Cinnamon, a spice once only accessible to the wealthy in the ancient world, is now a flavour that many of us adore in our desserts. That distinct scent of sugary spice is not one easily forgettable.
While the Cinnamon fad has long since passed, I’ve decided to rekindle my love for Cinnamon by locating my top places to go to for Cinnamon-y desserts in Singapore.
1. Cinnamon Brown Sugar Cupcake (Plain Vanilla)
This Cinnamon cupcake is a true gem. With its rich sugary frosting and spongy moist cake, the flavour of cinnamon shines through very strongly within this innocuous-looking cupcake, which costs only $3.90. Much like their decadent cupcakes, the Plain Vanilla stores are also recognised for their sleek, rustic set-up which could possibly make you reminisce about a quaint old shop in a wintry country.
Plain Vanilla Bakery (Tiong Bahru): 1D Yong Siak St, Singapore 168641 | Monday to Saturday 0800-1900, Sunday 0900- 1800 | More outlets via their Website
2. Hotteok Waffle (Bing Go Jung)
This Korean beauty is a waffle with a dense, mocha-like consistency and well-infused with cinnamon syrup. With a smattering of crunchy almonds and nutty bits on the top, this cinnamon-y waffle in all its sweet mystifying goodness, will be sure not to disappoint.
Bing Go Jung Korean Dessert House: 399719, 102 Guillemard Rd, 399719 | Monday to Sunday 1000-2300 | Facebook Page
3. Cinnamon Roll (Provence)
Whenever I pass by Holland Village, I will almost always stop by Provence for this cinnamon roll which has taken my heart captive. I take pleasure in slowly peeling the roll inwards, with my final piece being the sweetest and most cinnamon-filled. While the outsides of the roll are slightly hard in texture, the insides are soft and gooey with good ol’ cinnamon sauce.
Provence Bakery: 269 Holland Avenue, Singapore 277731 | Monday to Friday 0930-2030, Saturday & Sunday 0830-2030 | Website
4. Buttermilk Waffle (Department of Caffeine)
This waffle goes under the guise of “buttermilk” when in actual fact, the waffle tastes very much like a cinnamon roll. Coupled with the berry compote (which was just the right amount of sour & sweet), vanilla bean ice cream and dusted with powdered sugar, this waffle had me leaving the place with a bellyful of sunshine and happiness.
The waffle is crisp on the outside, fluffy on the inside and bursting with cinnamon flavours, so fellow cinnamon-lovers, be sure to try this waffle!
Department of Caffeine: 15 Duxton Road, Singapore 089481 | Monday to Friday 1030 – 1900, Closed on Wednesday, Saturday & Sunday 0930-1900 | Website
5. Cinnamon Pretzel (Auntie Anne’s)
Auntie Anne’s cinnamon sugar-coated pretzel remains one of my favourite sugary pastries. The coarse grains of cinnamon sugar simply melt in your mouth and the doughy pretzel bread mixes nicely with the cinnamon.
While Auntie Anne’s pretzels are often lovely, there are times when I do get disappointed when either the connosieur coats the pretzels sparsely or when the pretzels are not fresh and they are tough. So, if you do order cinnamon pretzels at Auntie Anne’s, it is possible to raise your concerns and request for a fresh pretzel with a generous portion of cinnamon sugar.
Another thing to note is that the pretzels do come in bite-sized nuggets. I usually prefer getting this version as the cinnamon pieces are easier to munch on and are also more carefully coated with sugar.
There are several Auntie Anne’s food stalls around Singapore but these are the two most central.
Auntie Anne’s Food Stall (ION Orchard): 2 Orchard Turn, #B4-61 ION Orchard, Singapore 238801| Monday to Sunday 1000-2200 | More outlets via their Website
6. Bangkok Toast (Sunday Market)
Your conscience will be put to test after digging into this rich cinnamon brioche French toast. Apart from the fact that this dish is a little on the pricey end ($10.90), this plate of well-composed ingredients -Matcha-custard, Thai milk tea ice cream and berries- will ensure that you get your fill of cinnamon along with a nice blend of different foreign flavours.
The brioche toast is thick and loaded with cinnamon-infused custard and while the milk tea ice cream melts rather quickly, the pairing of milk tea and cinnamon goes very nicely.
Sunday Market: 22 Lim Tua Tow Rd, 547772 | Monday, Tuesday & Thursday 1200-2200; Friday 1200-2300; Saturday 0930-2300; Sunday 0930-2100 (Closed on Wednesdays) | Website
7. Waffle with Salted Caramel & Honey Cinnamon Ice Cream (Wimbly Lu)
While the scoop of Honey-cinnamon ice cream could be slightly bigger, the combination of flavours achieved is still glorious. The waffle is crispy and not hard, its insides are soft and fluffy and they soak up the maple syrup just nicely. The honey essence of the ice cream compliments that of the cinnamon very well and the whole dish is not nauseatingly sweet which makes it all the better!
Wimbly Lu: 15-2 Jalan Riang, Singapore 358987 | Tuesday to Thursday 1230-2230, Friday 1230-2300, Saturday 0900-2300, Sunday 0900-2230, Closed on Mondays | Website
8. Churros (Butterscotch Cafe)
Traditional churros are simply dusted with a layer of cinnamon-sugar but the connoisseurs at Butterscotch Cafe make their churros a little differently. By infusing cinnamon into their churro batter, their churros come out dense with cinnamon, on top of the cinnamon-sugar.
As a cinnamon-lover, this really appealed to me and while the churros are sweetened by the cinnamon, the bitter chocolate dip will help balance the sweetness out finely. Their churros are also toasted to a beautiful golden brown which enhances these suckers’ charm tenfold.
Butterscotch Cafe: Blk 164 Bukit Merah Central, #01-3625, Singapore 150164 | Tuesday to Sunday 1000-2200, Closed on Mondays | Website
9. Apple Crumble (RITZ APPLE STRUDEL)
Ritz Apple Strudel uses fresh apple chunks in their apple crumbles but that’s not the only beauty of this pastry. The witty blending of cinnamon to bake their apple crumbles allows for the zestiness of the apples to still be distinct but also balanced out very nicely with the candied top layer of cinnamon.
The first time my mother bought two slices of apple crumble home and left them unattended on the dining table, I devoured both like an unforgiving beast.
There are many Ritz Apple Strudel outlets, so check out their website to locate the nearest one to you! Ritz Apple Strudel: Website
10. Apple Cinnamon Speculoos Cheescake @ Drizzle & Frost
I’m not a fan of cheescake but when I tried the Apple-Cinnamon cheescake at Drizzle and Frost, I was sold. Creamy and filled with bits of sweetened apple bits, this cheesecake will be bound to keep you happy for a while at least. The cinnamon essence comes through quite strongly so you’ll definitely not be disappointed.
Drizzle & Frost: 1 Tras Link #01-09 Orchid Hotel Singapore 078867 | Website
11. Cinnamon Doughnut @ The Study
The cinnamon doughnuts at The Study are light and sweet and come with a lavish amount of salted caramel-flavoured cream. The salted caramel cream balances out the sweetness of the doughnuts very nicely. One thing to note about The Study for now, however, is that it is undergoing some revonation but the cinnamon goodness will be available to you soon so fret not!
The Study: 49 Keong Saik Road, Singapore 089153 | Website
