Dona Manis Cake Shop: Traditional Banana Pie & Other Old-School Pastries Hidden In Katong

Located in the basement of Katong Shopping Centre, Dona Manis Cake Shop is an old-school cake shop with popular treats. People of all ages come to buy the pastries that they bake!

Even before entering the cake shop, I could already smell the buttery aroma that’s coming from the bakery. 

The bakery exuded homely vibes that it reminded me of my grandma’s old kitchen. Madam Soh Toh Lang and Mr Tan Tieow Teong are the owners of Dona Manis Cake Shop.

They’ve been making these sweet treats for over 30 years. Since then, they’ve been maintaining the shop on their own with some help from the other workers they hired. 

Dona Manis Cake Shop not only sells Banana Pies (S$2.50 per slice, S$25 for a whole pie), but they also have other pastries like Cream Puffs (S$3.50 for a box of five), and another one of their fans’ favourite: Chocolate Tarts (S$4.50 for a box of five).

As someone who loves to bake, I was intrigued by the process that went behind the making of the famous banana pies that everyone loves so much.

Despite the long hours and tedious work, Mdm Soh insists on making the batches from scratch herself to maintain the standard.

Their daily grind starts as early as 6am every day. Mr Tan says that the usual crowd consists of both the young and the old. And when they come back with praises of their pastries, it motivates them to keep doing their job.

The first thing we tried was, of course, the Banana Pie (S$2.50 per slice, S$25 for a whole pie). This delicate slice of pie is skillfully layered and packed with caramelised banana slices, then sprinkled with chopped nuts.

Normally, I would prefer more savoury treats because sweet treats are too cloying for me. However, the bananas in this pie weren’t too overwhelming. 

But what really drew me in was the crumbly texture and the buttery taste of the pie crust. The crust was so well-made that it easily melted in my mouth.

Another gem from Dona Manis Cake Shop is the Chocolate Tarts (S$4.50 for five).

I was pleasantly surprised as I bit into the tart. Unlike the other chocolate tarts that I’ve tried, the filling of Dona Manis Cake Chop’s Chocolate Tarts has more of a mousse-like texture, rather than a solid block of chocolate. The surface of the chocolate was slightly congealed from being in a fridge, so I didn’t expect the chocolate to flow out like lava.

The smooth and creamy chocolate filling reminded me of the chocolate waterfall from a scene in Charlie and The Chocolate Factory. It brought me back to my primary school days where I would pop by a bakery near my neighbourhood for some mini chocolate tarts.

Light and airy, the choux pastry also makes its name as one of Dona Manis Cake Shop’s favourites. The Cream Puffs are sold at S$3.50 for a box of five, and I can’t get enough of it.

Like the other pastries in this bakery, this puffy goodness is also painstakingly handmade by Mdm Soh herself.

My favourite part about the Cream Puffs is that they don’t “shortchange” you with the amount of cream inside. The cream had a sweet and buttery texture to it which made it super addictive.

The Cream Horn ($3 each) has a unique shape which reminded me of a doughnut cone with soft serve ice cream and sprinkles.

This beautiful golden-brown treat looked really inviting, and I just had to get it from the display.

As I bit off the tip of the pastry, I heard the crunch of the flakey layers.

Every mouthful had an even ratio of cream to pastry too, so don’t worry about it being too dry and flaky.

If you’re someone like me who doesn’t like overly sweet treats, you should definitely try out Dona Manis Cake Shop’s pastries.

When I read that Mdm Soh sells the best banana pie in town, I was sceptical. But after having a taste of it, I can vouch that it is better than any other banana pies that I’ve tried. The Chocolate Tarts are a close second for me.

If you’re ever in the Katong area, be sure to bring your kakis to Dona Manis Cake Shop. I’m sure they’ll go bananas over these pastries.

Expected Damage: S$2.50 onwards