Cover Tiny tiger meringues, anyone? (Photo: Instagram/@homecookinglizzy)

Every year is an opportunity for bakers to outdo each other with on-theme recipes, and here are the best ones to sink your claws into

Apart from making and eating the obligatory sweet puddings and turnip cakes, those who believe that Chinese New Year is all about the eating can take a cue from baking communities around the world, who are showing off their tiger year desserts. While there are plenty of great Instagram cake shops and online dessert purveyors to tap into for new year-themed sweets, if you feel like taking up a challenge at home this holiday then these are a few of our favourite big cat bakes to attempt in your home kitchen. 

Don't miss: Hong Kong Chefs Share Their Turnip Cake Tips and Tricks

Thai tea, white chocolate and condensed milk cookies

Tatler Asia
Above Chewy tiger cookies with condensed milk by @eatenbychacha

These sweet little tiger cookies are infused with Thai milk tea-flavoured condensed milk, a trick that baker @eatenbychacha discovered while experimenting with her recipe. The result is a chewier cookie with a strong tea flavour.

Pom Pom Purin Tiger melon pan

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Photo 1 of 3 Pom Pom Purin melon pan (Photo: @sueshappybakes)
Photo 2 of 3 Pom Pom Purin melon pan (Photo: @sueshappybakes)
Photo 3 of 3 Pom Pom Purin melon pan (Photo: @sueshappybakes)

Melon pan are a classic Japanese baked treat, similar to a Hong Kong-style pineapple bun, with a crisp topping and fluffy bun. @sueshappybakes created these by basing her recipe off a Cook Kafemaru video.

Mini tiger meringue cookies

Tatler Asia
Above Meringues can be shaped into tiny tigers and other auspicious items (Photo: @homecookinglizzy)
Tatler Asia
Above Meringues can be shaped into tiny tigers and other auspicious items (Photo: @homecookinglizzy)

Why make plain meringues when you can create tiny tiger meringues? Using just four ingredients—egg white, cream of tartar, icing sugar and vanilla extract—and some food colouring, @homecookinglizzy creates Swiss meringue that can be shaped into petit tigers and other CNY-themed objects.

Lunar New Year tiger cookie stack

Made using a German butter cookie recipe and colourful food powders such as matcha, activated charcoal and beet, @bao.experiments’ tiger cookie creatures are moulded with flat heads so they can stack neatly on top of each other.

Cinnamoroll tiger

Another classic Sanrio character turned into a tiger is this fluffy Thai milk tea chiffon cake with a condensed milk whipped cream filling, and the details drawn on with chocolate pen.

Tiger chiffon cake

This light tiger chiffon cake by @susanne.decochiffon is flavoured with season-appropriate mandarin juice and given a boost of orange colour using vermillion annatto powder. Use a toothpick to drag the black chiffon cake mixture to create sharp stripes.

Tiger choux buns in macaron pastry

Professional baker @phay_shing has a detailed online class teaching how to create these tiger choux buns perched on top of teacup-shaped macarons for a dessert that has multiple textures.

 

Rilakkuma macarons

These detailed macarons by @vivbakez, filled with matcha ganache and lemon cream cheese, depict cartoon favourite Rilakkuma is dressed in a tiger costume while his bird buddies come bringing red packets.

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