A 40-Year-Old Recipe That Forged a Father-Daughter Bond
Before Ms Durian became a durian specialty bakery and café, there was simply a father who loved durians, a daughter who grew up around them, and a durian cake recipe perfected over some 40 years.
Ling's father has been trading durians in Singapore for more than 60 years under a brand that many would be familiar with - 717 Trading. So while other children learnt their ABCs, Ling learnt her Mao Shan Wangs, D24s and grew up thinking that telling durians apart by sight was completely normal.
It was simply what happens when your father has spent most of his life buying, selling, opening and smelling durians.
Then there was the baking. Ling watched durians turn into desserts in the family kitchen, where her father had one rule he would never compromise on: If you're going to make a durian dessert, use good durian.
Ms Ling Goh and Mr Goh
That became the philosophy behind Ms Durian, and the starting point for the cake that has remained its hero product for the past seven years: The Original Mao Shan Wang Durian Cake.
"Durian cake" might undersell it, because every 15cm Original Mao Shan Wang Durian Cake uses durian flesh equivalent to approximately 1.5kg of whole durian fruit.
Cut it open and you'll find two thick layers of Mao Shan Wang flesh, deseeded in-house, sitting between layers of light, moist chiffon. There's not a single drop of artificial flavouring, just real Mao Shan Wang flesh, and lots of it.
The chiffon is made with less sugar, not because it is pretending this is a salad, but because Mao Shan Wang already has its own sweetness, bitterness and creaminess.
Original Mao Shan Wang Durian Cake
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Original Mao Shan Wang Durian Cake 〰️
A Durian Cake That Wobbles, Made For People Who Loves Their Durian
Every piece of Original Mao Shan Wang Durian Cake is handmade. And when so much of real durian flesh is layered between the light, moistand airy chiffon, a little wobble comes along. It's for people who know how does a good Mao Shan Wang Durian tastes - Creamy. Fragrant. Slightly bitter, and Ms Durian made it into a cake.
So next time when you get a durian cake from Ms Durian, give it a little shake before savouring it.
The Thought That Comes Along With The Cake
For the past seven years, every durian cake has left the kitchen with thoughtful touches — from a stainless-steel cake knife and metallic candles to personalised wordings, all packed perfectly in their signature kraft-paper cooler bag.
The inspiration?
The Kraft-paper bags Ling remembers watching customers leave with from her father's durian shop carrying fresh durians. Today, instead of whole durians, the familiar bag carries a Mao Shan Wang cake inside. A small detail that most would miss, but one that reflects how Ms Durian brings the culture Ling grew up with, and her way to preserve the family recipe, into every cake that leaves its kitchen.
From Dad's kitchen to Ms Durian.
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From Dad's kitchen to Ms Durian. 〰️
Six decades of durian knowledge, seven years of Ms Durian — a father and daughter who bonded over their love for durian agrees on one thing: The durian cake can only be as good as the durian you put inside it.
