Lydibakes: Whipping up show-stopping Christmas macarons this holiday

By Rupa Seenaraine

Crunchy macarons adorned with a Christmas design and oozing a delicious filling when bitten into are one of the newest treats on the block to be experienced this holiday season.
A true Guyanese Christmas is known for its rum-soaked black cake and scrumptious pepper pot, but bringing new delights to the scene is a showstopper at any holiday gathering. This year, Lydibakes, in sparing no effort to offer something new to the public, is offering the delectable holiday macarons and delicious carrot cakes.

The business was founded by 24-year-old Georgetown resident Lydia Alphonso, who recently graduated from the University of Guyana with a bachelor’s degree in Business Management. Lydibakes was founded in November 2019 but started operations in August 2020, when the COVID-19 pandemic struck. According to Alphonso, she offers desserts such as macarons, carrot cake squares, cookies, brownies; and, as of recent, full-sized cakes.
Reflecting on the holidays, the entrepreneur shared that Christmas is a favourite season, and she uses the opportunity to offer something new for people to put on their table, or share with special ones.
“Christmas is definitely my favourite time of the year, when everyone loves to enjoy sweet treats. Every Christmas since I started my small business, I have sold boxes of different Christmas character macarons with Christmas flavours. My carrot cake squares are always a top seller, and especially perfect for the holidays also,” she shared.

She disclosed that she managed to perfect her macarons after years of trial and error, and it is now offered as a must-have dessert.
“Macarons have always been one of the most challenging desserts that I have recreated. It took me around 5 years to somewhat ‘perfect’ my recipe, but, of course, there is always room to improve. Macarons are the perfect dessert, especially around the holidays, because of the size and numerous flavour options that can be shared among a group.
“Christmas parties and movie nights always require delicious desserts. Whether they are regular or character macarons, they would definitely add extra cheer and spirit to any festivity,” she declared.
Every Christmas, she creates several Christmas Character Macarons that are presented with various flavours. These macaron boxes are perfect for the holidays, being ideal to share among family and friends as gifts, or to just enjoy during the very festive season.
Looking back at her journey in baking, Lydia told Guyana Times that, from a tender age, she has always had a passion for baking, and was keen on experimenting with new flavours and textures.
“Baking has always been a hobby that I enjoyed from a very young age. My mother is an amazing cook, and would often bake several desserts, especially around Christmas. I would always keep her company, and try to take notes and learn whatever I can when she was in the kitchen. However, I was more interested in the baking category of things. Growing older, I would experiment with different desserts, where I would tweak the recipes until I felt confident enough to let my family and friends be my taste-testing guinea pigs. I definitely lean towards trying more difficult desserts because of the challenge, hence my fondness for making macarons,” she reflected. 
As a baker, she shared her five essential baked goods that should be enjoyed during Christmas – black cake, macarons, Swiss roll cakes, carrot cake, and sugar cookies.
For now, Lydia plans to just keep on baking amid the holiday rush to find the right treats. She noted that Christmas remains one of the busiest times of the year.
“From the beginning of my business, I have been having tremendous support, which encourages me to keep going. Baking has always just been a hobby and something I enjoy doing, but turning it into a small business has been challenging, yet rewarding. Christmas season is one of my busiest times of the year, when the demand for my baked goods is higher than at other months.”