Tita’s Cakes is a bakery with a focus on traditional Filipino desserts with a modern twist. Originating as a home bakery in April 2020, it transitioned to a physical store in Rooty Hill come September 2022, boasting an extensive array of offerings.
2023
Lychee Rose: Surprisingly, both the chiffon cupcake and the buttercream were infused with lychee flavour. The light cupcake carried subtle floral lychee rose notes, but the buttercream leaned toward an artificial lychee taste, saved only by the presence of canned lychee on top.
Mango Royale: Similar to the previous cupcake, the mango-flavoured chiffon cupcake provided a pleasant tropical hint, but the artificiality in the buttercream struggled to match its appeal. The fresh mango cubes, however, offered a refreshing contrast to the dense buttercream.
Buko Pandan: A standout among the selections, along with the mocha. While the first time we tried this cupcake we found the pandan flavour in the cake was too subtle, we found that a subsequent cupcake a year later featured a touch more intensity just as liked. The generous topping of coconut flesh and pandan buttercream elevated the cupcake with complementing textural variation.
Mocha: This featured a chiffon cake with a bold coffee flavour reminiscent of coffee-flavoured Swiss rolls from Asian bakeries. The rich cocoa and strong espresso notes in the buttercream and sprinkles created a decadent and robust mocha flavour. The balance between the chiffon’s lightness and the heavier buttercream and sprinkles was commendable.
Mocha Flan: This featured an upside-down chocolate-flavoured chiffon cupcake crowned with a leche flan. The leche flan impressed with its smooth, creamy texture and bold sweetness, reminiscent of a dense custard made with condensed milk. While the cupcake was light, the chocolate flavour lacked depth, and the richness of the flan tended to overshadow the chocolate notes of the cupcake.
Ube Yema: This cake featured ube flavour in both the chiffon and buttercream, each contributing a nutty, vanilla-like sweetness. The addition of yema—a custard featuring peanuts—added both depth to the nutty flavour and a satisfying crunch. A subtle sprinkle of cheese between the layers introduced a savoury note that perfectly balanced the sweetness of the creams. The lightness of the chiffon contrasted beautifully with the richness of the buttercream, creating a harmonious and thoroughly enjoyable cupcake.
2026
Previously encountered at their Rooty Hill location, this visit covered their April 2026 pop-up at Westfield Parramatta.
Guava & Cream ($5.80) — guava cupcake injected with guava jelly
The guava profile was immediately apparent across all components. The injected centre was the most concentrated element, closer to a syrup than a set jelly, with a viscosity similar to molasses. It delivered a dense guava sweetness balanced by a distinct tropical acidity, reminiscent of Philippine dried guava confectionery. The cream added a smooth, moderating layer while retaining a light guava note. The cupcake itself was soft and airy, carrying a subtle guava presence, functioning as a base for the more intense filling.
Rockmelon ($5.80) — rockmelon cupcake topped with rockmelon cream, fresh fruit, and mint
The rockmelon read as fresh and natural, with a musky sweetness more pronounced in the cream. The cupcake base remained light and restrained, allowing the fruit profile to sit clearly without excess sweetness. Fresh rockmelon pieces added texture and visual contrast, though their flavour remained mild relative to the cream. Mint contributed a light lift, reinforcing the overall refreshing direction.
Banana Turon ($5.80) — banana cupcake with jackfruit cream frosting, caramelised banana, and crisp wrapper shards
The frosting led with a pronounced sweetness, carrying a combined jackfruit and banana profile. This was offset by the cupcake base, which remained lightly sweetened with a subtle banana note. The structure relied on contrast: crisp shards of caramelised wrapper introduced crunch, while darker caramelised sections contributed a slight bitterness that cut through the frosting. Caramelised banana added density and continuity to the flavour. The result referenced banana turon in flavour and texture, translated into a cupcake format.
Piña Colada ($5.80) — pineapple cupcake with fresh salsa, toasted pineapple, and pineapple cream
The pineapple profile was immediately dominant, expressed most strongly through the buttercream, which carried a sweet, glaze-like character. The candied and toasted pineapple elements introduced a more concentrated, tangy intensity, with intermittent pockets of caramelised crunch. Toasted coconut contributed a mild nuttiness, broadening the profile without shifting its direction. The cupcake itself was very lightly flavoured, functioning primarily as a structural base rather than a primary flavour source.
Overall, Tita’s Cake offers Filipino-inspired cupcakes with clear flavour direction and layered textures; strongest where acidity or bitterness offsets sweetness.
Tita’s Cakes is located at 6/2 Rooty Hill Rd S, Rooty Hill NSW 2766. It operated as a pop-up on Level 2 (opposite LAB), Westfield Parramatta, 159/175 Church St, Parramatta NSW 2150 from 6-26 April 2026.