Hey everyone!

Most of you might have read about the downfall of Crumbs Bake Shop (based in the United States and was once the largest cupcake company in the world) and how the gourmet cupcake trend has been on a decline over the past few years. Fortunately, most if not all of the cupcakeries I patronise in Singapore are still surviving even though queues have significantly shortened and some (the more indie ones) have also pared down their operating hours.

As an ardent lover of gourmet cupcakes, I’m always on the lookout for spectacular cupcakes that are sold in physical stores (so that I can try some flavours without having to meet the minimum order, unlike buying from online shops) and recently, I came to know about this cupcakery at Toa Payoh North (just across SPH building) which has already got me hooked and had me return for the second time (despite staying in the extreme west of Singapore). It may not be the most convenient place to get to, but trust me, the cupcakes are worth the 15-minute walk from the nearest MRT station under the scorching hot sun! And the calories.

So if you guys haven’t heard of 51 FiveOne Degrees, it’s about time you do. Apparently, it’s quite a well-known cupcakery too, having featured on The Straits Times, herworldPLUS, The Smart Local and many others I believe I have yet to stumble upon.

My first box of 51 FiveOne Degrees cupcakes was given to me by my boyfriend who discovered the gem one fine day when he decided to make a detour to his workplace. It was one of the best gifts from him ever.

At S$3.80 per cupcake, prices are generally higher than those sold in mainstream cupcakeries like Twelve Cupcakes. 51 FiveOne Degrees, however, offers a discounted rate of S$20 for a box of 6. You’d be so tempted to buy more than you can stomach simply because it’s way cheaper to purchase in quantities. (It’s okay, you can always share them with your loved ones!)

With a wide variety of flavours to choose from, you will be spoilt for choice! It took me some time to finally decide on the 6 flavours because everything on display looked so appetising and ravishing, especially the swirled frosting and the carefully crafted candy glass!

Here’s what I ordered and a brief review on each of them:

Speculoos Cookie Butter is a classic vanilla bean cupcake with Speculoos cookie butter filling topped with buttercream, cookie crumbs and a fraction of a caramalised biscuit.

A must-have for cookie lovers, this is the best cupcake flavour hands down and also my top favourite which I’d always pick as one of my 6 choices. The thick and creamy Speculoos cookie butter filling is the reason why the cupcake is so crunchy and addictive. It’s so good, it just makes you beg for more!

Forest Berries is a classic Madagascar vanilla bean cupcake baked with forest berries and topped with blackcurrant buttercream.

The presentation is gorgeous and I especially love the little fondant flower placed on the swirls. The cupcake is slightly sour due to the forest berries that are fused into it, as well as the blackcurrant frosting. But on the overall, it’s alright to give this a miss because there are better-tasting flavours!

The Red Velvet cupcake is an all-time favourite classic made with a hint of cocoa and topped with vanilla cream cheese frosting.

Moist and soft, it was baked to perfection with a vanilla cream cheese frosting so divine. But it would have fared better on my charts if there was filling in the cupcake.

Cookie ‘n’ Cream is a vanilla bean cupcake blended with cookie crumbs garnished with rich Oreo biscuit buttercream.

I’m a huge sucker for anything Oreo (I love my Fried Oreo, Oreo Cheesecake, Oreo Milkshake, Oreo McFlurry, well, you get the gist) so this was one flavour I had to try. Visually, it looked stunning and appealing. But taste-wise, the absence of filling made it less memorable and the Oreo biscuit that was tucked into the frosting was already soggy by the time I ate it. The cupcake was perfectly moist and fluffy nonetheless and a (surprise!) full piece of Oreo biscuit was also baked into the bottom of the cupcake. On the overall, it’s worth a try but I wouldn’t buy it again.

Salted Caramel is a classic Madagascar vanilla bean cupcake filled with a Fleur De Sel caramel core and topped with buttercream.

I sank my teeth into the cupcake and felt the thick and gooey caramel filling oozing into my mouth. It was incredible and of course, sweet. The core was relatively big and it occupied most of the middle of the cupcake, enough to satisfy any caramel lover.

And finally, we have Lemon Grey, an Earl Grey cupcake with a lemon curd core topped with lemon buttercream.

Taking a short break from the usual sweet treats, this cupcake has got nice and refreshing citrusy flavour which would instantly perk you up from your post-lunch slump (thus making it an ideal choice for your takeaway dessert during the workdays). It is tangy and perfectly balanced by the mild sweetness of the Earl Grey cupcakes. Definitely worth a try! 🙂

Apart from cupcakes, people also flock to 51 FiveOne Degrees from all over Singapore for their chiffon cakes which apparently are their best sellers! Widely adored for their soft and cottony texture, these chiffon cakes come in 3 flavours – Premium Chocolate, Orange and Pandan – and they typically sell out by noon. We bought the Pandan one for S$13.50. Not sure if the same price applies to the other two flavours.

By the way, did you know that this cupcakery is owned by a 23-year-old Singaporean girl? Her baking skills are truly astonishing especially at such a tender age. I will definitely return again to try the filled tarts and more cupcakes. New flavours for the latter are introduced every now and then and I’m pretty excited to find out what great flavours are in store! The catalogue on its Facebook page and website isn’t up-to-date though, so they only way to know all the flavours is to visit the physical store.

That’s all for this review 🙂

Thanks for reading! ❤

51 FiveOne Degrees
203 Toa Payoh North
#01-1113
Singapore 310203
Tel : 6526 9328
Operating hours: Mon-Fri – 11:55am – 8:55pm
Sat – Sun – Closed
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