Taipei Neihu Private Home Desserts: Bake a "Chiffon Cake" with Ingredients from Taiwanese Small Farmers

Text /A Man’s Daily Life
(Text / Man E, Photography / Man J)

Since having the chance to try Amor House’s 3T sesame chiffon cake at HEXA in September this year, both J and I have been longing for that rich yet refreshing sesame filling. We were pleasantly surprised and left with a deep impression. After searching online for Amor House’s Facebook, we found out that this little cake shop was only established in May this year. Currently, there’s only one physical partner store at HEXA where you can dine in, or you can pre-order from their Neihu studio for pickup.

Although they don’t do deliveries, we, who are huge fans of chiffon cakes, thought that if we had the chance, we absolutely had to try other flavors. Coincidentally, when we attended the Urban Camping Carnival in October, we decided to take the opportunity to order three other flavors and throw a camping dessert party. Since then, the chiffon cakes from Amor House have become a flavor we both miss.

▲ Yellow Lemon Chiffon $200 / The mousse filling has an exciting tanginess paired with a refreshing aroma, and the overall balance is just right—its sweet and sour taste lingers delightfully in the mouth.

% 2% Black Sesame Chiffon $200 / Made with Taiwan’s rare 2% black sesame, cold-ground at low temperatures, resulting in a rich sesame filling. A touch of the soft whipped cream on top enhances the overall sesame flavor, which is endlessly memorable, slightly fresh, rich yet not greasy.

% Qingxin Oolong Tea Chiffon $200 / Made with Taiwan’s northern specialty tea, Qingxin Oolong, lightly fermented to bring out a subtle floral aroma. Seven Treasures and Stars even personally participated in tea apprentice activities at the tea farm, listening to farmers talk about planting, picking, frying, roasting, and brewing tea. The tea-flavored filling alternates between rich and light, and you can also taste the sweet and smooth red beans.

Making every dessert with the heart of a lover, conveying love for this land

Located about an 8–10 minute walk from Huozhou Station in Taipei’s Neihu District, Amor House is situated on the first floor of a modest courtyard apartment, which is also the home of the two owners, Seven Treasures and Stars. The dining table connected to the kitchen serves as their dessert studio.

Both share a love for chiffon cake, with Liu Xing being a super fan—he’d be happy eating chiffon for all three meals. To create the texture their loved ones enjoy most, Seven Treasures tries again and again without getting tired of it, and so Amor House was born out of their perfect chemistry. Each seemingly simple chiffon cake, thanks to one being picky and the other refusing to give up, has gone through countless adjustments and tests to achieve its now nearly perfect ratio and texture.

▲ Left: Seven Treasures, Right: Stars, the owners of Amor House.

For Seven Treasures and Stars, who both have full-time jobs, making time-consuming handmade chiffon cakes means using whatever spare time they have after work. But because they always remember their original intention when starting the shop, even if they often work late into the night, they find it all worthwhile.

“Taipei actually doesn’t lack small shops selling chiffon cakes, but the thought that our cakes might help more people discover the charm of local Taiwanese ingredients—and gain a deeper understanding—gives us even more motivation.”

That’s why, when reading the new flavor updates on Amor House’s Facebook page, aside from clearly listed ingredients, the introductions to Taiwanese small farmers are often more detailed than the flavor descriptions.

“The eggs we use come from free-range chickens raised by a small farmer in Miaoli, fed organic and toxin-free feed. Every Friday morning, the fresh eggs are collected, and in the afternoon, they’re delivered to Amor House, because freshness is the most important thing for chiffon cakes.”

“The strawberries are also grown toxin-free by a small farmer in Miaoli. We keep the eggshells and, when the eggs are delivered every week, we bring the shells back to use as fertilizer for the strawberries. Brother Afu also brings us pears and corn he grows himself, and we repay him with desserts—it feels like going back to the simplest barter times. We’re also waiting for the strawberry harvest, which will be around January (much later than market strawberries), and then we’ll be able to release raspberry-strawberry chiffon and strawberry jam!”

“The yellow lemon cake from Amor House uses Eureka lemons from Qishan, Taiwan—non-toxic yellow lemons. Before making the lemon flavor, we freshly grate the lemon peel, and the whole studio is filled with the fragrance of lemons.”

“When we first thought about making jam, we looked at many organic tea farms and finally settled on ‘Taiwan Blue Magpie Tea,’ which promotes the concept of ‘river basin restoration.’ It’s a contract-grown product from tea farmers in Pinglin, Taiwan, cultivated through friendly farming methods—no pesticides or chemical fertilizers—becoming guardians of the environment.”

“Working with small farmers comes with many challenges. We wait for the ingredients to mature naturally, then harvest and make the desserts. Often, by the time the market is already selling them, we’re still waiting (because without chemicals, they ripen later). Pest problems are tough to overcome, so yields are low, and seasonal items sell out and are gone.”

The two talked extensively about their experiences and challenges since visiting small farmers after founding the shop. Every chiffon cake seems to carry the untold stories of these small farmers.

“We also really hope everyone gets to know the ingredients we use, trusts the ingredients we choose, and can either order directly through us or get introduced to buy straight from the small farmers.”

I think the chiffon cakes from Amor House are so delicious not just because of their exquisite craftsmanship, but also because the two are filled with love for Taiwan’s land, which makes them uniquely tasty and heartwarming.

This time, when J and I came to Amor House for a photoshoot interview, we also got the chance to be among the first to taste their upcoming flavors.

% Black Tea Pearl Chiffon $200

The soft and moist chiffon body hides a filling of Taiwanese honey black tea whipped cream, with a sweet and refreshing aroma, and a few chewy, mildly sweet tapioca pearls—its flavor is captivating. It’s a new flavor by Amor House that cleverly interprets the essence of Taiwan.

Eggs:Free-range eggs from Dahu Township, Miaoli / Ingredients: Taiwan Blue Magpie Tea

% thistle? flavor? $200

The chiffon cake has a subtle peanut aroma, paired with a rich yet refreshing peanut filling. The owner carefully selects non-toxic, locally grown No. 9 peanuts from Taiwan as the base, combined with almond bits to create two distinct textures, making every bite lighter. The charming peanut flavor is not at all cloying but smooth and fragrant, with a hint of sea salt that balances sweet and salty, making you want to take bite after bite.

Eggs:Free-range eggs from Dahu Township, Miaoli / Ingredients: Original flavor (peanut)

% continued? delicious? $200

The chiffon cakes from Amor House always carry an elegant, minimalist Japanese vibe. The Taiwanese cocoa chiffon is topped with freshly whipped cream, casually sprinkled with almond slices, nuts, and green leaves for a touch of extra thoughtfulness.

Inside the cocoa-scented chiffon is a Tiramisu filling with a moderate coffee liqueur aroma, mixed with roasted longan that adds both texture and flavor. The rich yet refreshing filling tastes even better when chilled. Xingxing says she loves the cocoa’s slight sourness, sweetness, and bitterness. In addition to chiffon cakes, Amor House also makes Taiwanese tea-infused spread andTaiwanese native wheat(18 wheat) used to make madeleines that you can try.

Eggs:Free-range eggs from Dahu Township, Miaoli / Ingredients:Dongshan Aishan Kiln Firewood-Roasted Longan (from a reduced-pesticide natural farming area) / Ingredients: Cocoa from Pingtung, Taiwan

Amor House private patisserie supports local Taiwanese ingredients by incorporating them into everyday desserts, allowing more people to taste and discover the flavors of Taiwan. Not only that, they also care about stray animals—apart from adopting three stray dogs themselves,

in July this year, they also held a pop-up dessert event in Taichung with Riverbed, donating part of the proceeds to the long-supportedGuanniang’s Dog Garden, using this opportunity to invite everyone to pay attention to and help stray animals.

The name “Amor House private patisserie” comes from the Spanish word “Amor,” meaning “dear” or “lover,” and it’s also the nickname Seven Treasures gave to Xingxing. This place is truly a low-key, sweet patisserie that radiates affection, but what shines isn’t just the deep love between the two—it’s also their deep connection to the land of Taiwan. Chiffon cakes not only heal the heart but also subtly bring people closer together.

In the future, Amor House private patisserie also hopes to supply chiffon cakes in more collaborative spaces, going beyond self-pickup at Neihu, Taipei, so more people can enjoy this taste that’s about love and about Taiwan. For J and me, this was also the most beloved chiffon cake we’ve had this year, and we still think about it to this day.

Amor House private patisserie

Ordering method: FB private message only for pre-order and self-pickup / no dine-in
Pickup method: pick up at the café / pick up at the studio
On the 1st of each month, FB posts the two available order dates, pickup times, and locations for the month
FB : Amor House private patisserie / IG : Amor House Homemade Desserts

Taiwanese Small-Scale Farmers

Miaoli Small-Scale Farmers' Free-Range Eggs & Pesticide-Free Strawberries: https://goo.gl/NMmX98

Blue Magpie Tea: https://www.facebook.com/taiwanbluemagpietea/

Zhuangzi Kiln Farm Red Beans:https://www.facebook.com/ss7012508/

Native Flavor (Peanuts): https://www.fooding.com.tw/brand-content.php?bid=102459

Haoshifeng Farm Cocoa Powder:https://www.facebook.com/MissCacaoandMr.Chocolate/

Eureka Lemons:https://www.facebook.com/eurekalemon/

Dongshan Aishan Kiln Agricultural Products Handicraft Workshop Longan:https://www.facebook.com/yutifengyu/

Eighteen Ma Wheat Flour:https://www.facebook.com/18wheat

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