Top 6 Dessert Sector Trends for 2021

Cara Squires, writer

Published at 05/11/2021, Updated on 21/10/2024 , Reading time: 6 min

Top 6 Dessert Sector Trends for 2021 — Photo © Top-6-Dessert-Sector-Trends-for-2021.jpg

Looking to combine your desire to run your own profitable and successful business with your love of all things sweet and tasty? Starting your own business in the dessert sector might be the perfect professional adventure for you. Competition is fierce in the food service, but we’re here to help. In this article, you’ll get ahead of the game and discover six of the latest dessert sector trends shaping the industry in 2021.

34% of Brits eat sweet treats once a day, and 35% eat them once or twice a week [YouGov]. That’s a whole lot of demand waiting to be capitalised on if you can find the right niche and put in the work. If starting your own dessert franchise really feels like your calling, stick around. Start your dessert industry market research journey here, and head into that franchise investment with your eyes wide open.

>> Read more:

What does a dessert franchise do?

A dessert franchise is a fun, sugar-sweet way to enter the food service industry, and there are so many different delicious options to choose from in this area. You could start a crepe franchise with Crepe Delicious, or create and sell artisanal Belgian chocolate brownies with Chock Shop, or even launch your own Cinnabon or Baskin Robbins location in the UK!

The sweets sector is wide open, and the choice is yours. Though your work will vary depending on the niche you invest in, you can expect your daily tasks as a franchisee to include:

Baking and/or buying sweet food products
Taking orders and selling sweet food products
Communicating and negotiating with customers
Performing quality checks
Keeping production areas clean
Taking stock and ordering supplies
Developing new recipes and creating custom designs
Managing a team of employees (for larger-scale investment options)

The shape of the sweets sector post-COVID

Comfort eating has been on the rise during the unpredictable year-and-a-half following the first UK COVID-19 lockdown in March 2020, and for many, there’s no bigger comfort than a lovely dessert. In 2020, for instance, a whopping 10.6 million people consumed ready-to-eat dessert products [Statista].

In every respect, dessert demand is on the rise in a post-COVID Britain. This demand is one of the biggest advantages of starting your own dessert franchise right now, and it only looks set to grow - especially if you’re able to invest in a franchise business that offers healthier, lower-sugar options. 70% of dessert lovers believe desserts can be both healthy and indulgent, and 36% of less frequent dessert eaters would be prompted to partake more regularly if desserts were lower in sugar [Mintel].

The 6 biggest sweets sector trends in 2021

The following six trends are either emerging or gaining momentum in 2021, and they’re very much worth paying attention to if you’re looking to thrive in the dessert industry and consistently outperform your competition. From drinkable desserts to new ways of tasting the rainbow, here are the seven biggest sweets sector trends...

1. Dessert charcuterie boards

Cheese, chutneys and cooked meats lovingly arranged on a board are still very much loved, but this new and exciting form of charcuterie board - the dessert spread - is rising in popularity right now. Dessert charcuterie boards make for a fantastic and fascinating fixture at events of all kinds, giving attendees an array of tasty options to choose from. From macaroons to chocolate-covered pretzels, marshmallows to party rings, the options are endless in this area.

2. Rainbows, rainbows and more rainbows

Rainbows have always been a well-loved symbol in the UK, but no more so than they are post-COVID, at a time when the average person needs that extra ray of sunshine. This might explain why so many experimental bakers and cake decorators have been sharing their rainbow-i-fied creations recently. If your dessert franchise’s window display needs a bit of post-launch life and positivity, now you know what to do.

3. Piñata cakes

If you’re running a coffee shop franchise like Sweet Spot and offering your customers plenty of assorted desserts, it’s important that you don’t get stuck in a cake-based rut. Yes, cake is a staple of the genre, but there’s still room to experiment with the medium and create new flavour journeys. Take colourful, exciting and surprising piñata cakes as the perfect example. Most savvy bakeries will be offering this type of cake by 2022, so be sure you’re paying attention.

4. Gourmet cookies and brownies over tiered cakes

From weddings to anniversaries and birthdays, many customers in Britain are breaking the cake mould in 2021. Gourmet, melt-in-your-mouth cookies and brownies are replacing grand, tiered cakes as the confectionery of choice at big celebrations. New flavours, new textures, new sensations and new aesthetic arrangements await exploration in this world of opened-up options.

>> Read more:

5. Croissant splicing

Croissants recently overtook the “Full English” in terms of popularity with UK consumers [The Express]. Like a cooked breakfast served all day at a greasy spoon diner, croissants don’t need to stay confined to the first meal of the day. They don’t even need to stay in their regular, curved and curled form! This breakfast staple has seen some heavy experimentation for years now, and the hype is only continuing to grow. Check out cronuts (croissant/donuts), croissant sandwiches, croissant French toast and croissant and butter pudding.

6. Drinkable desserts

Sixth and finally, drinkable desserts. These decadent liquid desserts offer foodies a new way to consume their sweet treats. Think milkshakes, thickshakes and freakshakes. Think boozy fruit sorbets. Think cocktail cakes. Think hot chocolate bombs, cocoa dessert spoons and other edible utensils (like peppermint straws). Think whatever you can, because when it comes to drinkable dessert choices, the sky's the experimentative limit.

With the latest dessert trends at the front of your mind, you’ve never been in a better position to start running a franchise

If this article has left you raring to go and more certain than ever that you could find success starting your own dessert franchise, stay on Point Franchise. Continue your research, and come closer to the moment that you make that career-transforming investment. Look into every niche, and keep searching until you find something ideal. Check out, for instance, the crepe scene. Find out how to start your own crepe franchise, and discover the top crepe restaurant trends of 2021.