First it conquered hot pot. Then it took over instant noodles, chips, and fried chicken. Now, mala — that tingly, numbing, chilli-laced flavour profile — is making a serious play for your dessert plate. Across Singapore, pastry chefs and dessert makers are folding Sichuan peppercorn heat into cakes, ice cream, and pastries, and the results are surprisingly addictive.
Leading the charge is Fuse Patisserie on Amoy Street, where head pastry chef Rachel Loh has introduced a Mala Burnt Cheesecake ($9.50 a slice) that has been selling out most weekends since its February launch. The heat builds slowly — a gentle warmth from chilli oil swirled into the batter, finished with a crackle of crushed Sichuan peppercorn on top. It pairs brilliantly with their houjicha latte.
Over in Chinatown, Numbing Cow — a new soft-serve concept at 335 Smith Street — serves mala-spiced chocolate soft-serve ($6.80) that tingles on the tongue for a full minute after each bite. They also do a mala honeycomb crunch topping ($2 extra) that adds serious texture. Weekend queues are already hitting 20 minutes.
Even established names are experimenting. Brotherbird Milk & Croissants recently dropped a limited-edition Mala Cruffin — a laminated pastry filled with mala cream cheese and topped with chilli flakes — available only on Saturdays at their Bali Lane outlet. It sold out within two hours on its first weekend.
Why does this work? Pastry chefs say the key is restraint. The mala element should create warmth and complexity, not blow your head off. Rachel from Fuse puts it simply: "The numbness from the peppercorn actually enhances sweetness. It opens up your palate rather than closing it down."
Whether this is a fleeting fad or a permanent addition to Singapore's dessert vocabulary remains to be seen, but right now the mala-dessert wave is worth riding. Start with the burnt cheesecake at Fuse — you will not regret it.
Getting There & Contact
Address: Fuse Patisserie, 118 Amoy Street, Singapore 069939
Opening Hours: Tue–Sun 10 am–7 pm. Closed Mondays.
Website: fusepatisserie.sg
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