A little saltiness with the sweet is adding up to magic for pastry shops and bakeries. Several of them are now offering ice cream, cakes and even mooncakes made with salted caramel, a classic European confection. And it seems to be as popular with the chefs as it is with patrons.

Patissier Pang Kok Keong, 33, who runs Canele Patisserie-Chocolaterie,says: “When I tasted a salted caramel macaron in Paris four years ago, I loved it from the first bite.” He says his version of the salted caramel macaron is Canele’s bestseller. The patisserie also sells an espresso, chocolate and salted caramel cake called Cafe Caramel.

Janice Wong, 25, chef-owner of 2am:dessertbar in Holland Village, is also fond of salted caramel. “The salt excites the palette without overpowering it. It is very subtle,” says the chef who uses salted caramel as a topping in her desserts.

It has also crept its way into ice cream. Cloud 9 by the Cedele chain and the Azabu Sabo Hokkaido Ice-cream chain offer sea salt caramel flavoured ice cream, while Tom’s Palette, an ice cream shop at Shaw Leisure Gallery in Beach Road, has incorporated it into a cheesecake ice cream.

“The contrast between sweet and salty takes people by surprise,” says Ms Yeap Cheng Guat, 45, owner of the Cedele bakery chain. She says adding salt to desserts always brings out the flavour of the other ingredients. But the saltiness does not come from normal table salt. What these chefs use is sea salt or fleur de sel, a sea salt from Brittany, for the subtle saltiness it gives to desserts.

Executive pastry chef Choo Eng Tat, 42, from Royal Plaza On Scotts, says salted caramel pairs well with chocolate. “The bitterness of the chocolate neutralises the saltiness of the caramel and thus strikes a perfect balance between the two flavours.” Other shops are jumping on the bandwagon.

Executive pastry chef Winnie Goh, 45, from the Pan Pacific Singapore, says its Atrium Deli will begin offering salty caramel desserts soon.

Customers only have good things to say about this taste sensation.

Student Dawn Tay, 17, who enjoys the sea salt caramel ice cream at Cedele, says: “You won’t understand salty caramel until you’ve tasted it. The salty aftertaste is simply addictive.”

Ms Jenn Lee, 32, administrator in a manufacturing company, says: “It’s unusual – mixing salty with sweet. Since I tried a salty caramel macaron, I’ve been craving salty caramel all the time and I’m not even pregnant.”