Tarte by Cheryl Koh (Raffles City)

Apologies for the Tarte by Cheryl Koh bombs that we have been dropping here especially since we have just posted about their Chinese New Year special Pineapple Tart not too long ago. That being said, subsequent to our very first visit made to Tarte by Cheryl Koh at their Raffles City Shopping Centre outlet this year for the Pineapple Tart, we found ourselves returning for they had also released a seasonal special cake a week after releasing the Pineapple Tart. As per how their usual selection of cakes offered goes, the Sesame Orange Cake comes in the form of an entremet — the shape being one of a dome that features a swirl of cream atop and decorated with candied orange peels and a gold leaf atop.

Whilst it may not seem that obvious on first look, the Sesame Orange Cake does come with gold dust on the cake’s mousse layer on the exterior — this does give it a /shiny, glittery look that makes it all the more appropriate for the Chinese New Year season despite its almost entirely black appearance. Tarte by Cheryl Koh describes the Sesame Orange cake to come with elements such as black sesame mousse and orange marmalade; slicing the cake into half will reveal both, though the entremet also comes with some unlisted elements like the Feuilletine base and a sponge cake layer in between. First impressions of the Sesame Orange cake was how the smooth black sesame mousse carried a roast and nutty note typical of black sesame — all that without feeling too dense; the flavours being rich and earthy, whilst not been overly sweetened and the texture not being too gritty. As one goes further into the cake, the orange marmalade was done in a way much like a jelly-like layer that provided a slight citrus-sy zing for a flavour contrast. The sponge cake layers provided the entremet a bit of a fluffy texture in between, while the sesame-infused Feuilletine added some sort of a roast-y crunch to the entremet. For those whom are curious on how the Sesame Orange Cake would be, perhaps it might be quite worth the time to head to Tarte by Cheryl Koh to give this a shot while it lasts for the season!

It had been quite a long while since our visit made to Tarte by Cheryl Koh for their seasonal offerings — had came across a social media post by them mentioning about a menu refresh that is done in conjunction with the upcoming Chinese New Year festivities. The new items have since been launched on 12 January 2024, which includes tarts such as that of the Pineapple Tart, Kumquat Tart and Mixed Citrus Tart, as well as cakes like the Clementine Cake. As usual, we headed to the outlet in the basement of Raffles City Shopping Mall instead of the flagship outlet at Shaw Centre to give this round’s seasonal items a go. We recalled that the Pineapple Tart was introduced was an item that is introduced in prior years, but usually a tart that comprises of more than just pineapple; some sources online point towards a Pineapple Rambutan Tart that was offered by Tarte by Cheryl Koh a number of years ago — the Pineapple Tart this time round is in fact seemingly a new creation from the brand thus far. The description card place in front of the item in the display cabinet mentions the Pineapple Tart to come with elements like fresh pineapples, coconut mousse and coconut frangipane.

As what one would expect out of the tarts that Tarte by Cheryl Koh serves up, the tart base is suitably firm; slices down neatly without crumbling into a mess, yet holding up the elements above really well. We found the coconut frangipane to be rather interesting; this is especially considering that most frangipane elements are usually based off from nuts and one that features a tropical fruit is rather uncommon. We reckon that the coconut frangipane compliments the coconut mousse, which turns out to be more of a cream element that binds the sliced pineapples with the tart base — comes all light and refreshing while at it and goes well with the pineapple slices that provide a juicy, lightly sweet and zingy bite that made the tart especially delightful without clouding the tastebuds. The golden pearl atop the Pineapple Tart is white chocolate ball with hollow insides painted gold; probably something added more for a visual impact than anything else. Yet another creation by the folks behind Tarte by Cheryl Koh that hits the spot; something worth making a trip for before the Chinese New Year season passes us!

Vanilla cream was sweet but light and quite refreshing. Strawberry was ok, not spectacular. Tart base was fine but sides were wayyy too soggy. Eat immediately! Don’t keep it for a day.

Fresh Sollies Figs on almond frangipane & light vanilla cream

Fig was the nicest out of the 3 we got (Shine Muscat, Fig, Strawberry). There was both fig jam and fresh fig filling within. Loved the crunchiness and sweetness of the fig, and the different layers to it. Tart base was the best and v crunchy even after being fridged for a day! Frangipane was sweet they could give less but it’s still overall quite a balanced dessert. Can’t wait till they have this on rotation again!

Fresh Shine Muscat grapes on Yuja (yuzu) cream.

Yuzu cream was v nice! Flavour is distinct and delicate. Grapes were juicy and sweet. The tart crust held up better compared to the Strawberry one. This > strawberry!

[𝘊𝘭𝘢𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘤 𝘍𝘳𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘩 𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘸𝘣𝘦𝘳𝘳𝘺 𝘤𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘮𝘢𝘥𝘦 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘭𝘢𝘺𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘨𝘦𝘯𝘰𝘪𝘴𝘦 𝘴𝘱𝘰𝘯𝘨𝘦 𝘧𝘪𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘥 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘴𝘪𝘭𝘬𝘺 𝘮𝘰𝘶𝘴𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘦 & 𝘢 𝘵𝘰𝘶𝘤𝘩 𝘰𝘧 𝘒𝘪𝘳𝘴𝘤𝘩]
-A layered strawberry sponge cake which is moist and rich in sweet vanilla flavour. The fresh strawberries are sweet and slightly sour which balances the overall flavours of the cake. However, this might be a slightly heavy dessert for some dinners who don’t like cream much.