The latest raft of sweet creations unveiled by bakers includes classic cakes, fan-inspired doughnuts, egg-free cupcakes, French patisserie-style treats and a limited-edition bagel.
Some are tapping into market trends or consumer dietary demands, while one is a business’s first venture into branded retail.
Following a summer season dazzled with new desserts and snacks (see the likes of our previous round-up and one earlier in August), we’ve sugar lumped together the newest batch of sweet bakery NPD:
Trio of Doughnuts, Krispy Kreme
The American sweet treat brand celebrated its 20th year of UK operations this week, which it accompanied with the launch of three limited-edition doughnut flavours inspired by suggestions from fans online.
The trio includes the Hazelnut Kreme Krisp doughnut, featuring a creamy hazelnut filling, dipped in white chocolate and rolled in a crispy wafer crumb; the Sticky Toffee Swirl doughnut, which is filled with sticky toffee flavour, dipped in chocolate icing and topped with caramel biscuit and toffee crunch pieces; and the Confetti Celebration doughnut, containing cookie dough and biscuit filling, dipped in yellow icing and decorated with stars and frosting.
Priced from £2.95 per doughnut, the Hazelnut Kreme Krisp and Sticky Toffee Swirl doughnuts are available at Krispy Kreme’s 128 stores nationwide as well as selected retailers from now till 15 October. The Confetti Celebration doughnut, meanwhile, is exclusive to Tesco shops.
Macarons and Tartlets, Boncolac Group
The French dessert supplier, which acquired Proper Cornish earlier this year, is introducing a selection of sweet products for retailers and foodservice operators in the UK. The business says this comes at a time when French patisserie is firmly in fashion here, according to research carried out by The Food People, with sales on the increase and consumers unable to replicate these affordable luxuries at home.
Boncolac’s range, to be launched by Proper Cornish on 1 October, includes an individual Passion Fruit & Coconut Meringue Tartlet, an Apple & Lemon Tartlet (pictured at top), and a Tart Tatin, all made with all-butter pastry.
Meanwhile, the Mag’M macarons are available in twin-packs of Chocolate and Raspberry (55g each), or assorted packs with 12g or 15g macarons in those flavours plus Salted Caramel, Pistachio, Vanilla, and Lemon. These are all sold frozen and simply require defrosting before serving – the water action during thawing helps the macarons form a crisp shell with soft filling inside.
A melt-in-the-middle Chocolate Lava Cake is also included in the range.
Mega Caramel & Vanilla Cupcakes, Oggs
Research commissioned by plant-based bakery brand Oggs has found that 92% of shoppers surveyed say they try to buy free range eggs whenever possible, but the same purchasing decisions don’t currently apply to cakes. 89% of the respondents said they were more likely to buy a cake that didn’t contain eggs from barn or caged chickens.
Oggs naturally offers an ideal solution, utilising its Aquafaba egg alternative (made from chickpeas) to produce a range of “cruelty free” cakes. This includes its Mega Caramel & Vanilla Cupcakes, which launched this week in Tesco stores and on Ocado. The large vanilla sponge cupcakes with caramel and vanilla frosting are sold in packs of nine (rsp £9) with 100% recycled and recyclable packaging, as one may expect from the B Corp accredited company.
Classic Sponge Cakes, Just Desserts Yorkshire
After 40 years of supplying baked goods to the foodservice market, Just Desserts claims to have responded to customer demand by launching its own branded range of handcrafted sponge cakes for retailers. Housed in sustainable and recyclable packaging, there are four classic flavour variants – Victoria Sponge, Chocolate, Lemon, and Toffee – to choose from, priced at £4.49 each.
“The new sponge cake range really showcases the quality of our brand and the products we produce,” said Kate Williams, general manager of Just Desserts Yorkshire, which was acquired by fellow Yorkshire business Regal Food Products Group early last year.
“This is just the beginning of our retail expansion and customers can look forward to more retail developments in the coming weeks,” Williams added.
Cookies N’Cream Bagels, New York Bakery Co.
The bagel brand continues to drive growth in a category now worth £184m (Kantar data to 6 September 2023) with the unveiling of its limited-edition Cookies N’Cream Bagels. Billed as a global first in terms of bagel flavour, the American-style NPD features cocoa cookie pieces in dough with a sweet vanilla undertone.
At £1.90 for a pack of five, the bagels roll out at Morrisons stores from 11 September, Sainsbury’s the next day, and Asda from 28 September. “When it comes to bagels, it’s New York or Nothin’, and what’s more New York than the famous Cookies N’Cream flavour combination?” said Alastair Unite, brand manager at New York Bakery Co. “It’s a game changer for bagels – there’s nothing like this in our fixture.”
The launch follows the Grupo Bimbo-owned brand kicked off a £2m UK marketing campaign in April.
Lemon Drizzle Cake, Country Range
This light, airy and moist sponge cake bursting lemon is said to be ideal for “caterers who are not able to bake cakes from scratch each day but still want to offer eye-catching and tasty treats for their guests”.
It comprises a handmade light sponge cake baked with lemon curd and soaked with a lemon wash, layered with lemon buttercream and finished with sugar pearls. The cake comes frozen, provides 14 portions and just needs to be thawed before serving.
It adds to Country Range’s own-brand portfolio for the foodservice sector, which had a recent brand refresh including new logo, vibrant packaging designs, and introduction of premium product tier Country Range Signature.
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