bake - September 2016 - PAN35

CAKES AND
PAN
DECORATING
Y HORNEO

Inspired by Adventure
Angelica Aranda of La Reyna
Bakery in Santa Rosa, California,
recognizes that customers are
increasingly looking for adventure
when they shop her family's bakery
for cakes and other desserts.
"I always experiment when
creating cakes for families," she
says, adding that she recently
made a two-tier cake for a baby's
first birthday cake. "I try to go
over the top with cake designs.
This is my playground."
At La Azteca Bakery in Salinas,
California, the decorators make
a special gelatin cup in which an
edible flower is placed inside the
gelatin. The gelatin mixture then
goes into a large a wine glass to
create an elegant dessert with highimpact presentation.
Fruit tarts are another huge
seller nowadays for California
bakeries. At Lola's Market, a fivestore operation based in Santa Rosa,
they make a signature fruit tart
with slices of green kiwifruit, red
cherries, orange wedges and fresh
glazed strawberries.
The trick is first to gauge
demand for which flavors, toppings
and icings your customers will

respond to. Pay close attention
to what the majority of your
customers are willing and not
willing to spend. Consumers
continually show a willingness to
spend more on products that fall
into one of two categories: unique
and premium quality items.
Rambutan is a new addition
as a topping on the popular
mango mousse cake at several
bakeries in California. Native to
Southeast Asia, the tropical fruit
offers a distinctive flavor that is
slightly tart and delicately sweet.
More than that, the presentation
of exotic fresh fruit on mango
mousse cakes serves as a boost
to both profits and eye appeal.
Customers see something they've
never encountered before and are
more willing to pay a little extra.
FALL FLAVOR INSPIRATION

By September and October,
the time arrives to offer autumnal
items, from pumpkin spice lattes
and pumpkin pie donuts to caramel
apple cupcakes.
Lola's Market offers a fun and
convenient dessert in chocolatecovered apples with nuts on a stick.

By offering convenient cakes
and desserts in smaller portions,
you increase your chances of
generating higher impulse sales
among customers looking for a
quick, sweet snack.
It's equally important to shift
toward fall flavors in September and
October, as customers start to gear
up for the holidays. Pumpkin as an
ingredient has soared on menus, and
apples and pears are also are popular
ingredients for the fall.
"Society has started the holiday
preparation early," says Mary
Chapman, special projects editor at
Winsight LLC in Chicago. "More
are promoting pumpkin and other
seasonal flavors, and those who do
are finding new ways to use it."
Other fall favorites include eggrich custards and thick caramels,
including flan, tres leches and dulce
de leche.
From a marketing standpoint,
it is helpful to understand that the
tastes and choices of US Hispanics,
which make up a large percentage
of the Generation Z and Millennial
groups, will continue to grow in
importance over the next five years,
according to an NPD report.
SEPTEMBER 16

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PANADERIA

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bake - September 2016

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