Homegrown Singapore brand Twelve Cupcakes has gone from twelve to zero. The pastry chain shut all its stores on 29 October 2025, just days after its assets were placed under provisional liquidation—a court-supervised process that temporarily puts someone in charge of a company to protect its assets while deciding whether to wind it down.
Founded by radio DJ Daniel Ong in 2011 with his then-wife, former model Jamie Teo, the chain was acquired by India-based Dhunseri Group for S$2.5 million in 2016 following their divorce.
The pastry chain was known for its extensive selection of pretty cupcakes and cookies. Before the liquidation, they had 18 outlets located all around Singapore.
The abrupt closure was announced on their website, with no further information provided on the reason for their shutdown. If we had to guess, the closure could be due to rising rental costs, lack of sales, and a general decline in popularity—growing challenges for the brutal F&B industry in recent years.
Twelve Cupcakes was subject to a spate of controversies after it was found that multiple staff members, namely foreign workers, were underpaid from 2012 to 2016. In 2020, Founders Daniel Ong and Jamie Teo were both fined for owing more than $90,000 to employees, and Dhunseri Group was also fined $199,500 for continuing the practice of underpayment from 2016 to 2018.
Twelve Cupcakes’ shuttering joins an increasing number of popular F&B establishments that have been closing left and right, from long-standing restaurant chain Prive to the American sandwich stand Eggslut. Gong Cha has also closed its outlets in Singapore once again, but has promised a return in the near future.
If you will miss Twelve Cupcakes, there are still plenty of bakeries to check out in our CDC bakeries guide. You might also want to check out our celebrity-owned restaurant guide, which includes another eatery owned by Daniel Ong.
Feature image adapted from Matthew Chia and Irene Monika via Google Maps.