The ultimate takeaway Christmas desserts

Preparing a Christmas meal at home this year? End your kitchen shift early and pick up an extravagant holiday dessert from the town’s dedicated bakers to cap off a night of festivities.

Stollen from hoF

Look beyond the wheels of chocolate cake to hoF’s Christmas specialty: stollen. Owner Brian Tan starts soaking raisins and citrus peel in liquor a full year before he bakes these spiced loaves. The oven-fresh bread is soaked in butter, rolled in cinnamon sugar and then dusted with more sugar. Though we weren’t able to resist eating ours for even a day, Tan says to “age the stollen for at least two weeks to develop a deeper flavor.” Price: RMB 69
hoF, 30 Sinan Lu, near Huaihai Lu 思南路30号, 近淮海中路, +86 21 6093 2058

Buche de Noel from Lawry’s

Pastry Chef Philippe Chen’s buche de noel is built on a giant two-pound base of rum-dashed sponge cake layered with cream and fresh strawberries. Baking from a recipe he picked up in Switzerland years ago, Chen covers the cake with a rich ganache made with three types of Swiss chocolate and cream. “It’s much healthier because I don’t use butter,” he insists. The controlled sweetness and smooth frosting will motivate your appetite even after a feast. Price: RMB 398, 48 hours advance notice required
Lawry’s, Unit 1, No. 22-23, North Block Xintiandi, 181 Taicang Lu, near Madang Lu 太仓路181号新天地北里22-23号1单元, 近马当路, +86 21 6387 0096

Macarons from Papillon

Trust a Frenchman to bake you a batch of the city’s finest double-decker macarons. Chef William Mahi told us it took him eight years to “find the perfect balance in flavors” and to develop his recipe. Indeed the effort shows: these have just the right ratio of filling to moist cookie. His dream of opening on a macaron shop is just a dream for now, but until then, you can try his gem-like macarons in five flavors at Papillon. Price: RMB 4 each, available in any order size, 24-hours advance notice required
Papillon, 4/F, 102 Guangdong Lu, near Sichuan Lu 广东路路102号4楼, 近四川路, +86 21 6323 8029