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Header image courtesy of @flakesandlayers (via Instagram)
We’ve all been there—you go into a dessert shop looking for a sweet little something, but it’s impossible to decide between two tempting options. You can’t bring yourself to get both (and obliterate your diet) but if you settle on one, you will just spend the next few hours thinking about that other dessert you could have enjoyed. Oh, the struggle.
Fortunately, some snazzy dessert purveyors around town have come up with some creative solutions to fix our pluralistic cravings, creating inventive dessert mash-ups that allow you to have your cake and eat it, too, in one delicious bite! Tempted? Read on for six amazing dessert mash-ups you can find in Hong Kong to satisfy your wildest sugary fantasies!
Ogres have layers. Onions have layers. Cakes have layers. But did you know that some doughnuts out there have layers, too? That’s right; we’re talking about none other than the Ooonuts ($50) at Flakes and Layers, the spunky French pâtisserie helmed by Hong Kong model-turned-pastry chef Amanda Strang. This one-of-a-kind creation is best described as a mash-up of a doughnut, croissant, and mille-feuille. It integrates a flakey croissant dough with the cream filling of mille-feuille and is made into the form of a doughnut! On top of that, the presentation is nothing short of a visual masterpiece. Bring some to your friends and just wait for all the “oohs” and “ahhs.”
Flakes and Layers, 3/F, Lee Garden 2, Causeway Bay | (+852) 9191 3301
If your dinner is never complete without a sweet treat, then you will love the complimentary mochi doughnut with ice cream that comes with all the meal sets at Antoshimo Café & Bakery. It’s no second-rate freebie, either. The genius dessert mash-up comprises of a piping hot mochi doughnut that is crispy on the outside but with a satisfyingly chewy interior, and cold and creamy vanilla ice cream on top. Might I add that the dish is also served with a luscious sea salt caramel sauce and a dollop of purple sweet potato purée on the side? You would be hard-pressed to find a more decadent dessert to end your meal.
Few things in life elicit as much joy as a freshly baked chocolate chip cookie, especially when it’s massive and stuffed with an ooey-gooey brownie. Churning out enormous New York-style cookies that weigh 130 grams each, Cookie DPT has ignited a cookie craze in Hong Kong since entering the local baked goods scene in mid-2018. With inventive creations that get wilder by the week, the rage is here to stay. Encasing a fudgy underbaked brownie with a crisp cookie crust, their brownie-filled chocolate chip cookie ($40) hits all the right spots in both flavour and texture—no wonder it’s a crowd favourite when it comes to dessert mash-ups!
Apart from this mainstay, the cookie specialist also comes out with new limited-edition flavours every week, including the likes of pineapple matcha bun, salted caramel apple pie, and even mango sticky rice! Keep an eye on their Instagram page to see their latest creative concoctions available!
The Japanese were onto something great when they decided to take fluffy soufflé-like batter, cook it on a griddle, and serve it with cream and maple syrup. This soufflé-pancake hybrid has caught on big time in Hong Kong in recent years, with multiple Japanese imports popping up all over the city. Gram Café & Pancakes, in particular, is one that draws hours-long waits. You will see why when you take a bite of their signature premium pancake ($138), which is only available at three specific times throughout the day and in limited quantities. The top and bottom of these delightful dessert mash-ups are lightly browned, just enough to provide textural contrast to the soft, cloud-like middle. The overall mouthfeel is so light and airy that you will hardly feel guilty for devouring the entire stack yourself!
Creamy and mildly flavoured by nature, cheesecake is a dessert that practically begs to be paired up with an extra something-something for it to reach its full potential—which is why Mono Lab’s Basque burnt cheesecake with a brownie crust ($58) makes such a natural marriage. Make no mistake; Basque burnt cheesecake—being the upgraded sister of traditional cheesecake—is pretty satisfying on its own (and we have a whole article dedicated to it), but add brownie on the bottom and it’s a whole new level of decadence. The smooth and tangy cream cheese juxtaposes beautifully against the moist and intense flavour of the brownie, and the slightly bitter notes from both the chocolate and the burnt caramelised top bounce off each other in perfect harmony in this dessert mash-up.
Mono Lab, 7/F, 31–33 Hollywood Road, Soho, Central
It’s the classic Italian dessert with a twist! As you may have already guessed from the name, the Tiramochi ($38) is a masterful combination of tiramisu and mochi, brought to life by Twenty-One From Eight, an upstairs café-cum-furniture store. Served in an adorable black box with only the cocoa powder-dusted top showing, it looks like any other tiramisu upon first glance. When you dig into the rich dessert, you will find a cheeky layer of mochi embedded between the creamy mascarpone cheese and homemade, coffee-dipped ladyfingers. It’s available only on weekends, so plan accordingly if you want a taste of this rich dessert with a chewy surprise!
Twenty One From Eight, 11/F, 59 Hung To Road, Kwun Tong | (+852) 2321 1738
A wanderer, chronic overthinker, and baking enthusiast, Beverly spent much of her childhood in the United States before moving to Hong Kong at age 11 and making the sparkling city her home. In her natural habitat, she can be found baking up a storm in her kitchen, journalling at a café, or scrolling through OpenRice deciding on her next meal.
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