Makansutra: Chocolatey goodness at Jane's Cake Station
Jane's Cake Station's chocolate cake still its top draw
Everybody loves chocolate and I send my condolences if you have some allergy or aversion to it.
Be it cakes, pastries, beverages or even a good old bar of milk chocolate, it is hard not to give in to temptation occasionally.
We have always been fascinated with the perfect chocolate cake - everyone has their idea of what it is. Some say it is the density, colour, moisture and even presentation.
It is heartening to know that the next generation has decided to continue the chocolate cake icon that is Lana Cakes. Mr Jason Kwan, the son of nonagenarian owner Violet Kwan, is now helming the business and keeping it in the family.
There is also Ms Jane Lim's version, Jane's Cake Station, which is always worth revisiting.
We first spotted this hidden gem among the row of humble double-storied shophouses along Jalan Kayu.
The shop looks nothing like a cake shop. Back then, it was more like her living room with a floral plastic table cover where her kids would do their homework, with a cake display fridge that displayed no cakes.
That was 20 years ago and it is still the same today, minus the school books and water bottles.
Still no cakes on display and yet every box in the chiller had already been pre-ordered by her regulars each day over the last two decades.
Ms Lim still makes her stunningly moist chocolate cakes by hand in her little "auntie kitchen", which looks like a typical HDB flat kitchen, out in the back with a humble oven.
"I still use premium Belgian chocolate," she reminds me.
The beauty of her cake is the moisture and perfect density (not too thick or thin).
She is generous with the chocolate and the best part is the touch of sea salt, which enhances the chocolate-ness in the not-too-sweet cake.
Cut a slice, give it a light shake and see it wobble - all signs that things are okay.
She sells the basic whole cake portion for $40 (about 800g) and it is a party in the mouth.
And no, she does not sell slices nor does she display them.
The other stunner hidden in her chiller - stuck at the corner of the shop front - is the Durian Cake ($52).
They come frozen, as all her cakes do, and when the customers take them home, the dense mass of D24 turns into a softly firm, pulpy mass, complete with the layer of cream and slim film of chiffon.
Slice in and the pulpy bits of durian stick to the plastic knife.
Ms Lim's cakes have always been given the "three pairs chopsticks" or "die die must try" Makansutra rating and has that "you know about it or you don't" reputation.
She is currently looking to put them on delivery platforms, so you will be just a mobile app finger tap away from her treats.
Jane's Cake Station
265 Jalan Kayu
12pm to 6pm (closed on Wednesdays); 12pm to 4pm (Sundays and public holidays)
Tel: 6481-1322
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