Nyonya rempah, freshly-baked breads, traditional Japanese sweets – who’s salivating, now?
I’m always impressed by good food; specifically, home-cooked food that’s at once umami-packed, yet hearty and moreish.
But desserts truly are my Achilles heel. Anything fudgy or built from 75% dark chocolate is an immediate win in my books, because I’m so darn weak…and basic.
On that, I’ve rounded up the best cooking and baking courses in Singapore – several of which are SkillsFuture claimable, though it’s best to check directly with your school of choice.
TL;DR: Best Baking And Cooking Classes in Singapore
Or jump straight to them here!
- Cooking Classes
- Baking Classes
| Where | Prices | SkillsFuture Claimable? |
|---|---|---|
| Little Green Kitchen | $85 per three-hour class | Yes (selected courses) |
| People’s Association (PA) Community Centres | Free to $162 | Yes |
| Allspice Institute | From $160 | Yes (selected courses) |
| Hungry Mummies | From $50 to $100 | Yes (selected courses) |
| ABC Cooking Studio | From $35(trial class); from $80.25/class (package) | No |
| Butter & Bake | $80 for a 3-hour class | Yes |
| Bake King | From $55 | No |
| BakinCalf | From $150 | Yes (selected courses) |
| Baker's Brew | From $108 | Yes (selected courses) |
| Nanatang Studio | From $98/class | No |
Cooking Classes
Apart from ABC Cooking Studio, the following schools offer SkillsFuture claimable cooking courses – so go ahead and make full use of them!
Little Green Kitchen
Former lawyer Shalu Asnani wants you to know that vegetarian food isn’t boring – which you’ll learn at her cosy cooking studio-slash-food consultancy.
With 18 themed cooking classes to choose from, it’ll be hard to choose just one. But if I had to, I’d pick Flavours of Southeast Asia – a fiery lesson in local flavours.
Dishes include sambal eggplant, sayur lodeh (Indonesian coconut curry) and mee goreng (stir-fried noodles In spicy sauce). Hungry yet? I know I am.
Little Green Kitchen also offers private dining and catering services, plus meal-planning tips to help you lead a healthier quality of life.
And if you’re inspired post-class, you’ll find a fair number of recipes on her blog – think wholewheat banana walnut bread to quinoa vegetti with spicy coriander-almond pesto.
Prices: $85 per three-hour class; private classes available (min. four pax)
SkillsFuture claimable: Yes (selected courses)
Location: 1 Hacienda Grove, #03-05, Upper East Coast Rd
People’s Association (PA) Community Centres
Community centres (CCs) are unique to Singapore, in that they literally draw people with like-minded interests to a shared space. You’ll find no shortage of cooking classes at CCs across the island – spanning everything from Chinese, Malay and Indian cuisine to food presentation courses.
There’re also specialty classes, like vegetarian cooking or ‘Western cuisine’, which pretty much sounds like a lesson in preparing your own Swensens-style meal.
At time of writing, there were over 300 cooking classes on offer on the onePA site, including:
- Xpress Variety Cooking Workshop for Adults, $9
- Local Delights, $34.20
- Halal Western Cooking, $85.50
Besides these, you’ll find free cooking demonstration classes and culinary interest groups – which means food and new friends. How’s that for fun times?
Prices: Free to $162
SkillsFuture claimable: Yes
Locations: Various
Allspice Institute
Its website got me slightly giddy with excitement. Fresh! Pasta!
Yep, I’m a bit of a snob in that regard – but really, why pay silly amounts for instant pasta in restaurants when you can make the same for a fraction of the price? When you’re feeling extra hardworking, of course.
Enough rambling, though; Allspice Institute offers not just cooking and baking programmes, but hospitality courses too.
Classes are themed, and framed around either a cuisine type (like Peranakan Beginner/Intermediate/Advanced) or ingredient (think Cooking with Poultry, or Cooking with Coconut).
Baking classes include the usual suspects: bread-making, to fulfill your dreams of splicing into a crusty loaf of bread with warm, pull-apart insides, and cake-decorating to impress your family and friends with.
Prices: From $160
SkillsFuture claimable: Yes (selected courses)
Location: Blk 82 Bukit Merah Central, #07-3545
Hungry Mummies
With its focus on nutritious, home-cooked meals for families, classes at Hungry Mummies teach you how to prepare affordable dishes that don’t skimp on taste.
The school hosts all manner of cooking (and baking) classes for small groups, kids and helpers – plus private cooking demonstrations. Throughout, you’ll be taught how to plan your dishes around the ingredients you have, and budgeting just enough for the Brady Bunch.
Classes for the month of December 2019 include a Singapore Home Cooking – Chicken Recipes course ($100) and a three-course Kids Cooking Class ($50).
Prices: From $50 to $100
SkillsFuture claimable: Yes (selected courses)
Location: 58 Telok Blangah Heights
Baking Classes
Once upon a time, I quite fancied the idea of myself as a pastry chef – or at least running a baking business. If you’ve a similar dream, then work your hand at these baking schools ’round Singapore.
ABC Cooking Studio
This Japan-hailing school has won hearts (and filled bellies) with its host of classes for aspiring chefs and bakers. Even perusing its site required great restraint; I almost did want to lick my screen.
If you fancy flexing your (rusty) cooking or baking skills, trial classes at ABC Cooking Studio go for just $35 per person, and take place almost hourly at all three outlets.
There’re also bread-making and cooking classes, confectionary and cake courses, plus lessons for kids. Some delectable-sounding bakes and dishes include:
- Gateau Au Chocolat
- Yuzu White Chocolate Mousse Cake
- Sakura Mochi
- After Dark Indulgence
- Japanese Hamburg Steak*
*I added this as an afterthought, because obviously only desserts matter.
Prices: From $35 for a trial class; from $80.25/class for a package
SkillsFuture claimable: No
Locations: Ngee Ann City, Funan, Westgate
Butter & Bake
Prime your stomach for a sugar-induced workout, because that’s where Butter & Bake’s specialty lies.
The homegrown cooking studio’s been quietly churning delicious bakes since 2014, turning nervous first-timers into professional-ish bakers by arming them with basic baking techniques.
Apart from kids’ classes – perfect for the impending December school holidays! – you’ll be taught to make character-themed macarons inspired by the likes of Line Friends and Winnie the Pooh.
Prices: $80 for a 3-hour class
SkillsFuture claimable: Yes
Location: 110 Lorong 23 Geylang
Bake King
Bake King is one of those household brands whose products you wouldn’t even realise you stock in your kitchen – like baking soda or all-purpose flour.
Who’d have guessed they offer baking courses, too? Each is framed around a specific dessert, whether 3D jelly art, Mao Shan Wang durian cake or the boba milk tea chiffon cake – which sounds rather like a loaded treat to be enjoyed with a strong cup of brewed coffee.
Prices: From $55 for a 2.5-hour class
SkillsFuture claimable: No
Location: Blk 10 Haig Rd, #01-363/365
BakinCalf
Wholesome, affordably-priced sweets shouldn’t compromise on quality – and chef-owner Shinni hopes to set the standard with her myriad of baking classes, many of which are SkillsFuture-claimable.
These include the Asian Cake Delights class, which takes you through the art of making ondeh ondeh cake, and the Oriental Desserts course for a schooling on kueh-making.
Otherwise, BakinCalf also takes customised cake orders for all occasions, including birthdays and weddings. Think elaborate, character-themed cakes – or stacked, fondant-wrapped affairs with fresh buttercream flowers.
Prices: From $150
SkillsFuture claimable: Yes (selected courses)
Location: Blk 257 #09-1013, Yishun Ring Rd
Baker’s Brew
Baking is for everyone – and Baker’s Brew teaches novices from the ground up with baking fundamentals – as in the SkillsFuture-backed The Basics of Buttercream, or Bread to Basics.
If you’re after something more advanced, the Art of Wedding Cakes is a technical lesson in stacking and assembling an ombre, two-tiered cake.
Equally enticing is Hands-On Chocolate Techniques, which takes you through chocolate-tempering, and the best ways to work with the prized, cacao-derived ingredient. Just writing this makes me severely envious of those who haven’t used up their SkillsFuture credits.
Baker’s Brew also does thematic dessert tables and customised cakes, from minimalist, gold-flecked options to OTT cakes fashioned in the likeness of Milo or Tiger Beer.
Prices: From $108 per three-hour class; 20% off all weekday classes with annual membership ($148 one-time fee)
SkillsFuture claimable: Yes (selected courses)
Location: Various, including Paragon Shopping Centre, #05-46
Nanatang Studio
What began as an online bakery in 2013 has since flourished into a studio and bakehouse – and owner Serena has no plans of slowing down.
You might be overwhelmed by Nanatang Studio’s repository of beautiful cakes. Think piped buttercream flowers in pastels and vibrant reds, or fun takes on traditional cakes – like the rainbow soy cake with chocolate ganache.
Since 2013, the studio and bakehouse has played host to classes, private parties and events – including the the recent Advanced Royal Icing class with guest cake designer Simply Sugar.
Prices: From $98/class
SkillsFuture claimable: No
Location: 41 Kampong Bahru Rd
Would you pay for cooking or baking classes – or only go for SkillsFuture-claimable ones? Tell us on our Seedly Facebook page!
