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Don’t we all love old-school bakeries? There’s something about their no-frills interiors and sinking your teeth into some nostalgic bakes that just whisks you away to ‘simpler times’. Craving that whiff of nostalgia one fine Thursday, I embarked on a pilgrimage to the heartlands of Bukit Merah for none other than Love Confectionery.
Nestled under an HDB block in Alexandra, 47-year-old Love Confectionery has been churning out old-school bakes since 1979. With old-timey brick red floor tiles and a yellowed signboard with its name written in a retro cursive font, its facade looked as though it was plucked straight out of a vintage photograph.
I gravitated towards the wood-fronted glass cabinets that housed shelves of bakes. Colourful slices of buttercream cakes, bread buns and cream puffs— these goodies haven’t aged a day!
As if that wasn’t already enough to get me going, nothing was priced above S$1.70. I manoeuvred my way into the cramped shop to fetch myself some tongs and a tray, and thus began my shopping spree.
Love Confectionery offers an array of old-school packaged snacks too. I held back on the temptation to get myself a bag of sugary roti kok and some chilli tapioca chips. I kept my focus on the fresh baked goods; they’re the essence of the bakery after all.
The range of bakes wasn’t too huge. It didn’t take me long to pile my tray and hand it to the auntie to have them boxed up. In no longer than 15 minutes, I was off on my journey back to the office to feast on them all.
What I tried at Love Confectionery
Judging by the sheer variety on display, it was clear that the Buttercream Cake (S$1.70 each) was Love Confectionery’s signature offering. As much as I wanted to grab one of every type, I settled on just the 4 I wanted to try most .
I’d describe these as delicate; I had to lift and transfer each piece to my tray with extra care for fear of them crumbling before my camera and I could eat. Not without losing a few sprinkles and crumbs along the way, though.
The child in me dove straight for the one with Rainbow Sprinkles. The cake was fluffy and not too dry. It had hints of vanilla with a mild sugary sweetness supplemented by the rainbow sprinkles. I particularly enjoyed the textural contrast between the soft sponge and the crunchy sprinkle bits.
The buttercream icing took me by pleasant surprise. It didn’t have that oily texture that I find off-putting. Instead, it was light and buttery, complementing the sweet cake well.
My other Buttercream Cake choices included the Rainbow Rice, Peanut and Coconut variations. It’s pretty self-explanatory— they shared the same cake base and icing but differed in their toppings.
True to its (similarly) multicoloured appearance, the Rainbow Rice Buttercream Cake tasted almost exactly like its Rainbow Sprinkle twin. However, the rainbow rice bits provided a crunchier texture and a more pronounced sugary profile.
Among these, the Peanut Buttercream Cake stood out as my favourite. The peanut crumbles offered a delightful crunch, complementing the buttery vanilla sponge perfectly with their pleasant nutty aroma.
Excitedly, I moved on to try the Coconut variation. Its presentation resembled a mini snow-scape in cake form, with fine flakes of desiccated coconut atop the bed of white icing. Unfortunately, it fell short of my expectations as the sponge cake turned out rather dry. It could’ve been just my luck, though, as none of the other cakes suffered from the same problem.
It was time to switch things up a little with something savoury. I went for none other than my childhood favourite Hotdog Bun (S$1.20). Confession: I’ve always preferred the humble hotdog buns from neighbourhood bakeries to those from atas bakeries with their fancy Vienna sausages.
Love Confectionery’s Hotdog Bun hit that sweet spot for me. The bread was fluffy and soft, with a brioche-esque sweetness complemented by the salty chicken frank. Oh, if only my stomach were bottomless; I’d have 10, please.
At S$0.80, the Custard Bun felt like a steal, especially considering its size — larger than the palm of my hand. This hefty bun was shaped like a 3-petalled flower with bits of yellow custard peeking out of little crevices.
Unfortunately, this was quite a let-down. While I certainly wasn’t expecting custard to flow out like lava when I tore into it, I was hoping that it’d be more than meets the eye. The bun was unfortunately bland and almost devoid of custard. Not even the sugar and the sesame seed toppings could salvage this one, sorry.
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The Butter Bun was next on the roster. Like the Custard Bun, this was well worth the S$0.80 it cost. I’d liken this to jiam tao roti, split open in the middle with a smear of bright yellow butter. It was topped with a liberal sprinkle of sugar crystals.
Despite its no-frills appearance, the Butter Bun thankfully wasn’t underwhelming. The bread was surprisingly soft in spite of its seemingly crunchy exterior. The sugar crystals were the standout element for me at least, lending both a nice textural and flavour contrast to the fluffy bun and salty butter respectively.
As a huge kaya fan, I had to get the Kaya Bun (S$0.80). I excitedly tore into the bun, only to reveal a thin layer of kaya within.
Disappointing filling aside, I’ll give credit where it’s due. The silky kaya was sweet and incredibly fragrant. As with the other buns I’ve tried and written about, the bread here was nice and fluffy — huge thumbs up for consistency!
As though I needed any more dessert to round off an already-sweet feast, I grabbed some Custard Puffs for just S$0.70 per piece.
The Choux pastry of these puffs is, frankly, by no means high-grade Pâte à Choux. Nonetheless, it holds a certain kitschy charm and I very much enjoyed its airy and chewy texture.
Each puff contained a decent amount of sweet, eggy custard with a somewhat puzzling firm consistency. I wouldn’t necessarily consider it a bad thing, though. In hindsight, the Custard Puffs might’ve been more enjoyable if I had refrigerated them.
Final Thoughts
Although there were several misses among the hits in my experience, Love Confectionery churns out some love-ly bakes, no doubt. While they aren’t mind-blowingly good, I’d say that the bakery is worth a visit for that taste of nostalgia. The Hotdog Bun and Buttercream Cakes are the ones you have to grab.
Above all, a major draw for many is how wallet-friendly the bakes are. I, for one, was thoroughly satisfied by my purchases as a whole. I mean, take a look at the tray I’m holding in that picture; it’s incredible how that cost me just S$12.50, isn’t it?
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