It is no secret that 2020 completely upended how the world thinks about celebrations, which greatly impacted the cake sector. For example, according to a Dawn Proprietary study in 2020, 65% of artisanal bakers offered individually wrapped items to meet consumer demand. Until COVID-19 is under control, Dawn believes smaller single-serve cake portions will continue to dominate the market, explains Phil DeWester, director of senior category marketing for Dawn Foods.
Another key trend for 2021 is taking classic cakes and reimaging them in indulgent ways.
“We are still in a time where many are looking for little ways to brighten their day and making cakes more indulgent is a great way to do that,” DeWester says.
This indulgence trend is particularly significant in chocolate cakes. Chocolate cake and cupcakes continue to be the top flavor among all cakes/cupcake flavors (source: Nielsen, POS Sweet Bakery), and chocolate cake is also projected to grow 2.2% over the next four years (Source: Datassential MenuTrends/Flavor, April 2020).
In 2021, chocolate cakes will be darker and richer than ever before, with bakers turning to ingredients such as black cocoa powder, activated charcoal and richer fudge.
So, what types of cakes are trending most popular?
Barrel Cakes
Barrel cakes, or ultra-tall cakes with indulgent toppings, are incredibly popular. These cakes truly are everywhere right now, as bakers are making and decorating them to promote across their social media feeds.
Cake Pizza
“Cake Pizza” is a cake trend that has emerged in the United Kingdom in recent months and Dawn is already seeing reach the United States. Contrary to what the name suggests, Cake Pizza is not a pizza. Instead, bakers use a special triangle cavity silicon mold to bake individual slices of cake. Each cake slice is individually decorated and completely customizable, usually containing pops of brightly colored icings, indulgent toppings, and served with a cupcake in the middle.
For consumers, this type of cake will be an especially important trend in 2021 as it allows for individual servings and complete customization – what each significant consumer wants for the year to come. For bakers, cake pizzas are also a great investment because they can be customized to fit the new needs of each season.
As for fillings and icings, retailers can enhance their cake offerings with on-trend flavors and colors.
Fillings and icings are a great way for retailers to enhance their cake offerings, DeWester says. They help take a simple cake to a new level and make it stand out in any bakery case.
Icings
Dawn predicts that in 2021, consumers will continue to look for ways to find everyday luxury through sweets. Using bright pops of color in icings and topping cakes with sprinkles are both great ways to achieve this. Retailers can also use icing to create drip cakes, where the icing appears to “drip” down the side of the cake, which is rather trendy right now.
Fillings
Another way to enhance cake offerings is by incorporating seasonal fillings, such as apple filling in the fall and berry filling in the spring. With seasonal fillings, the type of cake can remain consistent while the filling changes, helping a baker’s case to feel fresh all season long.
How to Make Cake Pizza
- Prepare cupcake batter according to the instructions on the batter recipe.
- Spray the baking pan with non-stick cooking spray.
- Add ⅓ cup of batter to each slice in the pan.
- Remember that you will also need to make 1 large cupcake for the center of the cake, so if you want to, grab a cupcake pan and put ⅓ cup of batter in there as well.
- Bake 21-25 minutes or until toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Remove from oven and cool completely.
- You’ll want 12 slices for the best presentation or less/more depending on your size of platter being used. If you’re using the pan we linked, you will need to repeat this process by making 4 more slices after the first 8.
- Cool slices/cupcake completely on a wire rack.
- Level off slices and cupcake if necessary.
- Frost slices and cupcake as desired. For additional color, cut the slices horizontally for a layer of icing in between layers.
- Decorate with sprinkles.
Cake Shots
Lawrence Foods offers creative ideas to ring in the new year for customers looking to celebrate birthday parties and other occasions.
One great idea for your bakery case is to create Cake Shots, which can be filled with all sorts of flavorful options. Lawrence Foods recommends icing your Cake Shots with its Pink Champagne Decocrèmes.
To make them, cut your cake into 2-inch circles and pipe with Lawrence Food icing. Place a second cake layer on top and wrap with a cake band. Cover the top with icing and garnish with sprinkles.
For spring, it’s time to get “berry obsessed.” Strawberries are the first fruit to ripen in the spring, a traditional seasonal harbinger, and Lawrence Foods offers multiple options for decorating.
Strawberries are members of the rose family, sharing sweet scents. They are the only fruit to wear their seeds on the outside.
- 94% of United States households consume strawberries.
- Over 53% of kids picked strawberries as their favorite fruit.
- The United States is the leading strawberry producer in the world.
- While strawberries are grown in every state, California produces about 75% of the U.S. crop.
Lemon Drops
Adding a hint of lemon flavor to cake icings and creative cakes can do wonders for your cake case, especially as we move toward spring.
For a flavor twist, a new era has arrived in which the European lemon occupies a prominent place in food, new trends, healthy habits, and gastronomy. Grown under the demanding European production model, the European lemon is a modern food with the highest certified quality in sustainability, food safety, and traceability.
It has a unique flavor and an acid point that make it one of the star products of the Mediterranean Diet, the healthiest in the world according to the World Health Organization (WHO).
The lemon is a food without fat, saturated fats, and cholesterol, it is very low in sodium, and in calories, and contains a high content of vitamin C, according to the Food and Drug Administration.
Sustainability is the new paradigm, the word that is on the tip of everyone’s tongue, especially among consumers who are passionate about sustainability and won’t accept anything less.
Europe claims it is the most sustainable lemon producer in the world thanks to a model based on three key pillars:
- Economic sustainability - The social and economic responsibility of the European lemon sector is oriented towards the creation and distribution of added value among employees and shareholders, taking into account market conditions, equity and justice.
- Environmental sustainability - The European lemon sector works to improve the environment with an eco-efficient and prevention approach that maximizes input and natural resources.
- Social sustainability - The responsibility for social sustainability of the European lemon sector is related to key aspects of human resources management, health and safety at work, training and performance of workers, quality management and other elements such as adaptation to change and the environment.
