2018 Holiday Baking Trends Blog Post

2018 Holiday Baking Trends

Fall is upon us with winter quickly on the way, and for the professional bakers among us, this is an exciting time of year. The cool season is associated with several notable baking trends and yearly stand-bys, including a few seasonal elements that aren’t too popular at other times of the year.

At Stratton Sales, when we aren’t helping provide you with high-quality baking and industrial kitchen equipment or offering technical support for these products, we can help offer expertise on some of the more fun elements of baking – such as seasonal holiday baking trends for the year 2018. Here are a few to consider, including a couple that are popular every year around this time.

Pumpkin Spice

Pumpkin is most popular right around Halloween, but it continues to be a great baking choice throughout the winter. Part of the draw here is absolutely the seasonal, limited-time nature – people know they only have so long before pumpkin products aren’t on the shelves anymore, and they get very excited about buying them.

You might consider pumpkin spice brownies, which will then incentivize your customers to come right back for candy cane brownies or other Christmas treats. Using this seasonal fad as a way to introduce clients to some of your best offerings is a great strategy for adding to your business.

Warm, Savory Flavors

During the cooler parts of the year, we all seek comfort and happiness from warm things. Think of curling up in blankets by the fire during a snowstorm, for instance – the cold makes getting warm feel all that much better.

This can be applied to your baking themes as well. Consider flavor accents like bacon, smoke and bourbon, each of which add a warm nuance to your baked goods. Even if these aren’t the primary flavors in your products, using them as a little texture will subconsciously draw clients back to your products.

Exotic Donut Fillings

Donuts are a great winter treat, and getting creative with the fillings is all the rage in recent years. If you already have great donuts, consider pairing them with new fillings like lavender, hibiscus, rose or other floral notes. If you want to go a bit more botanical instead, consider flavors like basil, thyme or rosemary.

Ruby Chocolate

White chocolate was the last major chocolate invention over 80 years ago, but there’s a new one making the rounds: Ruby chocolate. This is a pink-tinted chocolate with a berry flavor, all from the natural Ruby cocoa bean. This earthy origin and unique flavor is making ruby chocolate more and more popular, and could be a great way to draw new customers this winter.

For more on holiday and winter baking trends for 2018, or to learn about any of our bakery equipment or supplies, speak to the staff at Stratton Sales today.