Spring is blooming with all manner of new sweet bakery treats – from cakes, brownies, and pastries to macarons and biscuits – as brands look to hop on opportunities for seasonal gifting.
Despite high cocoa prices, chocolate remains a popular flavour choice with mini eggs a favoured topping but there are some fruity inclusions to freshen up palates.
Take a hunt through the basket of Easter bakery NPD unveiled below:
Eggstravaganza Brownie, Cake or Death
Vegan brownie specialist may be one of many businesses struggling with the price rises of chocolate, but it’s still embracing the time-treasured tradition of sharing chocolate goodies at Easter.
The limited edition Eggstravaganza Brownie (rsp: £22) is a slab of Cake or Death’s signature plant-based fudgy brownie topped with a “bonkers combination” of Doisy & Dam Good Eggs, Vegan KitKat, Moo Free White Chocolate, Freedom Marshmallows, dark chocolate drops, and drizzle.
It can be ordered for nationwide delivery until 19 April, and can include a personalised note in the box.
Mini Egg Cookie and Mini Loaf Cake, Country Choice
A new duo has been added to the bakery supplier’s Easter range for foodservice including a Mini Egg Cookie and a White Chocolate & Raspberry Mini Loaf Cake.
The cookie comes as a ready-to-bake puck comprised of vanilla-flavoured cookie dough topped with speckled pink, yellow, green, white, and brown chocolate mini eggs.
The mini loaf cake is said to be crafted to satisfy sweet cravings and features a blend of vanilla-flavoured sponge combined with Belgian white chocolate and tangy raspberry fruit pieces.
These two new products join a number of other Easter-themed products on Country Choice’s portfolio including hot cross buns, carrot and lemon meringue varieties of mini loaf cake, lemon puddle doughnuts, cupcakes, gingerbread bears, and lemon & chocolate Bakewell tarts.
Macaron gift box, Mademoiselle Macaron x St Dalfour
According to French jam brand St Dalfour, boxes of macarons are an increasingly popular choice in France as a stylish alternative to chocolate eggs during Easter.
The company has teamed up with Edinburgh-based Mademoiselle Macaron to create a limited-edition gift set featuring a tricolour of macarons (red, white, and blue) with three accompanying mini jars of St Dalfour fruit spread – strawberry, orange, and blueberry – to add as gooey fillings.
Each box is priced at £10 and available to pre-order online before 17 April.
Simnel Slices, Mr Kipling
Having just come out with non-HFSS cake slices for lunchboxes, the Premier Foods-owned brand is looking to expand the Easter season beyond chocolate and bring a fruity flavour to retailer shelves. Its new limited-edition Simnel Slices (rsp: £2 | pack of six) encapsulate a fluffy and moist sponge with succulent dried fruit, sandwiched with a marzipan flavour filling and topped with soft marzipan flavour icing.
Mr Kipling refers to WPO Total Market data from 14 April 2024 in calling Simnel the third more popular cake flavour at Easter, growing 7.4% versus 2023. Often found in larger sharing cakes, the new Simnel Slices are aimed at meeting increasing demand for sweet bakery convenience and leverage Mr Kipling’s bestselling cake format [Circana sales data, 52w/e 14 September 2024].
“Easter remains highly important for attracting and driving penetration of newer, lighter buyers,” commented Naomi Shooman, global marketing director for sweet treats at Premier Foods. “Mr Kipling brought in the most new shoppers of any Easter cake range in 2024,” she added, referring to Kantar data for the 16 weeks to 14 April 2024.
Easter Cinnamon Social, Ole & Steen
The Danish bakery chain has put an indulgent twist on its signature bake, the Cinnamon Social. Soft, sweet, and buttery cinnamon dough is topped with chocolate mini eggs to offer a “little extra hygge” (Danish word for relaxation) in every bite.
Sold exclusively at Ole & Steen’s 26 stores in London, Windsor, Oxford and Guildford until 21 April, the Easter Social is available in three size options: by the slice (rsp: £4.65), half (£12.45), and whole (£20.95).
Ole & Steen previously ran a limited edition Valentine’s Social during February, and more recently unveiled new sweet and savoury bakery items as part of a spring 2025 menu.
Easter range, Paul UK
A trio of sweet seasonal treats has been hatched by bakery chain Paul UK. First up is an adorable Bunny Chocolate Tartlet (rsp: £5), which has a white and milk chocolate bunny face, ears and feet bathing in a rich puddle of dark chocolate ganache, all encased in a sweet shortcrust pastry.
Next is the Brioche Chick (rsp: £2.75) comprised of soft buttery brioche shaped as a chick emerging out of a white and milk chocolate shell. Lastly, and as a centrepiece for the Easter table, there’s a Carob Cake (rsp: £32 | serves six to eight) comprised of soft ‘Carob’ sponge, a naturally sweet and caffeine-free substitute for chocolate with a mildly nutty and caramel-like flavour. Between and atop the two sponge layers are smooth chocolate specked buttercream with a crown of chocolate curls and mini chocolate eggs.
The items are available at Paul’s 32 stores across London, Reading, and Oxford – plans are afoot to expand its estate in the Southeast via a new franchise partner.
Mini Egg Shortbread gift bag, Walker’s Shortbread
For that special time of the year, when the sun starts to shine, the flowers are in bloom, and the Easter bunny leaves behind baskets of delights, Scottish shortbread specialist Walker’s has released a new branded jute gift bag packed with Easter-themed all-butter goodies.
Available exclusively via its website for nationwide delivery (rsp: £22), the selection includes Mini Egg Lemon, Vanilla, Wee Shorties, and Sheep versions of the company’s shortbread, along with Ecclefechan Tarts (similar to mince pies but made with puff pastry), Fruit & Lemon Biscuits, and Belgian Chocolate Chunk Biscuits.
Do you think your new bakery product is the best in the nation?
Then be sure to enter the Baking Industry Awards 2025. There are 15 categories to choose from including New Bakery Product of the Year as well as the brand-new Supplier of the Year and returning Team of the Year.
Now in its 38th year, the awards recognise talent, innovation, and dedication as it celebrates the best people, products, and businesses the industry has to offer.
Entries are now open and cost £85 plus VAT with the exception of Rising Star and Outstanding Contribution to the Baking Industry, which are free to enter. The entry deadline for all categories is Monday 28 April – to enter the awards, or for more information, visit www.bakeryawards.co.uk.
Finalists will be revealed on BritishBaker.co.uk in August, with winners announced at a black-tie ceremony on Thursday 23 October at the Royal Lancaster in London.
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