Who else has YouTube recommending them a splattering of aesthetic home cafe videos? Whether it’s the mouthwatering cafe fare, gorgeous plating or stunning dinnerware, there’s no looking away once you’ve clicked into one. Ever sat back and wondered if you could pull off a cute cafe weekend at home? Here are the easiest home cafe recipes this side of the internet, with a difficulty level of zero.
Almond Tuile
Paris seems that much further away these days. In between dreaming about your next European escape, turn your home into a French bakery by making some delectable Almond Tuiles.
For those who’ve never had these crisps (you poor souls), they’re bite sized vanilla waffle crisps with a liberal sprinkle of crunchy almonds. Almond Tuiles are incredibly versatile – bite into a crisp with an afternoon cuppa in the sun or pair them with ice cream, sorbet or even a slice of cake.
As far as home cafe recipes go, cook kafemaru’s is as easy as they come. Aside from sliced almonds, you’re bound to have everything in your pantry already. Mix all the ingredients together, pop them in the oven and then shape them into circles, hearts or waffle bowls as they cool down.
Once baked, enjoy these gems immediately for that extra crunchiness. In the unlikely event that you have some left over, remember to store them in an airtight container as they will soften over time.
Mochi Cookies
Whoever came up with placing a ball of mochi inside a soft, crumbly cookie is a genius.
Mochi cookies are taking the social world by storm – just look at all those Instagram stores popping up left, right and centre selling them! A trend erupting out of Korea and Taiwan, this combination of a smooth cookie shell wrapped around chewy mochi tastes just as delicious as it sounds.
And they’re honestly so easy to make!
MoLaLa’s Chocolate Mochi Cookies recipe is one of the best out there. It’s straightforward and yields 12 small cookies with the perfect mochi pull. Not a huge fan of chocolate cookies? No worries! The flavour combinations are endless – matcha, banana oats, Thai milk tea, pandan… just substitute the cocoa powder and chocolate chips for your favourite cookie ingredients.
Psst – you technically don’t have to cook or steam your mochi over the stove. It’s actually quicker to put your mochi mixture into the microwave. Here’s a good video from Ms Jenn’s Kitchen showing you exactly how to do it.
These mochi cookies are also best enjoyed immediately. The soft, chewy mochi centre will gradually stiffen but you can pop them in the microwave for 15 seconds to soften them up.
Lotus Biscoff Tiramisu
Everyone loves a good Tiramisu but have you tried it with Lotus Biscoff? This home cafe recipe uses a cream cheese filling sandwiched in between Biscoff fingers dipped in rich espresso and finished with biscuit crumbs.
Its certainly on the sweeter side but the Belgium biscuit’s distinct caramel flavour gives the humble tiramisu a brand new luxurious spin!
Easy Peasy Pan’s fuss-free recipe makes a seriously tasty tiramisu that’s bound to make you fall in love at first bite. There’s no alcohol or raw eggs in it. Just cream cheese blended with whipping cream and Biscoff spread. Have it once and you’ll be making it over and over again.
Milk Chocolate Truffles
There’s no excuses for not making Milk Chocolate Truffles. As far as foolproof home recipes go, you could do this with your eyes closed and you’d still come out winning.
There’s only 2 ingredients in this recipe and all you need to do is mix and refrigerate. What you get is a shockingly decadent tray of milk truffles that are delectably thick, creamy, sweet and bitter. Think of your favourite brownie but lighter and chewier.
Cooking Tree’s Milk Chocolate Truffle is one of YouTube’s most popular home cafe recipes. It’s easy to follow and shows you how to shape them into pillowy squares and bite sized balls. They’re a crowd favourite either way and you’ll love them on their own or with a cup of espresso.
Remember that you can always substitute cocoa powder with matcha powder or ube powder – whatever you like or have on hand!
Basque Cheesecake
Basque Cheesecake has undoubtedly achieved lockdown notoriety alongside Dalgona Coffee and Souffle Pancakes. With a browned top and oozy cream cheese centre, it’s not hard to understand how this has become an internet favourite. They’re slowly popping up on cafe and restaurant menus but it’s also the perfect weekend project for a novice home baker.
The ingredients list for Basque Cheesecake is short. There’s no biscuit bottoms or water baths either. Your only job is to mix everything together and let it burn in the oven. Arguably, the hardest part is keeping your hands off it until it spends a few hours in the fridge!
Buttermilk Pantry’s home cafe recipe produces a decadently creamy cheesecake with a gooey centre. After 3-4 hours in the fridge, the cake is slightly denser and tastes more like a lighter Japanese cheesecake with a smoky upper crust.