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Michelle Lu

Michelle Lu is the Melbourne baker behind @sweet_essence_, sharing playful cakes, character breads and cozy home café recipes, and the author of Cozy Baking Life.

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Michelle’s happenings, collected from public sources, plus her backstory and Starbook, where fans write.

Known for

Overview

Based in: Melbourne, Australia
Known online as: @sweet_essence_
Work: Home baker, recipe developer and cookbook author
First cookbook: Cozy Baking Life (2026)

Mini bio

How it started.

Michelle taught herself to bake with YouTube videos. In her StarNgage interview, she traced the Sweet Essence name to a baking club she started with friends in third grade. She brought that name to Instagram in ninth grade, sharing her baking and photography.

Finding her audience.

In her cookbook announcement, Michelle described TikTok as a creative outlet during the pandemic. Her peaceful baking videos and playful designs went on to reach an audience of more than two million across social media. Her Chinese-Australian background and memories of Asian bakeries help shape the flavours she shares.

From videos to a cookbook.

Her first book, Cozy Baking Life, arrived in November 2026. Alongside familiar bakes, it offers ways to build your own shortcake and create a home café. On Samsung Food, fans can follow her detailed recipes for everything from strawberry shortcake to tiny sausage-bread racing cars.