@JustOneCookBook (left)/@Vedehi (centre) /@FoodWorld (right)
“It surprisingly exceeded my expectations,” says Anvi Vijh (25) from Noida, who enjoys experimenting with viral food trends. “Bakery staples work well because they already give you the most important element of a dessert, which is texture and structure, without requiring you to start from scratch,” says Anushka Rawat, a food creator. Viral desserts have long had us lining up at bakeries and cafes, from Dubai kunafa chocolate to ube soft serves. But a new wave of internet food trends is taking a more jugadu route. Instead of ordering these indulgent treats, social media users are recreating them at home, using familiar bakery staples as shortcuts. A croissant can become the warm, flaky shell for an ice cream bar, a rusk can double up as the base for tiramisu, while biscuits and yoghurt can be turned into a cheesecake-style dessert. The appeal is simple: these recipes require little preparation and often use ingredients that are already sitting in the kitchen. She gave the pairing her own spin, using a buttery Korean bun with a pistachio ice cream bar. “The buttery flavour of the bun added the perfect savoury twist to the sweet pistachio ice cream, which was coated with a layer of chocolate. Other popular combinations include chocolate mousse and Japanese sando made with milk bread, tiramisu made with rusk toast and cheesecake-style desserts made with yoghurt. What makes these recipes work is the use of ingredients that already provide texture and structure. “A croissant, rusk, biscuit or even a slice of bread can instantly become the base for something that feels indulgent and gourmet-style. For home cooks, it’s also about convenience; you can easily take something familiar and transform it with just a few ingredients. Anushka Rawat, food content creator
“Check the ingredients and quantities before trying these recipes because, believe me, it does not work every time. not every food hack is worth attempting While these recipes may look effortless online. I also recommend checking whether the original creator has actually tested the recipe rather than blindly following a viral hack,” suggests Rawat. Storage is another consideration. Desserts made with fresh cream, mascarpone, custard, ice cream or fresh fruit are best consumed soon after assembly and should be refrigerated. Their shelf life can also be considerably shorter than that of the individual bakery components.