Housewares Business-to-business magazine for housewares retailers and their suppliers
Square doughnuts, a resurgence of scones and ever more cupcakes – these are some of the predictions from pundits about what this year will bring to the world of cakes.
Research by the new Cake Awards also named Mary Berry as the nation’s top baking companion, and found that an icing bag would be this year’s top cake-making accessory.
The organisers of The Cake Awards, recently launched to find and celebrate the best British cakes, asked experts from the baking and food industry what trends cakes would see in 2013.
Amongst them were square doughnuts and traditional and retro-looking treats, while a boost for scones with a more exciting range of flavours was also predicted.
This year is also likely to see more vegetables like beetroot, carrots and parsnips in cakes, and the cupcake phenomenon will continue as more diverse flavours come through. We are going to see more unusual tastes such as tonka beans, candied bacon, wasabi and hibiscus in cakes, and mini cakes will remain in vogue, making cakes an affordable treat. The experts also predict a growing popularity of free-from cakes.
Meanwhile, survey respondents revealed that their favourite cake is something chocolatey – sponge or brownies. Second best is lemon drizzle, followed by a traditional Victoria sponge.
With her popularity no doubt boosted by television’s Great British Bake Off, Mary Berry is now the person most people in the UK would like to bake with, according to the research.
Half of all respondents would like to bake with Berry, with her co-presenter on the BBC show, Paul Hollywood, coming second with 15% of votes. Nigella Lawson is also a firm favourite.
The research found that the must-have gadget for 2013 cake making is a good icing bag with a range of nozzles, followed by a silicone spatula.
It also established that over 60% of respondents get their cake inspiration from family and friends, followed by baking and cookery programmes on television, as well as books and magazines.
Over half of those surveyed said they bake weekly, with almost a quarter finding the time to bake several times a week. Many use baking cakes to relieve stress and help relaxation, while others want to know what is in the food they are eating, and because their children enjoy baking.
