For the love of all things sticky, sweet and sinfully irresistible, Malaysia’s smoky, caramel-edged gula Melaka ranks high on our list of desserts worth skipping gym time for. Before the Europeans introduced cane sugar to our part of the world, we relied heavily on palm sugar.
Depending on the quality of the palm, and how it is pressed, different varieties of gula Melaka may exude different flavour profiles. Sourness, smoke, caramel, butterscotch, coffee, or even a combination of those flavours. A complex sweetener with a myriad of nuanced flavours, we just love it in everything.
Here are 15 places in Singapore where you can find gula Melaka desserts worthy enough to make you want to skip gym day.
Photo Credit: All Things Delicious
ALL THINGS DELICIOUS – GULA MELAKA SCONES
Infused and topped with a drizzle of stickily sweet gula melaka, their gula melaka scones is miles better than your average dry, plain scone. The scones themselves are buttery, crumbly yet moist and the palm sugar glaze is a nice touch.
34 Arab Street
Singapore 199733
Tel: +65 6291 4252
Tue to Fri: 8am – 7pm
Sat & Sun: 9am – 7pm
(Closed on Mondays)
Nearest Station: Bugis
ALL THE BATTER – AVOCADO GULA MELAKA CAKE
An out-of-the-box combination of flavours yet one that still works surprisingly well, the Avocado Gula Melaka Slice from All The Batter is one dessert that you should try, especially if you love avocados. Here, moist avocado batter cake is layered and topped with sweet Gula Melaka cream, creating a decadent dessert that’s a treat for the senses!
17 Jasmine Road
Adelphi Park
Singapore 576585
Tel: +65 8510 6313
Sat & Sun: 11am – 9.30pm
Nearest Station: Marymount
BUTTER STUDIO – SALTED GULA MELAKA CUPCAKE
Butter Studio is one of the most popular Halal-certified bakeries in Singapore. Their Salted Gula Melaka Cupcake has consistently been their best-seller and for a good reason. Hand-made from scratch daily, what you can expect is Gula Melaka encased in a pandan cake shell, before being topped off with Gula Melaka infused frosting and crunchy pearls.
147 Jalan Besar
Singapore 208865
Tel: +65 6294 7115
Mon to Thu: 12pm – 10pm
Fri: 12pm – 12 Midnight
Sat: 10.30am – 12pm
Sun: 10.30am – 10pm
(Closed on Tuesdays)
Nearest Station: Lavender
CASUARINA CURRY – ONDEH ONDEH PRATA
Who says that one cannot have prata for dessert? Innovating their dishes to the fullest, Casuarina Curry has come up with Ondeh Ondeh Prata —a prata dish perfect for a sweet round-off after a sinful meal. A scoop of coconut ice cream, cubes of pandan jelly and shredded coconuts sit inside a folded crispy tissue prata alongside a helping of Gula Melaka Sauce.
187 Macpherson Road
Singapore 348545
Tel: +65 6285 9001
Daily: 10am – 12 midnight
Nearest Station: Potong Pasir
CHENG’S AT NO. 27 – GULA MELAKA ORGANIC OIL CHIFFON CAKE
Nestled in a cosy corner of the Tiong Bahru estate, Cheng’s @ 27 is a humble shophouse restaurant that whips up comforting, home-style Hainanese dishes. One of their specialities would be the Gula Melaka Organic Oil Chiffon Cake —soft, moist, and incredibly fluffy, you’d be glad to know that this cake is also healthy!
27 Yong Siak Street
Singapore 168654
Tel: +65 6223 7883
Mon, Wed to Sun: 10am – 3pm, 5.30pm – 9pm
(Closed on Tuesdays)
Nearest Station: Tiong Bahru
CHURROS FACTORY – ONDEH CHURROS
A stall that needs no further introduction, Churros Factory is a haven for those who simply cannot have enough of this classic Spanish fried-dough pastry. Infused with pandan, their ondeh churros are topped with shredded coconut shavings and paired with a Gula Melaka dip.
112 East Coast Road
#B1-26, 112 Katong Mall
Singapore 428802*
Tel: +65 8500 0700
Daily: 10am – 10pm
Nearest Station: Paya Lebar
(*Churros Factory has multiple locations islandwide)
CREME MAISON — ONDEH ONDEH CAKE
Creme Maison specialises in creating gorgeous cakes for every occasion and their cakes are masterpieces in itself. Their ambrosial Ondeh Ondeh Cake features pure pandan and coconut infused cake layers filled with homemade gula Melaka caramel, gula Melaka swiss meringue buttercream and desiccated coconut.
30 Tai Seng St, #08-03C
Singapore 534013
Tel: +65 8181 3689
Mon, Wed to Fri: 8am – 6pm
Sat: 8.30am – 5.30pm
Sun: 11am – 1pm
Nearest Station: Tai Seng
EDITH PATISSERIE – PANDAN COCONUT GULA MELAKA CAKE
Edith Patisserie is your one-stop place for gorgeous, unique cakes that taste as good as they look. Their Pandan Coconut Gula Melaka Cake is a delectable classic, where fragrant and moist pandan chiffon sponge is held together by salted coconut buttercream and topped with desiccated coconut toppings.
772 North Bridge Road
Singapore 198740
Tue to Sat: 10am – 5pm
Sun: 10am – 2pm
(Closed on Mondays)
ETTO — ONDEH LAVA CAKE WITH COCONUT & GULA MELAKA
You’ve heard of gula Melaka and you’ve heard of lava cake, but have you ever heard of a gula Melaka lava cake? Etto serves that right up here and we find it incredibly satisfying to slice open the cake and watch all that decadent gula Melaka ooze out of it.
6 Handy Road
#01-01, The Luxe
Singapore 229234
Tel: +65 9185 8116
Tue & Wed: 11.30am – 10.30pm
Thu: 11.30am – 11.30pm
Fri: 11.30am – 1am
Sat: 10am – 11pm
Sun: 10am – 9pm
(Closed on Mondays)
Nearest Station: Dhoby Ghaut
FLUFF BAKERY – ONDEH ONDEH CAKE
Retaining the traditional flavours of the snack yet levelling-up in terms of transforming it into a chilled dessert, their Ondeh Ondeh Cake certainly hits all the right spots. Moist and soft layers of pandan cake and Gula Melaka fillings sit between blankets of light cream, bringing out the pronounced flavours of a traditional ondeh ondeh.
4 Jalan Pisang
Singapore 199071
Tel: +65 9660 3541
Tue to Sat: 12pm – 7.30pm
Sun: 11am – 5pm
(Closed on Mondays)
Nearest Station: Bugis
HATTER STREET — GULA MELAKA AND PANDAN WAFFLE
Tucked away in an HDB estate just a few units away from popular Thai eatery Nakhon Kitchen is Hatter Street. Here, they offer a wide range of desserts with a twist, but the one that caught our eye was their sinfully good waffle with pandan ice cream and gula Melaka sauce. This irresistible dessert is perfect for those who crave for a simpler, no-frills gula Melaka dessert!
#01-333, Block 212 Hougang Street 21
Singapore 530212
Tel: +65 6988 4591
Daily: 1pm – 10pm
Nearest Station: Kovan
MOOSH — ONDEH ONDEH SOFT SERVE
We are addicted to Moosh’s Ondeh Ondeh soft serve, which features a gula Melaka soft serve base, lined with pandan sauce and topped with desiccated coconut, coconut flakes and even more pandan sauce. Despite having so many sweet elements, the dessert remained incredibly silky and creamy without being too sweet.
44 Haji Lane
Singapore 189237
Mon to Thu: 12am – 8pm
Fri to Sun: 12am – 9pm
Nearest Station: Bugis
Sinpopo’s Gula Melaka Cake is a simple yet addictive layer cake that is lined with a generous amount of gula Melaka. If you are worried that the cake might be overwhelmingly sweet, you can rest assured knowing that, while it is sinful, it isn’t as sweet as most cakes out there.
458 Joo Chiat Rd
Singapore 427671
Tel: +65 6345 5034
Tue to Thu, Sun: 12pm – 10pm
Fri & Sat: 12pm – 12am
(Closed on Mondays)
Nearest Station: Dakota
SUNDAY FOLKS — SEA SALT GULA MELAKA ICE CREAM
Café hoppers and foodies alike love to flock to the spacious Sunday Folks’ to indulge in their delectable offerings of freshly baked Belgian waffles and mouthwatering ice cream. Aside from their waffles, we are in love with their Sea Salt Gula Melaka Ice Cream, which comes in the form of a cup or a handmade cone.
44 Jalan Merah Saga
Chip Bee Gardens #01-52
Singapore 278116
Tel: +65 6479 9166
Tue to Fri: 1pm – 10pm
Sat to Sun: 12pm – 10pm
(Closed on Mondays)
Nearest Station: Holland Village
Looking for a full-fledged meal centred around the fragrant pandan and Gula Melaka? Try out the Pandan Pancakes from Two Bakers, which features fresh fruits and freshly grated coconuts atop fluffy pandan pancakes. Drizzle the Gula Melaka sauce at the side to bind the various elements of the dessert together!
88 Horne Road
Singapore 209083
Tel: +65 6293 0329
Mon to Thu: 8am – 6pm
Fri, Sat & Sun: 9am – 6pm
Nearest Station: Bendemeer