Food + Drink

The Dalgona craze continues with these yummy spin-offs of the popular drink

13.05.2020

By Marissa Chin

The Dalgona craze continues with these yummy spin-offs of the popular drink

Unless you were living like a true hermit during the then-MCO, you would have known how Dalgona coffee completely took over social media the past couple of months. With its sweet frothy cream and simple three-ingredient recipe, it was no wonder people of the Internet-dom fell in love with the golden concoction which spurred a whole Dalgona movement.

Before it gained its superstar fame as a self-isolation trend though, Dalgona was already popular amongst Koreans who knew it as a nostalgic childhood street snack. Traditional Dalgona is made from heating sugar and baking soda slowly over a fire until it turns into shiny caramel.

Think of it like Korea’s version of honeycomb—only it’s less overbearingly sweet and has a much smoother consistency compared to its porous American counterpart. It is then flattened and pressed with a copper cookie cutter and hardens into a sweet treat with various adorable designs imprinted on it.

While you’ve probably seen the various renditions of Dalgona Coffee be it Matcha or Milo versions, we’re going to show you how versatile this sweet cream really is and how you can Dalgonify your next self-quarantine food experiment.

Earl Grey Dalgona Cake

Starting out strong here: this decadent earl grey dalgona cake is the dream dessert for Dalgona enthusiasts out there and looks too pretty to eat (well, *almost* because we’ll succumb soon enough). The recipe may seem daunting to some (and definitely extra with the wax stamps) but if you have all the essential baking tools and an adventurous streak, the process will be a therapeutic breeze and oh-so-worth-it.

No-bake Dalgona Cheesecake

If you’re one for simpler desserts, anything no-bake is the way to go. The recipe is just like any other no-bake cheesecake out there so most of the ingredients you need are probably already in your pantry—gelatin might be the only thing you need to get. Without the worry of over-beating your eggs or burning it in the oven, this no-bake recipe leaves zero room for failure.

Dalgona Tiramisu

Add some Korean flair to this iconic Italian dessert. While this recipe uses the traditional Dalgona candy as decorative shards and crumbs in between the layers, we would also recommend using the Dalgona coffee cream itself to replace the mascarpone cream at the end—it is a coffee flavoured dessert after all so it would pair well.

Dalgona Scones and Milk Tea

How about a Dalgona combo meal set with drinks? The light and airy scones are coated with the hot froth before it hardens into a crunchy layer, giving the dish a fun textural element. Don’t go throwing away the excess Dalgona, though! Break the hardened sugar into little shards and add them to your milk tea—the flavour will intensify as the pieces melt.

Tip: Be quick when you’re pouring the mixture over the scones as Dalgona hardens quickly.

Dalgona Coffee Milk Pudding

Instead of adding your Dalgona coffee cream on top of milk, how about pairing it with a sweet milk pudding? The rich flavour of the cream is delectably juxtaposed with the airy lightness of the pudding.

Dalgona Chia Seed Pudding

If you want to up the ante with your pudding then try this chia pudding with a twist. Chia pudding has been a popular dish for quite some time as well so why not combine two trendy dishes together? Like the classic milk pudding, chia pudding is a blank canvas that goes well with just about everything—including a coffee cream. Garnish with some fruits and granola and voila, a perfect morning boost.

Dalgona Chocolate Coffee Cupcakes

Another way to use your sweet coffee cream is to repurpose it as cupcake icing! It’s almost like a “why didn’t I think of that?” moment because it truly does make for the perfect icing at half the effort and time. Paired with a moist chocolate and coffee-flavoured cupcake, this makes for quite the decadent dessert.

Dalgona Latte

If you’re #TeamCoffee instead of #TeamTea then you can step up your coffee game with a Dalgona latte. The recipe is exactly like Dalgona Milk Tea mentioned above, save for your choice of caffeine—simply switch out the earl grey with a shot of espresso to add to our milk.

Dalgona Double Cocktail

If you’re a fan of liquor and want to spruce up your typical cocktail sessions, this Dalgona Double Cocktail by Macallan Singapore is one you should try out. The recipe is pretty much the same as the original — simply add a splash of your favourite liquor (preferably Macallan’s 12 Year Old Double Cask for a nice kick) into the instant coffee-sugar-water mixture before whisking it all together.

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