De Alleyway - Melbourne

I have now been to Moonshine Cake shop twice in the past 3 months to order birthday cakes. First time was back in July 2019 for my sister's birthday and the second time was this month, September for my mum's birthday.<br/ <br/ The cakes are delicious, fun and entertaining! <br/ <br/ LOCATION<br/ <br/ Moonshine Cake Shop is a very small hole in the wall store inside The Hub Arcade on Little Collins Street. The Hub Arcade is a very tiny laneway with very small stores and is next to the famous Royal Arcade that runs between Bourke Street Mall and Little Collins Street.<br/ The entry to the Hub Arcade is opposite to The Block Arcade entry on Little Collins Street.<br/ <br/ SERVICE<br/ <br/ There are 3 ways you can order cake at Moonshine. However the best options are the first two: <br/ <br/ 1) Physically go to the cake shop and place your order. Need at least 1 to 2 days advance notice of order. You will need to pay cash upfront to secure order.<br/ <br/ 2) Order via their WeChat account. Please use WECHAT ID: Moonshine客服3号<br/ <br/ 3) Message via Instagram account ID: moonshine_au<br/ <br/ The third option is unreliable. I sent a message via Instagram and for 4 days no one replied.  The cake shop does not have an email address nor do they have a telephone number.  I didnt have WeChat so had to set one up. But there is no where on Zomato, Instagram or their Facebook account that actually states what their wechat ID is. I had to physically go into the cake shop and order my cake and at the same time ask for their WeChat ID which can be found on the front counter, scan the QR Code. I asked the staff there if anyone actually montiors message from the Instagram account and they said that maybe the person has forgotten to check, and I said that its important to check every so often because for those people that cannot read Chinese wont know how to put in an order.<br/ She advised that majority of orders are via WeChat.  Therefore I strongly suggest to avoid sending message via their instagram account.<br/ <br/ Both of my visits to Moonshine Cake Shop were very pleasant. The staff were very friendly and helpful and gave good advice on cakes.<br/ <br/ MENU/PRICE<br/ <br/ I purchased the following cakes: <br/ <br/ Black Pearl Milk Tea Volcano Cake (6 inch), $49.00<br/ (Chiffon cake, earl grey milk tea cream, vanilla chantilly, Oreo crumbs, brown sugar infused black pearl)<br/ <br/ White Rabbit Cake Roll, $29.00<br/ (Coconut crumble, vanilla cremaux, milky cream, sponge cake)<br/ <br/ VERDICT<br/ <br/ My sister was gobsmacked when I surprised her with a Black Pearl Milk Tea Volcano Cake. <br/ When I collected this cake, I was given specific instructions.<br/ The cake and bobao pearls must be consumed within 2 days to keep its freshness. Do not store the bobao pearls in the fridge, they must be left in room temperature. Prior to serving, heat up the pearls for 30 seconds only.<br/ <br/ There is a slight dip in the middle of the cake, slowly pour the pearls from the centre and swirl outwards until all the pearls cover the top of the cake. As the pearls have been heated up, it will melt the top layer of cream, so the cake must be cut almost immediately. To cut the cake, slice the cake from one end and then cut a small piece out so that it leaves a crevice for the lava to flow out. It's pretty much like a lava cake.  This cake must be consumed on same day the pearls have been poured onto the cake, it cannot be refrigerated overnight as the cream, cake would have been melted by the hot pearls.<br/ <br/ The cake itself was very light chiffon cake. In the centre of the cake its filled with earl grey milk tea cream. You can actually taste the earl grey flavour in the cream, its not overly strong which is nice.  The top layer of the cake is a thick layer of vanilla chantilly cream which is whipped cream infused with vanilla essence. This is also quite light and you cant really taste much of it because its melted in with the brown sugar pearls and the early grey cream. The pearls gives the cake the added sweetness and makes the overall volcano cake a wonderful and fun concept.  A very yummy and tasty cake. Highly recommended.<br/ The White Rabbit Cake Roll was ordered for my mum's birthday earlier this week. It is such a novelty as the actual white rabbit cream candy 大白兔奶糖 is a typical childhood candy that most Asian's would have eaten before. Lately the candy has been so popular in Asian groceries stores and sold out, I wonder if its because of the recent hype of the white rabbit cake and drink? I finally was able to buy a packet of the candy. After dinner at Golden Harvest HK Cafe, we got the table cleared and I gave the packet of candy to mum and told her its her birthday present. She laughed because we used it eat it as kids. Then I presented her with a super sized white rabbit candy and she literally thought it was a candy! we all laughed and I said no, its your birthday cake haha! <br/ <br/ The cake roll reminds me of the typical HK style swiss roll that you can buy in Asian bakeries, however the cake itself is extremely light and super fluffy (just like a bunny haha not). The vanilla milky flavoured cream is also very light and airy. It's not sweet at all which is very nice. The middle part of the cream has some crunchy coconut bits which gives the cake some added texture. Wish there were more of the coconut bits swirled into the cream would have been better. <br/ <br/ Overall both cakes were a winner!

Easily one of my favourite cake shops ! I first tried the boba cake and was in Love! Then I got the white rabbit cake for my grandmas birthday and it took me back to my childhood! Although the prices are steep , I think it’s worth every penny

The best cake ever of this year! Moonshine is such a talent Asian cake shop hidden in hub arcade. It’s a bit hard to find but when you taste the cake it worth everything! The sponge cake is so soft and the cream of the cake have tea flavour. Taste just like milk tea and the boba part is epic. I have to say I’m totally in love with this cake!

I really enjoyed trying the boba cake! The cake was light and fluffy, not overly sweet, which I appreciated. The boba pearls were some of the best I've had. The combination of the pearls, earl grey filling, and cake was amazing, and I look forward to trying more of their cakes.

I kept seeing the White Rabbit Cake all over Instagram and finally had the chance to try it. Let me tell you, I should have tried it sooner! The adorable packaging earned full marks from me, and the taste exceeded my expectations. The sponge cake was incredibly moist and fluffy, with just the right level of sweetness. The cream filling had crunchy coconut crumble chunks and soft vanilla cremeux swirled in, creating a delightful contrast of textures. I also sampled the Oreo Dirty Cake, a dessert version of brown sugar pearls dirty tea. Layers of brown sugar pearls, cheese foam, Oreo crumbs, and sponge cake make up this treat that lives up to its name. Although I found it a bit expensive, it was undeniably delicious. I'll opt for better value with their other cakes next time. Now, I just have to decide which one to try next!