Healthier cookies, cakes that embrace on-trend flavours such as chocolate orange and pistachio, and indulgent pastries are among the latest sweet treats rolled out by the nation’s bakers.
Some of the new products tap into the health-conscious side of consumers as the new year reaches its stride, while others opt for all out indulgence to help cure the winter blues.
Take a closer look at some of the new launches here:
Enchanted Bakery range, Brakes
Foodservice wholesaler Brakes has unveiled a range of handmade tray cakes under a new brand called Enchanted Bakery. The initial six-strong range comprises a decadent Triple Chocolate Fudge cake, a classic Strawberry Victoria Sponge, a moist Banana Caramel & Malt cake, a zesty Dragonfruit & Lime cake, a spiced Carrot & Orange cake and a Sticky Rum & Raisin cake. The latter two are suitable for vegans. The cakes are delivered frozen in trays of 18 pre-cut portions which Brakes said helps to minimise waste and ensure caterers never run out of stock.
Chocolate Orange Slices, We Love Cake
Cumbrian bakery Bells of Lazonby is adding a chocolate orange variant to its free-from We Love Cake range. Inspired by Jaffa cakes, the ‘Squeeze the Day’ Chocolate Orange traybakes are gluten, wheat and milk free, packed with a zesty orange filling and topped with a layer of chocolate. They’re baked in small batches on the edge of the Lake District and finished by hand.
We Love Cake underwent a strategic refresh in 2024 which saw it emerge in ‘bold, bright, and youthful’ packaging designed to attract younger shoppers.
“The refreshed look has widened our appeal to younger consumers, and we see continued growth across our cake slices in retail, as well as in food service,” said head of marketing Josh Boydell-Smith.
In 2025, the business turns its focus to new product development. “Hitting to the nostalgia of a Jaffa Cake, the new product is a reminder that free-from should never compromise on taste and classic flavours,” Boydell-Smith added.
Do you make the best cakes in Britain?
Then enter Britain’s Best Cake! Proudly sponsored by Dawn Foods, Kluman & Balter, Rainbow Dust, and Sonneveld Group, Britain’s Best Cake 2025 aims to celebrate the sumptuous, sweet treats on offer. There are eight categories to choose from, offering up the opportunity for all types of cakes to triumph. The competition takes place on Monday 7 April at NEC Birmingham. Entries cost £37+VAT.
Individual cookie pack, Jnck Bakery
Jnck Bakery’s non-HFSS cookies will now be available as part of a Tesco Meal Deal as the brand is rolling out individually wrapped cookies. The company’s three cookies – Milky Chocolate, Trippple Chocolate and White Gold – will now be sold in single packs (priced at £1.95) in over 330 of the supermarket’s stores across the UK.
“We’re delighted that Tesco is backing us with further distribution and making a real commitment to healthy snacking with the Meal Deal. We’re already gaining support through mentoring, learning and development and this shows that there is a real focus on growth and healthy innovation and confidence in our products,” said Jnck Bakery founder Alex Brassill.
The business is part of Tesco’s Accelerator Programme designed to boost growth for innovative brands that focus on health and sustainability. It has also just completed a crowdfunding campaign to support its work with Tesco and help with new product development.
Chocolate Baklawa, Cedar Baklawa
Cedar Baklawa, which produces the layered pastry dessert to a traditional Lebanese recipe, is expanding its range with an indulgent chocolate variant.
Sold in packs with 10 pieces, the box features different shapes of baklawa, made with filo pastry, chopped nuts (pistachio, walnuts, and cashews), a delicate syrup, and a hefty helping of chocolate for an indulgent treat. The baklawa is available through wholesaler Cress & Co with further stockists anticipated for Christmas 2025 – a key selling period for baklawa.
Tartlette Fruits, Symphonie Pasquier
Symphonie Pasquier is building on the success of its bestselling Tartelette Citron Meringuée with two new fruit variants – Tartelette Fruits Rouges Meringuée ‘À I’italienne’ and Tartelette Passion Meringuée ‘À L’italienne’ – which have been developed exclusively for foodservice operators.
The Tartelette Fruits Rouges features a tangy redberry jelly and cream encased in an all butter shortcrust pastry with Italian meringue on top. The Tartelette Passion, meanwhile, comprises a tart passionfruit jelly with cream enveloped in an all butter shortcrust sweet pasty, balanced with Italian meringue. Both arrive frozen and can be defrosted in the fridge in four hours.
“The dessert menu just became incredibly beautiful and also incredibly easy for an operator to deliver. No matter the level of skill in the kitchen, anyone can defrost the tartelettes and serve the individual portions with a small garnish on the plate or even a scoop of ice cream,” explained Matt Grenter, foodservice sales manager at Symphonie Pasquier.
Pistachio & White Chocolate Loaf Cake, Starbucks
Starbucks has embraced all things pistachio for its winter menu, including a Pistachio Velvet Latte and Pistachio & White Chocolate Cake. The pistachio loaf cake, which has a rsp of £2.75 per slice, is topped with pistachio and white chocolate frosting, and decorated with nibbed pistachios and freeze-dried raspberries for a final pop of colour.
Oaty Bars, White’s Oats
County Armagh-based White’s Oats is venturing into the ambient on-the-go snack category with a soft-baked Oaty Bar made from its high-quality Irish oats.
Each 45g bar contains 196 calories and is made with five ingredients – wholegrain oats, butter, partially inverted sugar syrup, chicory fibre, and demerara sugar.
The product is described as White’s first major launch into the health snacking category and offers a ‘wholesome snack’ for consumers on the go. They’re available now in Tesco, Spar and Vivo stores across Northern Ireland and will be available in Bob & Berts coffee shops in early 2025.
Blackberry Bliss, Ole & Steen
Danish bakery Ole & Steen is embracing the new year with a sweet addition to its line-up in the form of a Blackberry Bliss pastry. Named by the bakery’s followers in a recent Instagram competition, it features a soft dough filled with rich blackberry compote and finished with blackberry icing and pistachios. Priced at £3.95, Ole & Steen is confident it will ‘become a fan favourite’.
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