KELE Roll Cake – Japanese Inspired Swiss Rolls With Mao Shan Wang, Lychee Martini, & Other Flavours

You may be familiar with KELE, a family confectionery shop that has been around in Singapore since 1983. Their more recent venture is KELE Roll Cake, a small shop specialising in swiss rolls. Note that they are currently providing islandwide delivery. This article was last updated on 30 July 2020.

KELE Roll Cake

KELE Roll Cake is a small takeaway shop at VivoCity that sells their eponymous “Kele Roll Cakes”, which are Japanese-inspired swiss rolls.

It is a division of KELE, a family-run bakery shop in Chinatown that was founded in 1983. This bakery is best known for their delicious pineapple tarts, which are always sold out months before Lunar New Year.

The idea for KELE Roll Cake was conceived in 2017, when the KELE family went for a vacation in Japan. During the trip, they discovered the “roru-keiki” Japanese roll, which are handmade fluffy cakes containing light yet luscious fillings.

Upon returning to Singapore, they decided to create their own version of the roll using Japanese premium flour, fresh cream and fresh tropical fruits.

After much experimenting, they finally created the “Kele Roll Cake” in a variety of tantalising flavours catered to local tastebuds.

Menu (click to enlarge)

There are 12 flavours, categorised into “Premium Flavours” and “Special Flavours”.

The Premium Flavours cost $12.90 each, except for Mao Shan Wang which costs $15.90. The Special Flavours cost $10.90 each.

Currently, there is a promotion where you can enjoy a significantly lower price if you buy a minimum of two roll cakes (see menu above).

Each cake weighs 180 grams and is around 13.5cm long.

Premium Flavours:
1. Black Charcoal Mao Shan Wang
2. D24 Durian
3. Lychee Martini
4. Rum & Raisins
5. Adzuki Bean with Gula Melaka
6. Avocado Macadamia Nut

Special Flavours:
7. Strawberry Cream Cheese
8. Rose Cream Cheese
9. Mango Cream Cheese
10. Avocado Gula Melaka
11. Special Pandan
12. Chocolate

Black Charcoal Mao Shan Wang ($15.90)

This was my favourite flavour! The MSW durian purée was rich and creamy, and had retained its distinctive bittersweet flavour. While the roll cake was not exactly fluffy, it had a pleasant spongey texture.

This flavour will suit people who prefer to balance out the strong taste of durian by combining it with a sweet pastry.

Note that the black colour of the cake comes from charcoal powder, which is tasteless.

Mango Cream Cheese ($10.90)

It’s hard to go wrong with this one. The roll cake contains juicy mango cubes embedded in cream cheese.

The tangy-sweet flavours of the mango went nicely with the luscious cream, and together with the sponge cake, turned into a pleasant mush in my mouth as I chewed. I couldn’t really taste the cheese flavour though.

Lychee Martini ($12.90)

This alcohol-infused swiss roll was a pleasant surprise. The pink cream had subtly sweet and fragrant notes, and the sweet lychee bits were a pleasure to chew on. The light Martini aftertaste felt just right.

Strawberry Cream Cheese ($10.90)

I enjoyed this flavour very much. The luscious cream cheese had a rich tangy-umami flavour, while the strawberry cubes added shine with that piquant fruitiness. It was a perfect match! I recommend getting this flavour if you are a fan of cheese.

Chocolate ($10.90)

This flavour should be popular with children or chocolate lovers. The sweet fragrance of the luxurious chocolate fillings spread throughout my mouth the instant I took a bite.

The taste was rather one-dimensional since the filling only contains one main ingredient, but it was definitely still a pleasant treat.

Adzuki Bean with Gula Melaka ($12.90)

The interesting combination of flavours here made this dessert a unique sensory experience. First, I savoured the delicate sweetness of the adzuki (red bean) paste, which had a slightly gritty texture.

This was followed by the alluring sweetness of gula melaka, and rounded off by the cake’s pleasant matcha fragrance. Overall this was a novel but harmonious blend of flavours that agreed very well with me.

Conclusion

Note that the Kele Roll Cakes are best eaten chilled. Some people even like to eat them frozen, though I didn’t manage to try that. Even though their cakes are slightly more expensive than other swiss rolls in Singapore, I think the prices are justified because the cakes are made from premium ingredients like Japanese flour and real fresh fruits. They are also really generous with their fillings. And most importantly, the cakes taste really good!

Kele Roll Cake
Address: 1 Harbourfront Walk, VivoCity, B2-K10, Singapore 098585
Opening Hours: Daily 11am to 9pm
Phone: +65 6560 1249 (Mon to Sat 9.30am to 5.30pm)