bake - September 2018 - 42

cakes

72 percent of US adults
celebrated Halloween in 2017,
a noticeable increase from 59
percent a decade earlier.
National Retail Federation's annual Halloween survey

"I love laughing, hopping around, being creative, but also being
savvy," Tosi told bake. "I know how lucky I am. I get to do what
I love every single day. Though I do it with hard work, determination, passion and humility, I have the supreme fortune to do
it with great success. Inspirations come from all over, from old
cookbooks, tattered index cards, a meal out, a trip across the
country. Lightning could strike at any moment."

Colorful Leaves Dec-Ons® decorations, to name a few. Mix up
the trendiest new fall colors with Lucks' scientiﬁcally formu-

According to Lucks, cute is the new creepy for Halloween

lated food color.

sweets. Desserts are a big part of this treat-focused holiday
and become popular icons alongside the expected ghosts

Managing proﬁtability

and jack-o-lanterns. For a twist, the upcoming "Creep it Cute"

In Texas, where everything big matters, Three Brothers Bakery

trend turns pumpkins bright pink and unicorn horns overtake

serves up the ultimate holiday cake with something for

devil horns.

everyone. They call it the Pumpecapple Piecake, and it sells
for $250. This special cake requires ﬁve days' notice because

Día de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) is an increasingly popular

of the complexity of its production. Each piecake is layered

holiday in the United States, and bakeries should tap into

with a generous ﬁlling of scratch-made cream cheese icing.

demand for the celebration. Occurring just after Halloween, the

Finally, this large confection is iced all over with cream cheese

same bright colors from the Creep it Cute trend are still in play.

icing and is garnished with pecan pieces and topped with a

Add a sugar skull decoration for an easy transition.

generous caramel drizzle.

For Thanksgiving desserts, customers are increasingly seeking

"It's a pumpkin pie in a pumpkin spice cake, a pecan pie in

out desserts with natural food colors, including Boho warm

chocolate cake, and an apple pie in an apple spice cake," said

magentas and cool turquoises that add a modern ﬂair to tradi-

Bobby Jucker, chef and owner at Three Brothers Bakery.

tional fall oranges and browns. Stylized rustic icons like ﬂowers,
leaves and hand-written fonts appear on cakes with a "home-

The road to higher proﬁts in the cake business starts with

made" feel.

creating new levels of price points that depend more on
cupcake to be a valued treat, then the threshold has been

Thanksgiving celebrations prompting the trend "friendsgiving,"

achieved. "Creating new price points in categories of products

which is a more casual, diverse and personalized gathering

has been good for all of us," says Page Busken of the iconic

among friends. Shareable large desserts are accompanied with

Busken Bakery in Cincinnati, now in its 90th year. "Now you can

small treats personalized for each guest in a variety of ﬂavors,

sell a cupcake for $2 or more. We like that."

decorations or even messaging. Visit lucks.com to see what's
new: check out our sugary Skate Park Dec-Ons® decorations,

Brian Busken, vice president of Busken Bakery, points out that

shimmery Party Pumpkins Edible Image® design and Boho

millennials are opening more doors for creative expression

42 < SEP 2018 | bakemag.com

THREE BROTHERS BAKERY

perceived value than price. If a consumer considers a $3
Friends are increasingly included when it comes to

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bake - September 2018

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