A Sweet Apple & Cinnamon Pasty and a Chocolate Haggis are some of the more unusual innovations among new sweet products rolled out by bakery suppliers.
These include more conventional creations featuring salted caramel or pistachio, showing that the flavour trends are still around moving into 2026. Meanwhile, the free-from fixtures at retailers – both ambient and frozen – have been enhanced by the likes of new doughnuts, madeleines, and cake slices.
As we look forward to another exciting year in the baking industry, let’s check out a round-up of the latest sweet NPD launches:
Choccy Dodoughs, Crave
Free-from snack brand Crave has expanded its frozen bakery line-up with new Choccy Dodoughs, launched into Morrisons yesterday (4 January). The gluten and dairy-free half chocolate covered doughnuts (rsp: £2.95, three-pack) builds on the success of Crave’s original sugar ring Dodoughs – currently its bestseller at Sainsbury’s and Morrisons.
“Chocolate doughnuts are universally loved, but many have long been off-limits for people avoiding gluten, dairy or eggs,” said Crave founder Rob Brice. “Choccy Dodoughs are about democratising indulgence – giving everyone access to that rich, fluffy, chocolatey experience without compromise.”
Salted Caramel & Pretzel Cookie, M&S
To mark National Cookie Day back on 4 December, M&S unveiled a new sweet and salty variation of its filled and topped in-store bakery cookies, which have sold over three million since launching last July.
The Salted Caramel & Pretzel Chunked N’ Loaded Cookie (rsp: £2 each) is half caramel & pretzel and half cocoa & caramel choc chip, filled with buttery salted caramel and hand finished with 55% dark chocolate drizzle. Freshly baked daily from an all-butter recipe using Wildfarmed flour, it contains no artificial colours or artificial flavourings.
The new cookie joins existing flavours of Chocolate & Hazelnut and Pistachio.
Pistachio Mini-Beignets, Moi by Mademoiselle Desserts
Speaking of pistachio, premium frozen bakery brand Moi by Mademoiselle Desserts has added the on-trend flavour to its range of bite-sized beignets, which come in at under 120 calories each.
Delivering indulgent French flair with a convenience-led format, each light and fluffy brioche-style beignet is filled with a smooth pistachio cream and finished with a dusting of powdered sugar. They are available now from Ocado (rsp: £3.50, eight-pack).
According to consumer intelligence platform Tastewise, ‘pistachio’ has grown by 35.49% in social discussion around ‘Desserts & Sweet Foods’ over the past year. “Pistachio also has strong foodie credentials and a highly visual presence on social media,” commented Anthony Saison, head of category insights & customer marketing at Mademoiselle Desserts. “With the frozen dessert category continuing to grow, our new Pistachio Mini Beignets offer retailers a standout NPD opportunity in what remains an underdeveloped frozen treats segment.”
Moi’s mini-beignet range was first rolled out in 2024, comprising a quartet of flavours including Hazelnut & Cocoa, Speculoos, Apple, and Red Fruits.
Lemon French Madeleines, Mrs Crimble’s
Following the launch of gluten-free lemon macarons last Spring, Mrs Crimble’s has create new gluten-free French madeleines featuring the citrus fruit, now the third most popular flavour in the cake category [Circana data, 22 February 2025].
The zesty, light and pillowy sponge cakes (rsp: £2.75, six-pack) are served in individual, on-the-go packs, and available at Tesco stores nationwide. They join the range of classic French madeleines which is noted as a strong performer for the Ecotone UK-owned brand, helping double its rate of sale year-on-year [Circana data, 22 February 2025].
Sweet Apple & Cinnamon Pasty, Proper Cornish
Bodmin-based manufacturer Proper Cornish has added a vegan-friendly sweet option to its handmade pastry range in the Sweet Apple & Cinnamon Pasty.
Noting that apple is one of the UK’s most popular fruits and a familiar pastry filling, the company said it was expecting to delight consumers looking for a comforting, dessert-inspired twist with its new product, which is in the smaller weight of 142g.
Chocolate Haggis, Simon Howie
A trio of Scottish brands including Walker’s Shortbread have collaborated on a limited-edition pudding to help mark the region’s biggest celebrations, Hogmanay and Burns Night.
The Chocolate Haggis (rsp: £5) is an update to the one first launched by Perthshire-based butcher Simon Howie in 2024, which it had been prohibited from bringing back last year due to a legal dispute with Cadbury’s over its previous purple packaging. Wrapped in black and sold in a blue pouch this time around, the new haggis-shaped sweet treat features inclusions of all-butter shortbread chunks from Walker’s and fudge from confectionery specialist Mrs Tilly’s.
It is being sold at Tesco, Asda, Sainsbury’s, Morrisons, and Scotmid stores across Scotland until 26 January. “The Scottish food and drink community is known for its collaboration, and this is a perfect example of three like-minded family-owned manufacturers teaming up to create a unique and innovative product,” commented Simon Howie, who founded his eponymous company in 1986.
Carrot Cake Slices, We Love Cake
Free-from specialist We Love Cake has reimagined a British classic with its new Carrot Cake Slices. Landing exclusively in Sainsbury’s on 6 January (rsp: £2.30, four-pack), the new cakes feature a softly spiced carrot sponge layered with a smooth dairy-free frosting, and are free from gluten, wheat, and milk.
We Love Cake – a Bakery Brand of the Year finalist at the Baking Industry Awards 2025 – is owned and produced by Cumbria-based bakery manufacturer Bells of Lazonby. The company launched Cinnamon Swirl Cake Slices launched last October, which it said were a huge success and helped its slice portfolio grow in volume by 54% year on year within retail [Nielsen data, 29 November 2025].
Bells of Lazonby is currently reporting projected growth of 15% year on year (25/26) across the We Love Cake brand, driven by refreshed branding, increased distribution and targeted NPD.
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