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Singaporeans absolutely love their desserts, and there isn’t a shortage of bakeries, confectioneries, and home bakers to meet that demand either. While many hopped onto the trend of banging out burnt basque cheesecakes and sourdough loaves last year, Chanel Li of Whisking Bakes had other ideas. After she stopped flying with Scoot early last year, Whisking Bakes birthed out of Chanel’s insatiable love for baking.
Pressed to find something that sets her apart from other bakers, she delivered the idea of the first ever orh nee tart ball after more than thirty batches of development and refining. Today, the Orh Nee Tart (S$14 for 11 pcs, S$30 for 25 pcs) remains as one of her best-sellers, with demand for it well surpassing its initial run time as a seasonal product for the Lunar New Year.
Admittedly, I’ve never been one for orh nee, taro, or dasheen, whatever you’d like to call it (why does it have so many names anyway?!). But even as I’m approaching this as an unbeliever, one bite into the orh nee tart is all it takes for me to grasp the hype surrounding it. A crumbly, buttery outer gives way to soft, rich, yet not-too-sweet orh nee filling that’s the million-dollar treat everyone so fervently longs for.
Though a specialty, that’s not the only orh nee selection you’ll find here. Chanel also does everyone’s favourite Burnt Basque Cheesecake by the Slice (S$7.20) , in 5″ (S$27.50, 500g) and 6″ (S$42, 1kg). The cheesecakes come in orh nee, biscoff, matcha, coffee, and of course, the original New York cheesecake flavour. As much as I mentioned that I’m not a taro fan in any way, the cheesecake could definitely do with a more pronounced orh nee flavour. At the moment, it feels a little like it’s taking a backseat in the grander scheme of things, and instead, the cheesecake itself overpowers the dessert altogether.
Bringing the New York levain cookie trend here, Chanel also offers NYC Levain Cookies (S$5) in Nutella, Biscoff, and Red Velvet. They’re decadent, gooey in the centre, and not to mention, downright gigantic. Each cookie’s just about the size of my palm, and when a friend gave it a try, her exact words were, “I finished the entire thing and I’m still just thinking about the cookie butter *watery eyes emoji*“.
Whisking Bakes has opened its first physical kitchen and store at Tai Seng, 1 Irving Place #02-13 S369546 and accepts walk-in orders on Saturdays only. Otherwise, pre-order your bakes here.
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