Bringing about the ‘glow up’ of the Danish pastry

From cupcakes to freakshakes and doughnuts to macaroons, the sweet treats category has experienced an overhaul in recent years as brands and operators recognise the value of customisation and consumer desire for a product ‘glow up’ – widely seen as being a major and impressive transformation in appearance - and according to the UK’s expert in sweet pastry market trends, Schulstad Bakery Solutions, the time has now come to bring about the ‘glow up’ of the Danish pastry.

Boasting 24 layers authentic of crisp, flaky pastry, the Danish pastry has long been a staple to accompany a hot drink, as a sweet treat or even brunch occasions, but after reviewing its recent consumer research – Danish Pastry & Toppings Opeepl Survey on behalf of Schulstad Bakery Solutions August 2022 - Schulstad Bakery Solutions says that it is now taking the ‘glow up’ trend as an opportunity to encourage operators to upgrade their sweet pastries by getting creative with their Danish pastries and offering customised, dessert inspired pastry toppings.

“For consumers, quality is key, especially when it comes to longstanding heritage items like the much-loved Danish pastry, with 76% of consumers tempted to buy a sweet topped Danish pastry and 79% willing to pay more for one,” said Samantha Winsor, marketing manager for Lantmännen Unibake, on the survey’s findings.

“This proves there is an exciting opportunity for outlets to not only have some fun with these traditional products, but more importantly drive sales and subsequent profit in the current challenging economic climate.

“As outlets face increasing challenges from inflation and the rise in cost of living, it makes sense to review existing menu items and look at ways they can level them up. Danish pastries offer operators an opportunity to drive sales of their existing pastry range and increase profit by adding tasty dessert sauces, sweet toppings and whipped cream. Simple ingredients that can be commonly found in most kitchens but can be used to quickly create something that will really drive sweet sales.”

To help shape the ‘glow up’ of the Danish pastry, Schulstad Bakery Solutions took to the polls to ask consumers what would encourage them to purchase a sweet, indulgently topped Danish pastry, focusing on its top three best-sellers (Maple Pecan Plait, Cinnamon Swirl and Vanilla Crème Crown).

According to consumers, Schulstad Bakery Solutions’ Cinnamon Swirl is the Danish pastry they would most like to customise (46%) with 79% of consumers willing to pay more for an indulgently topped Danish pastry and 66% of consumers more likely to buy a Danish pastry if they could customise the toppings. When asked how, 34% consumers would opt for chocolate sauce, and 33% would incorporate caramel, toffee, fudge or butterscotch flavours. Chocolate pieces were found to be the number one topping of choice for 31% of consumers, and whipped cream would be for 30% of customers surveyed.