Malaysia
Singapore
Thailand
Hawker bakeries forever have my heart. As a fan of anything sweet and fluffy, I often gravitate towards them in hopes of scoring affordable baked treats.
It was when I was looking through the directory of Market Street Hawker Centre that I discovered My Aunty’s Bakery, a bakery stall serving affordable yet atas bread and pastries.
I arrived at the food centre early because I’d heard that the goodies sell out rather quickly by afternoon. Although its Maps profile stated that it only opens at 10am, the stall was already ready for business by 9.40am.
However, I came too early for the tarts. While saddened since I’d heard reviews raving about them and had hoped to try one, I did come at a good time when the financiers came freshly baked, and there was no way I’d pass up a chance to try them when they were still fresh and steaming hot!
What I tried at My Aunty’s Bakery
Starting with the Vanilla Financier (S$2) for a classic flavour taste test, I was met with a sugary fragrance. Warm out of the oven, the vanilla almond cake tasted buttery and deep, yet simple.
The Orange Financier (S$2) had candied orange peel bits scattered across the cracked top of the bite-sized tea cake. These rinds gave it another level of texture apart from the airiness and an added fruity citrus note. In my opinion, the orange flavour inside the batter could have been stronger.
It was wonderful nibbling on the fluffy and crumby cakes to savour the crisp buttery edges, despite their obvious sweetness. They are perfect for sweet tooths, especially the Orange, though I’d say both were a tad sinful. In my opinion, it would be best to have these with n cup of unsweetened tea or coffee.
Moving on to the madeleines, I took my time to admire their intricate seashell-like appearance made by the baking moulds. For these, I chose more unique flavours like the Pandan Coconut Madeleine (S$1.80). It was distinctively bright green and sprinkled with shaved coconut, which darkened from the oven’s heat.
The coconut shreds gave the otherwise light and fluffy sponge cake a slight crunch. The fluffiness was almost like biting into a shell-shaped cloud of pandan sweetness. It tasted a little artificial, but that’s bound to happen with most flavoured items.
As much as I love Milo, I have yet to try a pastry inspired by the drink, so I selected the Milo Madeleine (S$1.80) without hesitation.
This time, the fluffiness was edged with more crispiness than the Pandan Coconut. I could make out that nostalgic chocolatey and malty taste of the drink I’ve had so often as a child. It would have transported me straight to my childhood if not for the fact that it wasn’t as strong as I’d hoped. Regardless, it was one of my favourites.
As someone who believes “not too sweet” is the ultimate compliment for sweet treats (ironic, I know), I highly enjoyed the Earl Grey Scone (S$2).
Tea leaf bits had been mixed into the batter to infuse the scone with their fragrance. Tearing it open revealed a crumbly and bready interior with black Earl Grey speckles that provided an incredible floral flavour.
I loved the scone, which I felt would go excellently with butter and strawberry jam. It tasted slightly salty on the outside, possibly from being brushed with salted butter which gave a nice contrast to the subtle sweetness.
My Aunty’s Bakery also sells scones in Premium Flavours such as Brown Sugar Mochi Scone (S$2.50). Cinnamon wasn’t stated as an ingredient in the name, so imagine my surprise when I took a bite and tasted the pleasant woody warmth of the spice!
The stretchy mochi wasn’t very sweet, but it had a nice brown sugar aroma and a sticky texture that reminded me of black tapioca bubble tea pearls. Flavour-wise, the cinnamon dominated but still allowed the brown sugar fragrance to peek through with every bite.
Finally, I tried the Grape Rosemary Honey Focaccia (S$2.80), which intrigued me because I’d never heard of the combination before. This slice would have tasted much nicer if I could have it heated up for a crispier crust, but I did enjoy the chewiness. It revealed a web of dough as I tore it in half and the focaccia’s herbal rosemary aroma hit me with the first bite, followed by a wine-like sweetness from the grapes.
Final Thoughts
My Aunty’s Bakery has my vote for sure. While undeniably sweet, the food (and service) was great! Of my purchases, I loved the scones the most as they weren’t as sweet as the madeleines and financiers, yet had a stronger flavour.
Everything here was bite-sized. Judging by the quality of the treats, the price was worth it; it would cost much more to get these from a high-end bakery.
It was a pity I didn’t get to try the chocolate or lemon tarts I’d seen in their reviews because they looked scrumptious as well. Maybe next time?
Expected Damage: S$1.80 – S$4.80 per pax
Rise: Aesthetic bakery under a HDB with circular rose teacakes and matcha tarts
