Carrot Cake Hunt Round 1

Hello everyone!

Here's another comparison entry because I feel like I'm on the hunt for carrot cakes in Singapore haha. Its another one of my fav kind of cakes, love the cinnamon taste and crunch of the walnuts! And recently, many cafes seem to be serving carrot cakes! So I'm gonna aim to try all of 'em and come to a conclusion wrt my fav carrot cake!

Here's my criteria:

• Must be a little bit crumbly and moist
• Cinnamon taste
• Generous with walnuts
• Cream cheese icing must not be too sweet and cloying, doesnt overpower the carrot cake but complements it
• Cake must be nice enough to be eaten on its own w/o icing!

So I've tried carrot cakes in a number of places:

Contender #1: Cedele 

$6/slice

Credits to celededepot.com

Many say Cedele's is the best carrot cake they've tasted so far and love this cake, but I think that the standards have been dropping? Firstly, slices are getting smaller, and the walnuts in the cake itself getting lesser, and its getting a little dry? Not sure if that's because of comparison with other cakes or because the standards are really dropping but my most recent tasting of their carrot cake is Dec last year. I would say this is definitely not on my top carrot cake list for now. This used to be much nicer!! 3.5/5

Contender #2: 7th Manna 

$4.50/slice

The best friend and I have heard some good reviews of their cakes and their short opening hours are such that we couldnt have a chance to try them while schooling! We happened to pass by them and they were opened so we happily went into the shop and tried the carrot cake! We both felt disappointed by the carrot cake because it tasted bland, no happy smiles after taking the first bite so yup. This was in Sept 2011 so not sure if anything changed now. 2.7/5

Click here for the review previously done on them (I lowered the ratings in this post 'cos since then I've ate oth carrot cakes and felt that in comparison, this doesnt deserve that rating given in the older post)

Contender #3: Kooka Cafe 

(Think the cake was $6 or $6.50 per slice, ongoing promotion of cake + coffee for $7.50!)

If I'm not wrong, the yellow stuff are pineapples! There are a few recipes online adding crushed pineapples to the carrot cake batter, heard it makes it more moist? Well the cream cheese frosting here is different from normal cream cheese frostings I've eaten on carrot cakes, this one's less sweet and a little sour in fact? Have a small issue w the pineapple bits in the cake (guess I'm not used to it?) but the cake was not bad, quite moist and crumbly, walnuts were generous too. 3.5/5

Contender #4: All Good Things

(Cake was $6 or $6.50 also)

Disclaimer: this cake, when given to us, wasnt totally ready yet ie it was still supposed to be refrigerated for a bit more for the flavours to develop before putting it in the cake counter for sale but 'cos the boy and I were rushing for time and we waited quite a while for the cake, the very kind lady gave it to us and didnt charge us for us. So our opinion of it may not be the true reflection of how it tastes like when its ready!! 

1) I liked the frosting, enough for me to eat quite a big portion of it tgt w the carrot cake (because honestly, most of the time I just try one bite of the carrot cake w the frosting and then proceed to eat it w/o frosting) 

2) Rather generous w walnuts

3) Cake was moist, cinnamon taste could be a bit stronger though and a little more moist perhaps?

I shall make another trip down one day to try it when its truly ready for sale! 4/5

Contender #5: House Barracks Cafe Carrot Cake

Credits to House Barracks Cafe Dessert Menu

This one's goooooood. Had it quite sometime back in mid 2011 and I remember it to be v good (: Loved the addition of figs into the cake and it was well studded with walnuts too! Frosting was definitely not too sweet and kept to a thin layer, cake was moist and crumbly too. Though after a heavy meal, I gladly polished this off! Its given a 4 because I rmb the cake to be a tad sweet. 4/5

Contender #6: Homemade carrot cake by a home baker

This is the best carrot cake I've had so far!! The boy, someone who doesnt like carrot cakes (although I always make him eat 'em w me haha) loved this too!!! He gladly finished huge portions of this cake along w me HAHA. Fats 'r us. But wtv this is totally worth the calories!!! 

1) Super moist and crumblyyyy mmmm.

2) Cinnamon taste was q strong but not overpoweringly so

3) LOVE how the frosting is thin and kept to a minimum so I can truly truly enjoy the carrot cake in all its glory (:

4) Frosting wasn't sweet at all, went v well w the cake!! One frosting that I finished (: and I think the only one thus far

5) V generous with walnuts

Till now I'm still missing this carrot cake. This was given to me by my Aunt whose friend gave it to her! I've got the contacts of the awesome lady who baked this cake and I'm planning on ordering from her for maybe my bday? I have a feeling she only does whole cakes (I mean which homebaker sells cakes by the slice right) so rather sad that I'd have to order a whole cake in order to enjoy this!!! For now, this is 5/5!

Carrot cake to try list

1. Room For Dessert - Summertime Carrot Cake featured in Straits' Times 50 Yummiest Cakes
2. Maison Ikkoku's carrot cake
3. Coffeesmith's nude carrot cake
4. Room. coffee. bar carrot cake (Previously room with a view)
5. Calendar's carrot cake (people have said their's is the best in Spore!)

Any other places to recommend?