bake - September/October 2024 - PAN35

CAKES AND DECORATING
Don't forget to decorate cakes with
festive icing or toppings to make them
irresistible.
Cookies are a great addition to any
Thanksgiving spread. Offer a range of
options from classic chocolate chip to
fall-inspired flavors like pumpkin spice,
maple pecan, or cranberry orange. You can
offer beautifully decorated sugar cookies in
shapes like leaves, pumpkins, or turkeys.
Add a modern twist to traditional
Thanksgiving desserts by updating the
classic apple pie with a salted caramel
drizzle or create a pumpkin cheesecake
with a gingerbread crust. These twists on
classics can attract both pie lovers and
those looking for something new.
Thanksgiving is the perfect time to
showcase the versatility and creativity of
your bakery. By expanding your menu
beyond pies, you not only cater to a wider
audience but also increase your potential
for sales and customer loyalty.
PUMPKIN FLAVORS
The pumpkin flavor trend that becomes
ubiquitous each fall still has legs and
may have become a permanent feature of
the autumn culinary scene.
" We might be tired of hearing about
pumpkin ... but it's still a key, very
important flavor, " said Renee Lee Wege,
trendologist and senior publications
manager at Datassential, during a webinar
on fall food trends.
Pumpkin's versatility as a flavor in both
sweet and savory applications has helped
food makers and foodservice operators
find innovative ways to incorporate it into
their seasonal offerings beyond pumpkin
pie and pumpkin lattes, she said.
Operators can also innovate with twists
on traditional favorites, such as the Triple
Layer Pumpkin Cream Pie, a dessert that
features layers of pumpkin cream and
vanilla cream cheese fillings and is topped
with whipped cream.
" It's a really good spin on a traditional
pumpkin pie, " said Wege, noting that
consumers gave the dish very high
scores for both its uniqueness and
purchase intent.
Overall, pumpkin appeared in 144
new limited-time offers on the menus of
major restaurant chains last fall, according
to Datassential's newly published Fall
Seasonality Trend Report.
Operators are also innovating with other
fall flavors, such as caramel apple, to tie
them into fall holidays and events.
Caramel-apple flavor ranks as one of the
highest-indexing flavors last fall, according
to the Datassential report. In addition
to caramel apple, other sweet flavors and
items that indexed highly on fall menus
included pecan pie, caramel apple pie,
pumpkin pie, chestnut, streusel, cinnamon
roll, and praline. On the savory side, the
top indexing fall flavors and ingredients
included clove, sautéed peppers, bratwurst,
stuffing, both cranberry and cranberry
sauce, and pumpkin spice.
The research found that Thanksgiving is
the most celebrated fall holiday, cited by
83% of consumers, followed by Halloween
at 65%.
A large majority of consumers (72%)
reported that they prefer to celebrate
Thanksgiving with traditional foods,
but 21 % said they are open to a mix of
traditional and modern foods, and 7%
said they prefer modern alternatives,
such as quail, Cornish game hen, or
plant-based turkey as a main course, and
globally inspired dishes as a side.
" I think that's a great opportunity to
have a lot of those classics and having one
or two new fun ways to put a spin on it
and not alienate anyone, " said Wege.
Other holidays that may offer
opportunities for specialty food
introductions include Día de Los Muertos,
or Day of the Dead, celebrated mostly
in Mexico on Nov. 1 and 2 but gaining
popularity in the U.S. and sometimes
extending beyond those days. 10% of
consumers report celebrating this holiday,
according to Datassential.
PANADERÍA | OCTOBER 2024
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