World Chocolate Day: The most viral, must-try desserts from around the globe

From the viral Dubai chocolate to the deliciously sweet tanghulu, Paris’ crookie and New York's cronut, Coffeeness has released a study on Must-Try Desserts.

You must have seen a million shorts of the viral Dubai chocolate, the swirling layers of tanghulu, the drip content of Peruvian Picarones drizzled with chancaca syrup, mesmerising circular motions of the Indonesian Martabak manis, and the cross-section content created by the perfectly uniform layers of Slovenian Kremna rezina. All this on TikTok that has completely transformed how we discover desserts around the world. One viral video can spark global food pilgrimages.

Have you tried the viral Dubai kunafa?

But you can’t crawl through 34 million videos that are uploaded on TikTok every day to find that new drool-worthy dessert. Coffeeness, a comprehensive resource for coffee

enthusiasts, has made dessert-finding easier. Using AI-powered analysis of TikTok data, Coffeeness has ranked the most viral sweet treats that are getting travellers and food lovers buzzing. The Coffeeness study focuses only on TikTok - not Instagram, Google, or news sources.

Established in 2008 by Arne Preuss, Coffeeness offers detailed reviews and comparisons of coffee-related devices - from semi-automatic espresso machines to coffee grinders - to help consumers make informed purchasing decisions.

"Our data shows that authenticity and innovation aren't mutually exclusive. Traditional treats are thriving alongside fusion creations, which tells us that TikTok users crave both cultural authenticity and creative novelty — they want stories behind their sweets,” said Arne Preuss, Coffeeness CEO.

Here are the world’s Top 10 viral Sweet Treats as analysed by Coffeeness.

1. Dubai Chocolate (Dubai): Dubai chocolate's viral fame comes from its unique combination of kataifi (shredded phyllo) and pistachio filling, creating an unexpected crunchy texture. The viral Dubai chocolate is one of the most popular Middle Eastern sweet treats.

2. Mochi (Tokyo): Tokyo's delicate and artful kawaii-inspired desserts, with their anthropomorphic shapes, make for really photogenic food.

The cute Japanese mochi should be on your list.

3. Cronut (New York): The original cronut required a trademarked recipe and people would line up for hours, creating early viral content before TikTok even existed. In New York, the cronut continues to reign supreme years after its initial viral moment.

4. Tanghulu (Seoul): Seoul's tanghulu (fruit in a sugar shell) has become a global phenomenon, with its glossy candy coating and satisfying crunch. Tanghulu's popularity exploded when creators started showing the ‘crack test’ – tapping the candy coating to demonstrate its perfect hardness.

5. Bubble Waffles (London): London's bubble waffles are often filled with ice cream and toppings, creating the perfect ‘destruction’ content that TikTok users love to watch.

6. Gelato (Rome, Italy): Made with milk, cream, sugar, and flavourings like fruit, chocolate, or nuts, gelato is an Italian frozen dessert known for its rich and dense texture.

7. Croffle (South Korea): Croffle is a hybrid of croissants and waffles. They are basically made up of a croissant, pressed in a waffle maker to look like a waffle.

8. Churros con Chocolate (Spain): Churros con Chocolate is a traditional Spanish dessert where fried dough is sprinkled with sugar and served with spiced dipping chocolate.

9. Pastel de Nata (Portugal): A Portuguese egg custard tart pastry, optionally dusted with cinnamon. It is believed that this tart was invented in the convents of Jeronimos monastery, not too far from the capital city of Lisbon.

10. Egg Waffles (HongKong): A popular HongKong street food, egg waffles is a sweet, eggy batter cooked in a special mould with spherical indentations, resulting in a waffle with a crispy exterior and soft interior.

Other must-try viral sweet treats:

• Crookie (Paris): A hybrid creation, crookie’s (croissant-cookie) viral success stems from its satisfying ‘crack’ sound when bitten which has become a popular ASMR trend.

• Stroopwafel (Amsterdam): A stroopwafel is a traditional Dutch treat made from two thin, crispy waffle-like cookies sandwiched together with a caramel syrup filling.

• Trdelník, also known as chimney cake (Prague). Its preparation involves wrapping dough around a cylinder and rotating it over fire. The chimney cake gets its name from its hollow cylindrical shape filled with ice cream or other treats.

• Kremna rezina (Slovenia) is a cream cake with perfectly uniform layers.

• Taiyaki cones (Vancouver, Canada) combine traditional Japanese fish-shaped pastries with ice cream, creating the perfect handheld treat for walking food tours.

• Deep-dish cookies (Chicago) are baked in pizza pans and served warm with ice cream, paying homage to the city's famous deep-dish pizza.

• Kawaii cotton candy (Tokyo) often comes in character shapes and dissolves when touched.

• Boba desserts (Taipei) have evolved beyond drinks to include boba-filled donuts, cakes, and even pizza.

• Halo-halo (the Philippines) literally means ‘mix-mix’ in Filipino, and the stirring process creates transformation content as the layers blend together.

• Pandan leaves (Singapore) give the infamous pandan cake its distinctive green colour and vanilla-like flavour, creating tasty treats naturally without artificial colouring.

Waffles come in many shapes and forms.

• Knafeh (Middle East) preparation involves stretching fresh cheese.

• Basbousa (Egypt) has a delightful preparation quirk where it's drenched with ice-cold sugar syrup while still piping hot from the oven, creating a dramatic sizzling sound.

• Brigadeiros (Rio de Janeiro, Brazil) are traditionally rolled by hand and covered in chocolate sprinkles.

• Picarones (Peru) are served with chancaca syrup that's drizzled on top, creating irresistible drip content.

(Source: Coffeeness)