About a year ago, as the coronavirus pandemic spread and parts of the world locked down, people stuck at home began looking for ways to occupy themselves, and many turned to baking. Sourdough bread instantly shot to fame as the “it” bread in 2020, with people posting their baked pièce de résistance on social media as a testament to their skill, creativity and patience. While not everyone in Hong Kong has a proper oven at home, many turned to baking things such as cookies and brownies as easy comfort food – or, if they didn’t know how to bake, headed out to shops and bakery pop-ups such as Cookie Dpt, Bakehouse and Dang Wen Li, where long queues could often be seen. The pandemic baking binge of last year has continued into 2021, with people still clamouring for cookies, cakes, pastries and bread. Five new bakery pop-ups in Hong Kong have opened to meet their needs, offering treats that will satisfy those with a sweet tooth without breaking the bank. LMO Freshly Baked by Richard Ekkebus 2.0 The reception for Landmark Mandarin Oriental director of culinary operations Richard Ekkebus’ baked goods was so great – the brookie, hello, and those canelés – that he has come back with more tantalising items and his own pop-up space on the third floor of The Landmark Atrium from April to June. Asia’s best breakfasts: from hoppers in Sri Lanka to Vietnam’s banh mi This time there are freshly baked goods coming out every hour, and size matters. There’s the “supersized scrumptious cookie creation of the week” (HK$350) that’s 24cm in diameter, and an extra large Amalfi lemon madeleine (HK$250). You can also enjoy chocolate moelleux with sea salt (HK$50), vanilla chouquette (HK$35), and flan “Parisien” with bourbon vanilla (HK$40). Other favourites from 1.0 include madeleines (HK$25), canelés (HK$40) and the aforementioned brookie – when a brownie meets a chocolate cookie, with added chocolate caramel (HK$30). To wash it all down is the iced chocoholic drink (HK$60) available all day, and from 5pm onwards an alcoholic version (HK$90) that has bourbon or brown rum combined with single origin chocolate and cacao. Shop 350, 3/F, Landmark Atrium, Central . Dang Wen Li New York-based celebrity pastry chef Dominique Ansel misses travelling and he believes you do too. He is taking his fans on “Dang Wen Li Airlines” to try his small collection of pastries called “Around the World”. He has chosen five destinations with Instagram-worthy treats. For Japan, Ansel was inspired by soufflé pancakes (HK$65) to create a banana-flavoured mousse cake that includes pecans, brown sugar and salted mascarpone cream. Wonton, mandu, pierogi, ravioli – all dumplings, but who made them first? For a trip to New York in the United States, there’s a pretzel bavaroise (HK$58) with soft caramel, peanut praline and crispy peanut butter feuilletine. In Thailand, Ansel has his own version of mango sticky rice (HK$68), a glutinous rice sponge cake with fresh mango compote and coconut ice cream. France is synonymous with cheese, and Ansel makes a Brie sponge cake (HK$68) on a Fontina cheese sable cookie base. And finally we have a sweet Mexican taco (HK$65) made with chocolate sponge cake, caramel, dark chocolate mousse, sweetcorn cremeux and corn gelée in a sable cookie taco shell. There are also larger versions of the soufflé pancake and Brie mousse cake (both HK$580 each) for six to eight people. Shop OT G63A, Ocean Terminal, Tsim Sha Tsui, tel: 2613 8618 . Cafe, Hyatt Regency Tsim Sha Tsui If you like millefeuille – layers of crispy, flaky puff pastry with artfully decorated custard cream sandwiched in between – then the Cafe in the Hyatt Regency Tsim Sha Tsui has a supersized version for you and three of your friends to indulge in for takeaway. At 22cm long, 8cm wide and 5cm tall, the millefeuille come in three flavours for takeaway at HK$340 each. For chocolate fiends there’s the 70 per cent Ecuadorean chocolate, single origin chocolate with chocolate cream; a strong vanilla taste from the Madagascar vanilla bean and berries; and finally the Hong Kong milk tea, that combines Japanese royal tea and Ceylon milk tea leaves to create the milk tea custard. The Cafe’s signature Swiss rolls are also available for takeaway, with flavours including Malaysian durian, strawberry and Thai mango sticky rice, for HK$198 each. Orders need to be made 48 hours in advance, and there is a 30 per cent discount when ordered on the hotel’s website . L/F, Hyatt Regency Hong Kong, Tsim Sha Tsui, 18 Hanoi Road, Tsim Sha Tsui, tel: 3721 7700 Date by Tate Vicky Lau of Tate Dining Room, newly awarded a second Michelin star, has a retail shop called Date by Tate on the ground floor, with a new selection of treats for takeaway. There’s a local honey and strawberry tart (HK$106 in a box of two), made with Japanese and Korean strawberries in a vanilla tart shell, and the restaurant’s fermented tofu butter and brioche (HK$138) featuring eight brioche cubes and an equal number of butter cubes. The restaurant also offers some new cakes, including an “ode to lotus pond” (from HK$420) that looks like a floating lily pad, made with pistachio financier sponge, almond and pistachio, and sour plum gel; and “ode to ginko” (also from HK$420), made with Valrhona dark chocolate mousse, red date paste, Chinese almond chocolate sponge and crunchy praline. 210 Hollywood Road, Sheung Wan, tel: 6730 2494 . The Cakery The Cakery has some “guilt-free” pastries and cakes for those with dietary restrictions. One is the keto burnt cheesecake (from HK$58) that is also low in carbohydrates and has no added sugar. Customers can get the plain one (HK$58) or order it in matcha, raspberry rose and Earl Grey flavours (HK$60 each). The Cakery also has some new chestnut-themed desserts, such as the Mont Blanc (HK$65), chestnut cocoa cupcake (HK$45), and dairy-free gambit (HK$780), a chiffon cake soaked in rum and decorated with chestnut cream. Shop 124, 1/F, Lee Garden Two, 28 Yun Ping Road, Causeway Bay, tel: 2816 1838