Therapeutic tool

A 2018 study by the German multinational ingredients manufacturer Dr Oetker showed that baking helped people ease stress. These findings mirrored those in a 2016 study published in the Journal of Positive Psychology, which stated that psychologists had begun to explore baking as a therapeutic tool to help deal with depression and anxiety.

The researchers in the latter study tracked 658 people for about two weeks, and found that doing simple, everyday tasks such as baking, made them more enthusiastic about life.

This is exactly how Wang Heru, the mother of a 6-year-old boy in Shenyang, Liaoning province, feels about baking. Faced with the pandemic, and with a lot of spare time on her hands at home, she was initially nervous about the situation.

Wang, who is three months' pregnant, said, "I kept checking my phone, computer and television for news about COVID-19, which drove me crazy and even made me depressed at one time." She added that it is not easy being an expectant mother in such a challenging situation.

"Baking can make me focus and slow down. I enjoy kneading dough and seeing it slowly expand in the oven, which helps me remain calm," Wang said.

In addition to her family, she shares with neighbors and friends the bread, cookies and cakes she makes, helping her keep in touch during the outbreak.

Early last month, to celebrate her husband's birthday, Wang decided to make her first mille crepe－a type of thin pancake－with the help of her son.

"We had a great mother-and-son time baking together. It was definitely the best birthday gift I ever made for my husband," she said.

Like Wang, many amateur cooks said baking gives them a sense of accomplishment and creativity.

Yan, the food blogger, said she was surprised by her followers' creativity in making bread with limited ingredients or utensils.

Lacking a proofing basket, follower "Dongdong MD" made one from rope and used it to shape dough with a spiral print on the top.

Yan said: "You never know how creative a baker can be. With an open mind, everybody can inspire their 'inner baker'."

As people look for something new to cook, bakers across China have embraced one of the hottest dessert trends to hit social media worldwide－Basque burnt cheesecake. The hashtag for the Spanish cake recipe has been viewed more than 5 million times on Sina Weibo.

The cake, from the Basque Country in northern Spain, featured as the "hottest dessert of the year" in a Bloomberg article in January last year.

According to the Michelin Guide Singapore, the dessert rose to fame across Spain a decade ago before slowly making its way overseas, becoming popular in Japan and Turkey, and triggering a craze in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, last year.

Celebrity chef Steven Liu has shared his recipe for the dessert on his Sina Weibo account, claiming it is "the easiest cake for beginner bakers".

Shen Lin, a college teacher in Shenyang, Liaoning province, who ran an online cake shop several years ago, tried the recipe and was "amazed" by the cake with a darkened top.

"It looks quite ugly, but tastes surprisingly good," Shen said.