Bakers across the UK are looking to fright and delight consumers this Halloween with an eerie array of sweet treats.
Biscuits, cakes, doughnuts, cheesecakes, pastries, traybakes, and buns are among the ten terrifying creations launched for the spooky season, many of which showcasing some top-tier decoration skills.
Here are more details on each:
Cheesecake and eclairs, The Delicious Dessert Company
Two hauntingly good, limited-edition sweet treats have been rolled out in dual-packs at Tesco stores by the Bakkavor-owned brand.
The Mummified Eclair features choux pastry filled with a rich chocolate mousse, encased in white chocolate lacing. Meanwhile, the Cookies & Scream Cheesecakes comprise vanilla-flavoured cheesecake mixed with cookie pieces loaded on a rich cocoa biscuit crumb, topped with a rich chocolate ganache and finished with cookie crumbs.
The Delicious Dessert Company pointed to new research revealing that eclairs and cheesecake slices are the joint most popular desserts when it comes to people enjoying an occasional special treat moment – both were identified by 31% of respondents to a survey conducted by Sago Research on behalf of the company.
“For most people Halloween is all about putting a fun twist on a spooky day, and we wanted to create treats that will surprise and delight as the Halloween parties get started,” commented Claire Smith, head of insight at The Delicious Dessert Company.
Trick or Treat Halloween Cupcakes, Lola’s Cupcakes
These vamped-up vanilla and chocolate cupcakes are hand-finished with vanilla buttercream and topped with spooky sprinkles and sugar decorations. Vegan and gluten-free options are also available.
Boxes of six regular-sized (rsp: £22.20) or 12 mini-sized (rsp: £25.20) cupcakes can be purchased at Lola’s 42 shops across England as well as via its website.
There is also the shareable Hallow-Scream Nationwide Cake (rsp: £45, serves 14) with a choice of either vanilla or chocolate sponge, all cloaked in green vanilla buttercream with sugarpaste characters. Lastly, the gluten-free Halloween Boo-Brownies (rsp: £17.70) are made from a Belgian chocolate brownie adorned with coloured chocolate ganache and skull, ghost or bat decorations.
Halloween sweet treat trio, Love Handmade Cakes
Three spooktacular sweet bakery NPD have been unveiled by the Leeds-based brand, which was acquired by Regal Foods at the start of the year.
These include:
- Caramel Ghost Shortbread Traybake – soft butter shortbread squares topped with a red ghoulish caramel and smooth chocolate fudge, finished with a ghostly decoration (15 portions per traybake)
- Skeleton and Mummy Gingerbread – a mixed box of 24 skeleton and mummy shaped gingerbread, lightly spiced and hand-finished with white icing
- Spider Cookies and Cream Gateau – two layers of chocolate sponge sandwiched and topped with a cookies and cream icing and decorated with a chocolate spider web design (14 portions per cake)
The collection is available to foodservice operators, wholesalers, and independent outlets.
Trick or Treat Brownie Slab, Cake or Death
Weighing in at just under a kilogram and containing enough fudgy, vegan-friendly brownie to feed 10 people, this slab (rsp: £32) is topped with dark chocolate and decorated with white chocolate lettering, chocolate Halloween characters, spooky sprinkles, and a dusting of edible glitter.
Exeter-based Cake or Death – whose founder Katie Cross discussed the impact of soaring cocoa prices with British Baker earlier this year – has also expanded its range this year with a hamper (rsp: £55). This includes a brownie slab, half a dozen Snickerdoodle cinnamon cookies, three scary cake balls, and a branded mug. Both options are available for nationwide delivery from 15 to 31 October.
Vampire Lips, Biscuiteers
The London-based, bespoke biscuit specialist is inviting customers to sink their fangs into its new Vampire Lips this Halloween. The hand-iced chocolate biscuit (rsp: £12.95) is presented in a fully recyclable illustrated gift box, which keeps it fresh for up to nine months upon arrival.
Also new for 2024 is the Jolly Ginger Skeleton (rsp: £10.95), a particularly petrifying update on Biscuiteers’ popular gingerbread man range, and the DIY Haunted House (rsp: £38), which provides four wall and two roof pieces as well as icing sugar, piping bags, and sugar decorations, plus a step-by-step guide.
Halloween doughnut, Baker & Baker
Sweet bakery manufacturer Baker & Baker has unveiled its latest limited-edition doughnut, looking to help drive Autumn sales. This follows the Heart doughnut rolled out for Valentine’s Day and Mother’s Day celebrations, and the Filly Strawberry doughnut for the summer season, with more launches planned for later this year.
The new ring doughnuts are filled with rich cocoa cream, covered with an orange-flavoured icing and topped with Halloween sugar decorations including black bats. They contain no artificial colours, flavours, preservatives or eggs, and are suitable for vegetarians. Sold frozen, they just require thawing before serving and offer a two-day shelf-life.
“Halloween is a key trading period for bakeries, food service operators and retailers,” commented Helen Sinclair, UK marketing manager at Baker & Baker. “The new doughnut has been launched to help create the wow factor, drive people in store and encourage impulse purchases.”
Spooky Buns and Pumpkin Biscuits, Greggs
The bakery behemoth is catering for fright fests among friends this year with its Spooky Buns (rsp: from £1 each or from £3.15 for a box of four). These vanilla flavour fairy buns are dipped in fondant icing before being topped with spine-chilling sugar decorations.
A new Pumpkin Biscuit (rsp: £1.25) made from ginger biscuit coated in Fairtrade milk chocolate has also been rolled out by Greggs, which is keeping its prices fixed due to inflation easing after yet another quarter of sales growth.
Seasonal Halloween Box, Borough 22
The gluten-free doughnut specialist has created wickedly sweet treats for the whole family to enjoy, regardless of dietary requirements.
The boxes of six fried doughnuts (rsp: £34), which are also dairy-free, halal and kosher, contain two each of the following varieties:
- Orange-glazed doughnuts with black sprinkles
- Black-glazed chocolate rings with orange sprinkles
- White-frosted mummy-inspired doughnuts.
Available till 31 October, the Halloween boxes are delivered fresh daily to London addresses and can also be sent nationwide, although reheating is recommended for optimal taste.
Witches Brew Cupcakes, Candy’s Cupcakes
These cupcakes produced by a family-run bakery business in Ashton-under-Lyne are described as perfect for casting a spell of sweetness on Halloween festivities.
Available in a choice of either chocolate, vanilla, or red velvet sponge, they are all topped with creamy vanilla buttercream and finished with the likes of a chocolate eyeball, snail sweets, white chocolate mice, a brain candy, red chocolate drizzle, and wafer card toppers.
The cupcakes are sold in batches of six (rsp: from £22.99) and come with two free Halloween Slimy Smores Cookie Pies, except for gluten-free or vegan versions.
Candy’s is also offering a Trick or Treat Box (rsp: £21.99), which includes cupcakes, doughnuts and cake-in-a-jar, as well as Beetlejuice Beetlejuice Cupcakes (rsp: £22.99 for a box of six) to tie in with the new Tim Burton movie release.
Biscuits and cupcakes, Birds Bakery
The East Anglian chain is embracing the Halloween spirit with a range of seasonal treats including gingerbread mummies, shortbread ghosts, and frosted cupcakes topped with pumpkin faces.
They are available throughout October across Birds’ 61-strong shop estate – around two-thirds of these are now open on Sundays – and via its online nationwide delivery service.
“When we think of Halloween, we picture chilly evenings, cosy get-togethers, and of course, sweet treats,” commented Jamie Bird, director of strategy at Birds Bakery, adding that the company loved putting a seasonal spin on fan-favourite classics.
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