Entree Kibbles: Signature Black forest Cake from Stuttgart Blackforest Boutique S-Café (#SBBSCafe) along Scotts Road (Near Newton MRT Station) @ Singapore

Saturday, March 20, 2021

Signature Black forest Cake from Stuttgart Blackforest Boutique S-Café (#SBBSCafe) along Scotts Road (Near Newton MRT Station) @ Singapore

My earliest memory of black forest cake came from Han's Cake House near Nee Soon Camp, where my family would purchase its signature cake whenever a birthday is coming. This continued for quite a number of years until we moved to Yishun, a new town with more bakeries catering to the burgeoning population.

I still purchase black forest cake from Han's occasionally to relive the nostalgia moments but I often wonder; are there better black forest cakes around in Singapore? An online search brought me to the above colonial bungalow located near Orchard road and next to the luxurious Reignwood Hamilton Scotts condominium (p.s. each unit has their own car porch, next to their living room)!

Stuttgart Blackforest Boutique S-Café - instead of a pair of lions that is more common Singapore, the entrance of the cafe featured a pair of nutcracker statues! According to German tradition, where the black forest cake is supposed to originate from, the nutcrackers are "symbols of good luck, frightening away malevolent spirits."

Officially opened by the lord mayor of Stuttgart, the capital of a German state that's just an hour away from the black forest that gave the cake its name, in 2012; I bet the authenticity of their signature black forest cake shouldn't be doubted. Of course, authenticity doesn't mean it would appeal to everyone in terms of taste although I was hoping for the best.

First thing that hit me when I stepped in - the cafe had so much space with so little tables / chairs for diners. Even though safe distancing is a regulatory requirement due to the pandemic; the space in between the tables was way more than the mandatory 1-meter and for a profit making entity, you would want to scale up the seating capacity for more diners.

Furthermore, it's not as if the cafe offered a lot of food variety; there were only drinks and desserts! From what I read, it appeared to sell German dishes like pork knuckles and beer in the past but these were stopped due to the pandemic, for reasons unknown to me.

Interior design was an interesting mish-mash of both local Peranakan and German elements.

Whatever the case, it was quiet and for one period of time, we were in fact the only customers. Quite relaxing if you ask me, especially with the rain pitter-pattering right outside and we were sipping on a cup of hot beverage while digging into a slice of cake.

Hot Chocolate - disappointing as the chocolate was quite watered down and it seemed like I am drinking a cup of hot milk, rather than hot chocolate. Saving grace was the biscuit accompanying the drink; flaky, melt-in-the-mouth, German cookie; Alex loves it enough to ask me to replicate!

Chef's Brownie - even though the main focus was the black forest cake, I can't help ordering this as well! There's another option for banana cake but brownie with a scoop of vanilla ice cream was a more perfect combination!

Served warm, the texture was cake-like with crunchy, candied nuts; this is definitely the kind of brownie I enjoy better. Minor problem - the brownie broke apart easily and you would need a spoon, instead of a fork, for better enjoyment.

Signature Black forest Cake - star of the visit and one that deserved more photographs in this post; look at that sheer amount of chocolate shavings! To be honest, I was slightly trembling as I used my fork to cut out a piece; at S$16.00 a slice, I sure hope it's worth the money.

What black forest cake have I been eating all this while?! The burst of liquored cherries coupled with the thick yet deliciously light cream between the thin layers of chocolate sponge cake, all sitting on a bed of soft biscuit base, and densely covered with chocolate shavings; this S$16.00 a slice cake was worth every single penny!

Undeniably the best tea time we ever have!

I am actually not a huge fan of food items heavily laden with alcohol (spirit / rum etc) but strangely, the strong liqueur flavour was something I greatly enjoyed as it gelled so well with the rest of the signature black forest cake! p.s. we returned two weeks later for another tea session with black forest cake; this time, a slice for each of us!