Dr. Oetker Stories
International Baking Trends
For centuries, baking has connected people worldwide and brought them together. Traditional national classics are still very popular. However, there are always new and exciting baking trends all over the world.
14.5.2024 • Products and Services
On May 17, International Baking Day, we celebrate the joy of baking, creative decorating and pure enjoyment. For centuries, baking has connected people worldwide and brought them together around the table. Traditional national classics are still very popular. However, there are always new and exciting baking trends all over the world.
That's why Lisa Junge from International Marketing and Nadia Perziano, Trends Manager at Dr. Oetker, give us their insights into baking trends. Our baking expert, Jens Behrend from the Dr. Oetker test kitchen, also has more baking tips for us.
We at Dr. Oetker have been loving baking for more than 130 years – whether it's sweet cakes, fluffy yeast dough pastries, crispy cookies with sprinkles, or fresh bread. We share the passion for baking with many hobby bakers and offer more than 150 Dr. Oetker baking and decorating products with guaranteed success in Germany alone.
And because baking and decorating preferences vary from country to country, there are over 550 baking mixes, more than 1,100 baking ingredients, and over 1,000 decorating products worldwide. The carefully developed baking recipes from our test kitchen enable both beginners and professionals to achieve enjoyable and creative baking results. By the way, our German website is our favorite "cookbook" with delicious sweet and savory pastry and cake recipes from A to Z. The most popular recipes are real classics that many people enjoy: Chocolate Chip Muffins, Philadelphia Cake, Cheesecake, Marble Cake, and Danube Wave.
Dear Lisa, Nadia, and Jens, what do you see as THE international baking trends in 2024?
Lisa: At the top of the list are the so-called crookies, which are croissants with cookie dough in the center and on top – these are baked and create a delicious new pastry.
In addition, savory desserts, triggered by a social media trend, are also popular. These include, for example, vanilla ice cream with olive oil or desserts with ube, taro, purple, or sweet potatoes – inspired by "The Blue Zones" series. Purple cake pops have also emerged from this trend.
Nadia: Also exciting: Burnaway Cakes, a trend from the USA. These are often baked for baby showers to reveal the baby's gender. This trend involves revealing a hidden message or picture. The top layer of the cake, which consists of labeled and painted edible paper, is burned away to reveal another picture.
Jens: Spring has finally arrived in Germany and summer is on its way. That means lots of fresh fruit for wonderful fruity cakes, tarts and pastries. The fresh and fruity theme is reflected in our America Cake, for example. But also well-known classics like baklava in pastry form are very popular in various variations. Two great recipes are our Baklava Cheesecake and our Baklava Cupcakes.
"It is important to many that the recipes are "healthier”. But the experience itself, also plays an important role. It should remain exciting and new, but still be a little reminiscent of childhood, with a modern twist - it's all in the mix!" Nadia Perziano, Trends Manager
Baking recipes from around the world: Which ones are particularly popular or specific for certain countries?
Nadia: Chocolate is a very popular flavor worldwide: Classic brownies are a well-known and very popular recipe. Muffins are also popular everywhere. They allow creativity and fun in baking and decorating with various ingredients – also for children. They are the perfect choice for a birthday party or a get-together with loved ones. For a few years now, we have seen a preference for "mini" formats – this works wonderfully for muffins.
"Cheesecake is one of the most popular baking recipes right now. There are more cheesecake variations than ever before – from healthy recipes to indulgent variants" Lisa Junge, Executive Manager International Brand Management Cake/Dessert Maker
Also, cheesecake as a flavor for other product categories is a trend at the moment – for example, for cereals.
"Yeast dough is very popular in Germany. A lot of people are a little afraid of it, but it's not that difficult." Jens Behrend, Baking Expert German Test Kitchen
And to make sure that the yeast dough turns out well, we have put together a few tips on how to prepare it. The most important points are to knead the dough long enough (as specified in the recipe) and to keep the yeast dough warm so that it can rise.
Nutty flavors are also everywhere these days: Pistachios are seen in many recipes. This delicious Pistachio Raspberry Cake combines fresh fruit with the trendy nut.
On World Baking Day, we at Dr. Oetker are celebrating all pastries large and small, elaborate cakes and simply delicious cakes, crispy cookies and savory waffles and we wish everyone a lot of fun and bon appétit!
