Having tried many banana cakes in Singapore and elsewhere, I just couldn’t find anything close to the banana cakes from Hiap Joo Bakery in Johor Bahru. Their banana cakes really reminded me of my childhood in the 1980s. My late granny and I loved banana cakes a lot then and they were readily available at most if not all bakeries in our neighbourhood.
Somehow as years passed, those classic banana cakes simply diminished in numbers. In fact, they almost vanished from our radar because bakeries started coming up with more innovative and fancy bakes to replace the old-school flavours.
So I’m really glad to have found Hiap Joo Bakery many years ago, who still continues to bake banana cakes like the good old days. I’m sure many of you in Singapore who often frequent JB will always bring back boxes of these banana cakes to enjoy with families and friends. I’m no exception.
Besides the banana cakes that are priced at RM12 for a box of 10 pieces, Hiap Joo also sells other cakes and buns.
Menu/Price list
- Coconut buns (4pcs) RM5
- Red bean buns (4pcs) RM5
- Peanut buns (4pcs) RM5
- Kaya buns (4pcs) RM5
- Otak-Otak buns (2pcs) RM5
- Butter cake (10pcs) RM15 – available on Tuesday morning only
- Coffee cake (10pcs) RM15 – available on Tuesday morning only
* Above price list is updated as of August 2022
Although Hiap Joo operates from 7.30am to 4.30pm from Mondays to Saturdays, they do have a schedule with estimated timings to indicate when their buns and banana cakes will be fresh out of the oven. If you come late, they may sell out so it’ll be good to refer to the timings and then come by to queue up.
Time-table
- Buns – Mon to Sat 11.30am
- Banana cakes – Mon 10.30am, Tue to Sat 7.30am
On Sundays, Hiap Joo will be closed but you can still buy their banana cakes at Restoran Kin Hua (锦华餐室), which is located opposite them.
Baking in a wood-fired oven
If you’re not aware, Hiap Joo still uses a traditional wood-fired oven to bake their cakes and buns. That’s probably the key factor to produce delicious banana cakes. Just look at how evenly baked the slab of banana cake is. The top crust is deep-brown in colour. Looks scrumptious!
The best banana cake indeed
Delicious. Comforting. Nostalgic. The cake isn’t overly sweetened with sugar. Can really taste the natural sweetness and richness of bananas in every bite. Texture wise, it’s spongy, soft and moist. Even when kept chilled in the fridge till the next day, the cake would remain moist and tasty.
Banana cake lovers, die die must try this if you haven’t!
Closed on Sundays