Some like it sweet, some like 'em savoury. Here's the buffet of Chinese New Year cakes we're munching to welcome the Snake!
We’ve got our festive restaurants booked, thoughtful gifts prepared and holiday events planned. Now it’s time to welcome Year of the Snack, ahem, Snake with not one, not two, but 20+ Chinese New Year cakes. Of course, we’ll be sharing them with our loved ones! And, maybe, save a couple in our fridge for a cheeky midnight bite.
Chinese New Year cakes 2025
1. May Chow
Chef May Chow, who needs little introduction as the youngest recipient of the Asia’s Best Female Chef Award, recently launched her namesake retail brand to introduce six signature Chinese New Year cakes. Championing her philosophy of reimagining Chinese culinary traditions with extra creativity and care, the handmade puddings – crafted from generational family recipes using premium ingredients – are thoughtfully packaged with built-in slicing guides. The Classic Turnip Cake is a safe choice, but the Beetroot Turnip Cake dazzles with a festive red hue. The Purple Sweet Potato Taro Cake is beautifully earthy and rich without being overly sweet, while the Ruby Red Date Glutinous Rice Cake hits the spot with a perfect chew. For those looking for a bigger taste of Chow’s innovative genius, try the “Jade” Matcha Coconut Glutinous Rice Cake or the Golden Salted Egg Yolk Pumpkin Cake.
All cakes are available for purchase on May Chow’s new online retail store and at city’super at ifc, Central until 28 January 2025.
2. The Legacy House
Executive chef Li Chi-wai of The Legacy House celebrates Year of the Snake with traditional flavours elevated with top-quality ingredients. Ideal for sharing at an intimate or a big-group gathering, both his puddings come in two sizes. The Chinese New Year pudding glistens with a familiar shade of terracotta while the Conpoy Turnip Cake fills the nose with oceanic fragrance lent from top-quality dried shrimp and dried scallop. Gift sets see the sweet pudding paired with premium Pu’er tea while the turnip cake comes with a gorgeous house-made XO sauce.
Visit the Rosewood online shop to browse the Chinese New Year cakes and gift sets.
The Legacy House, 5/F, Rosewood Hong Kong, 18 Salisbury Road, Tsim Sha Tsui, Hong Kong, p. 3891 8732
3. Hong Kong Cuisine 1983
Hong Kong Cuisine 1983 tantalises with a trio of Chinese New Year cakes. Executive chef Silas Li, an absolute wizard in marrying unexpected ingredients to deliver explosive flavours, accentuates the nostalgic taste of steamed rice pudding with Okinawa brown sugar for its deep caramel-like aroma. The pudding is the sweet counterpart to his subtly smoky turnip cake that lent its punchy savoriness from premium Hokkaido conpoy and high-quality cured meats. What blows us away is his Water Chestnut and Red Bean Sweet Cake that beautifully blends the refreshing crunch of chestnut with the moreishness of red beans – a delightful textural contrast upon first bite.
Early bird offers are available until 19 January 2025. An extra 10% discount will be applied for ordering two or more puddings, all available for pick-up from 21 to 27 January 2025.
Hong Kong Cuisine 1983, 1/F, Elegance Court, 2-4 Tsoi Tak St, Happy Valley, Hong Kong, p. 2893 3788
4. Jade Garden
Combining timeless tradition with clever twists, Jade Garden wows with five meticulously crafted Chinese New Year cakes. Not for the faint of hearts, the series starts strong with a Roasted Duck and Taro Pudding – the rich smokiness of roast meat paired with the creaminess of aromatic Lipu taro is out of this world. Equally bold is the savoury rice pudding, which contrasts the sweetness of sea urchin and scallops with crispy rice. Backed by popular demand, the Water Chestnut Pudding makes a welcomed return; sliced thick for an intended crunch, the chestnuts absorb honey notes from golden slab sugar. The classic duo of turnip cake and brown sugar pudding are upgraded respectively with umami-rich Jinhua ham and fragrant ginger juice.
For an extra touch of luxury, customers can opt to add a tin of caviar to any savoury pudding. Not only does the addition enhance flavours, it also makes the gift-giving experience truly exceptional.
All Chinese New Year cakes are available for purchase at Maxim’s Chinese restaurant branches and online store, as well as on Eatizen shopping platform.
Jade Garden has multiple locations across Hong Kong.
5. Lung King Heen
An oldie but a goodie, two Michelin-starred Lung King Heen has been handcrafting Chinese New Year puddings under the masterful eye of executive chef Chan Yat Tak since 2005. Generations of lucky locals celebrate Chinese festivities with Chan’s genius creations.
This year, his quartet of puddings is taking us on a culinary joyride. A nostalgic classic since Chan’s first year of tenure is the Lunar New Year Pudding with Coconut Milk, which always goes hand in hand with the turnip cake that bursts with umami from South African abalones. What’s caught our noses before other senses is the Taro Pudding with Black Truffle and Air-dried Meat; as its name suggests, the pudding greets with a whiff of the decadent fungi, followed by a symphony of aromatics. The last pudding warms and soothes the body with a delightful fusion of water chestnut, ginger and red dates – a combination recommended by most TCM doctors during cold seasons.
Available for collection from 21 to 28 January 2025, the Chinese New Year cakes can be ordered on the Four Seasons Hong Kong eshop or at its Cake Shop.
Lung King Heen, 4/F, Four Seasons Hotel Hong Kong, 8 Finance Street, Central, Hong Kong, p. 3196 8708
6. Regal Hotels
Regal Hotels offer the usual suspects: Turnip, Taro, Coconut and Water Chestnut. But what caught our eye as thoughtful gifts are the two Chinese New Year cakes from their Wellness Collection. In between wolfing down overspilling poon chois and the 30th fried dumpling, perhaps it’s a good idea to tuck into puddings that are delicious but not overly indulgent. The visually stunning gold flake-frosted Bird’s Nest and Sweet Osmanthus Pudding is a great choice for the health conscious cohort, especially the ladies, with its collagen-rich and skin-nourishing components. Alternatively, the newly introduced purple-hued pudding is fibre-rich with purple sweet potato and purple rice that still brings the festive QQ chew from carefully selected figs.
All Chinese New Year cakes are available at Regal Hotel eshop and city-wide locations, early bird discounts are available until 20 January 2025!
Regal Hotels have multiply locations across Hong Kong.
