KPop Demon Hunters and Stranger Things' Demogorgons: Top picks for Easter 'mones'

A simple Easter Egg won't cut it in Catalonia.

Pastry shop windows at this time of year are instead filled with elaborate chocolate creations known as 'mones de Pasqua,' with monsters and monster hunters the undisputed stars this Easter. 

Figures depicting Demogorgons from Stranger Things and the heroines of KPop Demon Hunters top the wish lists, alongside classics such as FC Barcelona players, Dragon Ball's Goku, Lilo & Stitch, and Bluey.

The Barcelona Pastry Guild says prices will remain largely stable, with a slight rise due to inflation, putting 'mona' chocolate figurines in the €40–€80 range depending on size.

When it comes to traditional 'mona' cakes, candied fruit remains the favorite, followed by buttercream, whipped cream, and truffle varieties, with a cost of €30–€40.

'Mona de Pasqua'

According to tradition, godfathers buy a 'mona' for their godchild to enjoy on Easter Monday. Increasingly, people are also purchasing them for friends or to share at home at any time over the Easter holidays. 

"This year, we're selling a lot from a series that has been very popular, Stranger Things, and then other trendy characters like the KPop [Demon Hunters]," said Miquel Zaguirre, president of the Barcelona Pastry Guild, in an interview with the Catalan News Agency (ACN).

FC Barcelona footballers, mainly Lamine Yamal and Raphinha, and the club's crest are also selling well. "This year, we also have a really strong team," Zaguirre added.

Cakes 

Rather than the chocolate figurine that dominates shopfronts, traditional 'mones' are cakes.

"The traditional one, with candied fruit, is eaten once a year." Zaguirre says.

"It's a sponge cake, with a bit of jam, a custard topping, some candied fruit, topped off with a chocolate egg." 

"Then the buttercream cake, 'Sara' style, is also very popular. And classics like cream and truffle or all-chocolate, which can be decorated like an Easter 'mona'," he adds.

Prices remain stable

Zaguirre explains that the sector is used to volatile prices, "coming from the Ukraine war, now Iran."

Despite a drop in cocoa prices, prices will remain steady this year. "Any increase will be linked to inflation, which affects all of us," he says.

An astronomical mona

Once again, the pastry guild is collaborating with the University of Barcelona on a science outreach project featuring Mia, a character who embodies a profession as a chocolate figure each Easter.

"This year we’re marking the solar eclipse, so we've chosen for Mia to be an astronomer," Zaguirre says.

Easter eggs take over Park Güell

The guild have also installed ten giant eggs at Park Güell, designed by ten pastry chefs inspired by Catalan architect Antoni Gaudí.