Sweet talking

Nostalgic flavours, trend-led decorations and punchy designs. If you’re looking to refresh your baked goods, follow these tips to have your cake and eat it too

The perfect treat with a morning coffee or afternoon cuppa, who doesn’t love a sweet treat now and then? Whether your venue has stocked baked goods for years or you’re tentatively dipping your toe into a new category, there are many avenues you can explore to make it work for your venue and ensure you’re maximising sales while keeping your customers happy.

MEMORY LANE

When it comes to baked goods, the nostalgic, classic cakes are still coming out on top. Victoria sponge, cherry bakewell, coffee cake and traybakes will always be popular with those who like to take a trip down memory lane while enjoying their elevenses. There is also a growing demand for retro flavours and combinations such as raspberry and rose, and strawberries and cream.

INSTAGRAM-WORTHY DESSERTS

Thanks to social media and influencers, there is a growing demand for desserts that are visually stunning with bright colours and extravagant decorations. This has driven exciting innovation, particularly from smaller bakers who have the flexibility to introduce new cakes easily.

To satisfy the desire for both nostalgic delights and Instagram-worthy moments, why not take some inspiration from vintage bakes but give it a twist with brightly coloured sponges and OTT decorations? Think pearl decorations and layers of beautiful piping encasing a bright red sponge, perhaps with a centre of brightly coloured sweets to really impress customers.

MINI MOMENTS

Just when cupcakes were starting to look a little dated, they found themselves right on trend again in a slightly more modern format. Luxury miniature cakes are growing in popularity as the perfectly sized portion of cake, loaded with contemporary flavours, stunning visuals and on-trend decorations.

Did you know?

JAPANESE FLAVOURS SUCH AS MATCHA AND MISO HAVE SEEN A SIGNIFICANT RISE IN POPULARITY OVER THE PAST FEW YEARS AND THIS LOOKS SET TO CONTINUE.

OPPORTUNITIES

If your venue doesn’t currently provide baked goods and you’re currently deciding whether this is an avenue that can work for you, there are a few things to consider. Be sure to do the maths first. If you choose to bake yourself, it’s essential to purchase ingredients and packaging at the lowest possible price and know how much it costs you to produce baked goods, both monetarily and in time. Excellent quality products will make sure your baked goods give you a competitive edge and will allow you to charge more for them too.

Research the local area and identify what gaps in the market exist and what is already being covered successfully by your competitors. Reach out to your regular customers and express your interest in this venture to get a gauge of if it’s something they want, need and would support you with.

You also need to establish a schedule and whether you are able to keep up with the demand of the baking consistently, or if you need to employ another member of your team to help you with this.