“The biggest growth in our neighborhood is the Mexican population,” says John Roeser III, owner of iconic Roeser’s (founded in 1911) on North Avenue in downtown Chicago. “As soon as we started making tres leches cakes, it became our best seller.”
Widely popular in Hispanic culture, tres leches cakes are made by pouring a mixture of three milks (whole, condensed and evaporated) over the top of a cake prior to icing. The milks can leak out, so Roeser’s lets the cakes soak overnight.
“We can’t compete with Hispanic bakeries on traditional breads like conchas and bolillos, but we can still make great cakes,” Roeser says. “Consumers are looking to celebrate more occasions today.”
The tres leches flavor isn't limited to just cakes though. New Jersey's Montclair Bread Co., a leader in unique donut flavors, offers a tres leches donut in its premium category. With more young consumers willing to try adventurous donuts, adding a tres leches flavor to your menu could be a great move.
