The Basque burnt cheesecake trend still seems to be alive and well. So we aren’t surprised that even Malaysian-owned castella cake chain Ah Mah Homemade Cake has hopped onto the bandwagon. The best part about this? The hilarious name for the new confection: Granny’s chao ta (“burnt” in Hokkien) cheesecake. It comes in two flavours: original and ondeh ondeh.

Indeed very ‘chao ta’ with almost blackened, shiny tops. The original flavour looks more attractive — bright yellow at the edges, well baked and nicely shaped while the ondeh one is a lot wetter and squishier.

We’re instructed to eat this chilled. A rather firm cheesecake with eggy notes reminiscent of Ah Mah’s castella cakes. In fact, there’s too much egg for a cheesecake.

Surprisingly, the ondeh ondeh version boasts a better texture than the original when chilled — it's moist and creamy. The pandan aroma is pleasant and goes well with the chewy gula melaka-soaked desiccated coconut. It’s all quite good — until the tangy notes of the cheese creep in. Not as well-balanced as Grub cafe’s divine Kaya Burnt Cheesecake.

Middling. Sometimes, old is gold — we prefer Ah Mah’s comforting castella cakes.

Available for pre-orders only via https://www.ah-mah.com.sg/, while stocks last.

Photos: Florence Fong 8 Days/ Ah Mah’s Homemade Cake