better now. I'm glad they’ve fixed that. The flavours are very balanced and chocolatey, with just the right amount of sweetness. And it’s moister than before. It’s almost as good as the 8 DAYS Lana-Inspired Chocolate Fudge Cake, ha ha.”

FLORENCE: “I can’t believe I’m saying this — I used to think Awfully Chocolate served the best store-bought choc fudge cake in Singapore, but now I prefer Lana’s! I’m pleasantly surprised by how this tastes — the last time I had a Lana cake a couple of years ago, I found it dry and meh. Mrs Kwan’s son definitely upped the quality of the ingredients used in her old recipe. There’s a deeper, warmer chocolate flavour now and the chiffon’s texture is better. The fudge has a slightly oozy mouthfeel, which I like — I just wish there was more of it. While the chiffon isn’t as fluffy as Awfully Chocolate’s, it’s still soft enough. Overall the most well-balanced, yummy cake for me.”

JIEYING: “Very smooth and rich but not jelak, and it’s not too bitter. I’ve never had a Lana’s chocolate cake before this, which is blasphemy I know. But although this cake is nice, it doesn’t really blow me away like people said it would.”

36 Greenwood Ave, S289239. Open daily except Sun & Mon. Tue-Fri 10am-6pm; Sat 10am-5pm. Tel: 6466-5315. www.lanacakes-since1964.com/

Photos: Kelvin Chia

Food styling: Yip Jieying