Loaf cakes, bagels, brownies, and macarons are among the new sweet treats recently launched by bakery suppliers.
Egg-free or gluten-free formulations feature in the line-up, as do carefully researched flavours and a licensed partnership with a well-known brand.
Here’s more details on the latest six sweet bakery products hitting the market:
Triple Chocolate Fudgy Brownies, Genius
The gluten free brand has expanded its range with new brownies featuring a rich texture, white & milk chocolate chunks, and luxuriously dark chocolate drizzle. Available in a pack of four (rsp: £3.25) at Sainsbury’s stores, each serving comes in at less than 200 calories.
“This is a game changer, not just for people like me who live with coeliac disease, but for the many millions of Brits who suffer from symptoms from bloating to brain fog when they eat gluten,” expressed Lauren Harber, head of marketing at Genius Foods.
The Edinburgh-based manufacturer said that, as demand for gluten-free products continues to rise, it remains at the forefront of innovation to meet the evolving needs of health-conscious consumers. Last year, it relaunched its best-selling sliced bread range. A takeover by Katjes group in 2022 helped improve revenue that same year by almost 6%, although it posted a £2.4m loss due to increases in ingredients, labour, energy, and shipping costs.
Lemon Loaf Cake, Oggs
It’s been a big year for Oggs already. In April, it exceeded its £450k crowdfunding target and was subsequently named as a finalist in the Sustainability Initiative of the Year category at the Baking Industry Awards 2024.
Now it is looking to shake up loaf cakes with the launch of its latest egg-free innovation into Tesco and Ocado. Priced at £3.95 and sold in 100% recycled plastic packaging, it features a soft lemon-flavoured sponge topped with creamy lemon frosting, a zingy lemon drizzle, and crunchy lemon pieces.
“We’ve taken the best parts of a cupcake and a loaf cake and smashed them together for a treat that’s better for chickens, better for the planet, and better for your tastebuds,” commented Oggs founder and CEO Hannah Carter.
Nutella cake range, Cake Box
Another brand specialising in egg-less bakes is Cake Box, which has unveiled a new Nutella Collection made in collaboration with Ferrero Foodservice, producer of the famous hazelnut cocoa spread.
Coinciding with Nutella’s 60th anniversary, the range includes the Nutella Glazed Berry Naked Cake (in 6” and 8” sizes), the Nutella Bery Cheesecake, the Nutella Chocolate Flake Cupcake, and the Nutella Glazed Strawberry Slice. These are available at all of Cake Box’s 258 stores nationwide (which are all franchises) as well as via its website.
“We’re dedicated to providing quality products and a premium taste experience to our customers, and by using Nutella, we know we’re doing just that,” commented Cake Box UK’s product project manager Ojay Rahman.
Sweet Maple Bagels, New York Bakery Co.
Said to be inspired by the lashings of maple syrup served at New York diners, the new limited-edition Sweet Maple bagels are baked with Canadian pure maple syrup and packed with sticky sweet cinnamon pieces. Available in a five-pack for £2.10, they have been rolled out at Tesco, Morrisons, Waitrose, and Asda stores this month.
Sweet Maple is the third rotation in New York Bakery Co.’s limited edition portfolio, following on from Cookies N’Cream and Blueberry flavours. The Grupo Bimbo-owned brand noted it was No. 1 in the UK’s bagel category worth £185m (IRI data, 52w/e 10 August 2024), holding a 53% value share and 52% volume share. It also highlighted that ambient bagel sales experienced 4.3% year-on-year volume growth (same data), and was outperforming the 1.8% growth of the wider ambient breakfast category growth.
Fudge & Chocolate and Sticky Toffee Loaf Cakes, Mr Kipling
While recent Circana research (52w/e 3 August 2024) discovered that 84% of loaf cakes on the UK market are in traditional flavours such as ginger, lemon or Madeira, the latest launches from Mr Kipling are aimed at offering shoppers more choice and tapping into demand for more exciting varieties. The cakes (rsp: £1.75, 220g) have been launched at Morrisons, Iceland, Tesco, Co-op, and Asda stores.
Mr Kipling’s owner Premier Foods previously conducted consumer testing, with Chocolate & Fudge and Sticky Toffee ranking top of the most appealing flavours among 313 respondents.
Naomi Shooman, global marketing director for sweet treats at Premier Foods, noted Kantar data (52w/e 21 January 2024) had told them that ‘treat and reward’ was one of the most important drivers for shoppers when purchasing larger cakes, representing 157 million purchase occasions last year – up 2% year-on-year. “However, the loaf cakes segment has underperformed against the total cakes category, possibly due to a current lack of choice on shelf,” she added.
Macarons range, Tipiak
French pâtissier Tipiak has improved the recipe of its authentic macarons to create a more vibrant range for UK foodservice operators. Each piece is now larger and contains more creamy filling, as well as added natural colouring for a brighter look. The shelf life has also been extended to five days when chilled and covered.
Boxes of 36 macarons in six different flavours – caramel & sea salt, lemon, chocolate, raspberry, vanilla, and pistachio – are available frozen via distributor Central Foods. They take an hour to defrost in the fridge, plus 15 mins at room temperature.
“Macarons are the shining stars of pâtisserie, with their gorgeous colours and flavours, and their crisp shells and soft centres,” said Marie-Emmanuelle Chessé, international development project manager at Tipiak. “Visually appealing and tasting absolutely divine, they’ve become a huge hit on social media with around 10 million posts on Instagram alone.”
Back in March, Tipiak switched to using 100% Fairtrade chocolate and free-range eggs for all its sweet and savoury offerings.
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