Baking is back!  This trend was recently confirmed by the bi-annual Celebration Report on How America Bakes, Decorates and Celebrates.  The extensive online survey report was conducted by a third party source on behalf of Wilton Enterprises, the industry leader in cake decorating, quality bakeware and food crafting for more than 80 years.

"We found that nearly 75 percent of survey respondents reported baking the same or more than in previous years," says Nancy Siler, vice president of consumer affairs at Wilton.  "In fact, 28 percent said they are baking even more than before, especially those with kids under 18 years old."

Key findings from How America Bakes:

Regular bakers are the majority.

Impressively, one-in-four respondents view themselves as regular bakers, stating that they bake at least once a week, with more than half (56%) baking twice a month or more.

Scratch baking is preferred method.

Baking from scratch is still in style with 38% of respondents stating a preference to bake from scratch while 37% doctor-up mixes.  Only 26% expressed loyalty to using a mix or ready-to-bake product.

Cookies most popular.

While cookies are the most popular homemade treat (82% of respondents), items that have significantly grown in popularity since 2008 are: cakes (up 17%), brownies (up 18%) and cupcakes (up 15%).

Decorating adds to the enjoyment.

At-home cake bakers who also decorate their cakes increased by 5% from 2008. Those who bake and decorate cupcakes saw a 7% jump.  Nearly one-in-two women stated baking and decorating is time well spent.

Combine the most popular item to bake (cookies) along with the most popular reason to bake (an upcoming holiday), and Wilton suggests the following project -- a lucky giant shamrock cookie -- for a sweet addition to St. Patrick’s Day celebrations.

Visit www.wilton.com for step-by-step information on how to make any celebration special.

Wilton Enterprises, based in Woodridge, Illinois and founded in 1929, is the leading food crafting company in the industry, with the number one position in cake decorating and bakeware. Wilton classes, publications and products help millions of people create impressive party desserts.  For the latest information on products and ideas for all occasions, visit www.wilton.com. To locate the closest Wilton Method Cake Decorating class, call 800-942-8881.