Making the world a little sweeter one pastry tip at at time.
Request for wedding cake trends from HARO (Help a Reporter Out) – food related: The link isn’t active, you need to type in the query email directly. You can also sign up with HARO to have all reporter requests sent directly to you. They are …read more
Two dessert features are currently requested from HARO: over-the-top ice cream desserts (open to U.S. hotels and restaurants) and vegan ice creams. Info is below. There are no links, so just type in the email address if you want to contribute. If you’re a pastry …read more
From HARO (Help A Reporter Out): A reporter is looking for “pretty pink desserts”. Can be from a restaurant, bar, cafe, bakery, etc. Pitch your pink dessert with a picture to the email below. Email link is not active. Type in the query email manually to be involved. Request ends soon!
From Eater.com, weird and unique ice cream flavors. A look at how modern tastes are pushing the envelope with ice cream. Weird flavors equal fun ice cream. “Bacon, Foie Gras, and Durian: How Ice Cream Parlors Are Moving Beyond Vanilla,” by Brenna Houck. Eater.com. +Renee …read more
Photo courtesy Wicked Cool Toys, wickedcooltoys.com. Looking for the perfect toy for a Girl Scout this fall, or perhaps the little baker of the house? Wicked Cool Toys is coming out with a Girl Scouts Cookie Oven this Fall, 2015. Wicked Cool Toys – Girl …read more
For those that saw the falling trend of gourmet cupcakes, the news of Crumbs Bakery closing down shouldn’t come as a shock. Just looking back on articles from 2013 from the Business Insider and Forbes about the cupcake trend in general and what business insiders thought of it a year ago only shows how fragile food trends can be. Of course, hindsight is always 20/20, but some thought that the cupcake trend was here to stay forever.
I’m a believer that cupcakes in some form are here to stay, with their portability and bakers touting the cupcake’s ability to be custom designed for clients. But it is never a good idea to build a business model on a trend. Why are other cupcake eateries still going strong? Location is one, not over expanding – or getting bigger than your market can handle – is another, but the main key is to keep adapting for your customers. Just because the ‘cupcake trend’ is out, doesn’t mean the cupcake is out.
Read more about Crumbs Bake Shop closing and the financial implications from the Wall Street Journal:
Crumbs Bake Shop Closing Its Doors: Cupcake Chain Throws in the Towel, a Week After Nasdaq Suspension, Which Triggered Default by Sara Randazzo.
Crumbs Bake Shop Inc. notified employees Monday that it would be closing all of its stores at the end of the business day, a spokeswoman for the New York-based cupcake maker said.
“Regrettably Crumbs has been forced to cease operations and is immediately attending to the dislocation of its devoted employees while it evaluates its limited remaining options,” the company said in a statement to The Wall Street Journal. Those options could include a bankruptcy filing, the spokeswoman said.
Loosing a big pastry chain like that, nationally, is always a bitter pill to swallow, no matter if insiders saw it coming or not. 
Image of Crumbs Bake Shop cupcake courtesy Flickr user: snowpea&bokchoi through a Creative Commons License.
I remember when cacao varietals were beginning to take foot, and then became the rage. Single origin still remains an important segment in the confectionery industry. But it appears that private labels are vying for flavor rather than origin in creating chocolate blends, Confectionery News …read more
Which country consumed the most chocolate last year? Find out with Confectionery News’ interactive map with data from Leatherhead Food Research. And the number one is not the U.S., despite its popularity. This data is important for a variety of reasons, namely marketing to emerging …read more
Interesting read from Confectionery News about compound chocolate which may bring sad news for chocophiles. According to the Buhuler Group, the compound chocolate market will grow at a faster rate than ‘real’ chocolate the next several years and the company is working on compound chocolate processing machinery to take advantage of this opportunity.Compound chocolate contains cheaper fats replacing the more expensive cocoa butter. This not only brings down price, but makes the chocolate better protected from the elements, such as heat, that some countries have to contend with when shipping and manufacturing chocolate.
The full story:
Compound chocolate growth to outstrip ‘real’ chocolate, says Bühler
The global market for compound chocolate will grow faster than regular chocolate, according to equipment supplier Bühler which is gearing up to launch a smaller capacity compound chocolate processing machine to capitalize on the area.
Looking for an excuse to eat chocolate on a daily basis? Look to Callebaut for the answer. Their ‘Acticoa’ chocolate is processed to retain 80% of flavanols – which according to an article from Confectionery News is typically destroyed in the chocolate making process. Even …read more