After we visited one bakery in Chinatown called Lung Moon Bakery (you can read about it here: http://www.foodlovergirl.com/lung-moon-bakery/), we got curious enough to check out more bakery in that area. We found one called Kam Hing Coffee Shop that is famous for their sponge cakes.

I was thinking “Really? Just sponge cakes?” But then again, some people call it “legendary” sponge cakes. I am completely down for legendary sponge cakes! So off we went. It is a bit of hall in a wall type of place, you will miss it if you are not paying attention. The inside was small, plain, simple, no-frills. They did have funny drawing on the wall, depicting a sexy sponge cake lady, batting her eyes at other sponge cake men, who are all drooling over her.

They do offer more than the legendary sponge cakes, like hot dishes and other baked goods, and coffee & tea of course. The popular sponge cakes are in a plastic bin right underneath the cash register counter. They have the “Original” and few other flavored kinds. We got one Original ($0.75), Mint Chocolate Chip ($1.25), and Green Tea ($1.25). On this day, they also had Strawberry and Pumpkin Spice flavored ones, but we didn’t get those ones.

I hear the sponge cakes here are really popular, and that they get sold out quickly. We went there on a very snowy day, so we didn’t have any issue getting what we wanted. It is always good to visit popular spot on a bad weather day (if you have strong will and really strong love for food like me). We didn’t eat them immediately at the coffee shop, but we took them home (we stopped by the coffee shop right after our big lunch).

We started off with the Original, and it was really fluffy and airy, just as it was described by many of their fans. It was egg-y, sweet but not much, really light. As light as clouds. It is a simple sponge cake, but has that comfort flavor that reminds me of home-cooked or -baked feel to it. They are made at the coffee shop, so it does have the handmade looks and taste. The top of the cake was a bit crispy and flaky, I liked that part as well. Kind of like how some people like the muffin top more than the lower half of the muffin. Pretty nice, I must say. And for less than $1, it is a good size and even greater value.

The Mint Chocolate Chip had a very strong fragrance of mint. It had good amount of chocolate chips, and powerful mint flavor. It was obvious which ones was the star of this show. It is a great sponge cake for a mint lover. This one was still very light and airy, but a little more dense than the original. It was still good though.

The green tea had less sweetness than the other two. It had more of the true flavor of the green tea, which was really nice. The flaky top part got a bit deformed, but that comes with handmade baked goods sometimes, and it all taste the same anyways. It was a good sponge cake with a solid green tea flavor.

At the end, I see why their sponge cakes are popular. Very fluffy and light, and the flavored kinds have really strong flavors present in it. And the price, you can’t beat the value. Super cheap! It would be a good thing to buy in bulk and take it to a house party or something. Maybe I could use the sponge cakes and make small (or medium) size desserts? On its own, they would would serve as good snacks for when you want something that is a bit sweet, light, and flavorful.

Kam Hing Coffee Shop – 118 Baxter St, New York, NY 10013