Wednesday, November 26 is National Cake Day. Which begs the question, what is the most popular cake flavor in North America and why?
The Reigning King of Cake Flavors
With so many different levels of richness and options for flavor pairings, chocolate remains the most popular cake flavor. This childhood favorite has the flexibility to be quickly elevated to a sophisticated level when mixed with flavor accents. Within all regions, age groups and genders, chocolate cake continues to have the most diversity of acceptance and the highest taste score for cake flavor. Cake is by far the most gender-neutral dessert of them all and it accounts for 25 percent of all desserts ordered or purchased. With retail sales of cakes in the U.S. accounting for multiple billions of dollars, the majority of these sales were associated with some type of chocolate cake flavored product. Sales of unpackaged or artisanal cakes have traditionally accounted for approximately three-quarters of all cake sales. This will continue to dominate sales into the future. New television and online shows focusing on cakes are shifting away from only dessert and special occasion consumption to focus on more in-home entertaining. This is supporting growing sales for chocolate cake flavors for in-grocery and independent bakeries. This is a prominent trend as the leading flavor featured in desserts on Canadian menus is chocolate. The likelihood that chocolate will be overtaken as the most popular flavor anytime soon is not realistic, but there is one cake flavor that is experiencing a surprising upturn.
Which Cake Flavor Is On The Rise?
Fittingly named for its deep red color, red velvet cake is the definitive hue to represent love and romance. Surveys indicate that although red velvet cake is a relatively recent newcomer, its popularity is soaring. In 2014, it has become one of the most popular cake flavors in North America with the highest growth volume year over year. This is partly due to consumers opting for cake flavors that offer a break from tradition. This is especially true with 25-39 year old females in bridal related settings. As the bridal industry goes, red velvet cake grows in popularity. Popular movies and media contribute to its popularity. Prominent companies and bakeries have begun featuring red velvet cake exclusively because of the demand. According to Facebook, the country with the highest number of Red Velvet Cake fans is the United States. In 2009, red velvet cake flavoring was part of 1.5 percent of all items on menus. By 2013, it was in 4.1 percent of items. This is a huge increase. However, this phenomenon may slow down in the future. The number of new products with red velvet in the title is slowing slightly. Between 2012 and 2013, the number was down to 12 percent, yet it continues to endure. The secret to red velvet cake is the flavor of the red food coloring. Without the coloring, the concept is gone and this limits potential for market increase in multiple categories. Purists will argue that true red velvet cake doesn’t come from red food coloring, but in mass market it most certainly does. Red velvet cake is coming on strong, but it’s not the leader yet.
===
This article is free information from Contract Testing Inc., an established leader in sensory product research and consumer product research for the food, beverage, and (QSR) quick service restaurant industries throughout the United States and Canada. To learn more about the complete scope of product research services, please call 1-905-456-0783 or visit us online ContractTesting.com.