Health kicks might come and go, but one thing that'll never go out of style is dessert. From exotic doughnuts and new wave cookies to boozy cakes, here are six amazing bakery trends of 2018 that we can't get enough of.
2017 brought us unicorn sprinkles on everything and masterpiece cakes piled high with intricate, complicated decorations, but 2018 has seen bakers seem to be going back to basics. The trends we're loving are:
1. Ruby Chocolate
2. Non-Traditional Doughnuts
3. Botanical Garnishes & Flavourings
4. Plant-Based Ingredients
5. The Casually Undone Aesthetic
6. Contemporary Cookies
Ruby Chocolate
Move over dark, white and milk chocolate. 2018 is all about ruby chocolate, a pink-hued chocolate that's said to be the first new chocolate flavour in 80 years. Food critics have predicted that it's set to take the world, particularly Instagram lovers, by storm.
Think of the possibilities the ruby cocoa offers you.
Non-Traditional Doughnuts
Chocolate glazed and jam-filled doughnuts might be classics, but the National Restaurant Association has listed doughnuts with non-traditional fillings as one of the top food trends for 2018.
Funky doughnuts have always been cool, but unique flavours and fillings are becoming increasingly popular. For example, LA-based dessert diner Cafe Dulce sells doughnuts stuffed with Snickers and NYC-based Du's Donuts have flavours like banana malt and espresso cardamom.
Botanical Garnishes & Flavourings
Floral flavouring is a huge food trend for 2018 and it extends to desserts as well. Flowery notes such as rose, lavender and elderflower are big players this year as well as the more savoury thyme, basil and rosemary.
Adding some botanical flavouring to your baking can take your goods from ordinary to something truly memorable. For example, a vanilla cake will taste great but add lavender if you want to make it an especially divine taste experience.
Plant-Based Ingredients
Vegan and gluten-free diets are becoming more and more trendy, but 2018 is the year they become properly mainstream. Jane Milton, Chief Inspiration Officer at the Food & Drink Innovation Network, told British Baker that she thinks bakers will be even more conscious about not using animal-based products.
This year, expect to see more gluten-free and vegan baked goods such as pies and pasties made from lentils, beans and mushrooms.
The Casually Undone Aesthetic
2017 was all about extreme decadence - with cakes featuring towering layers and intricately iced toppings. Basically, the taller and crazier, the better. 2018, on the other hand, is stripping it back. Think flowing waves of whipped cream and tumbles of meringue.
Contemporary Cookies
Okay, so we know cookies aren't exactly groundbreaking. But the classic cookie's been updated this year. Instead of just chocolate chip, we're seeing jumbo sizes and cookies with unusual flavours such as cheesecake and candyfloss.
There's also the new crinkled edge cookies - made famous by self-taught baker Sarah Kieffer. All she does is bang the pan a few times during baking to create the cookies' rippled edges.
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