When assessing consumer response to bakery, it is impossible to put bread and cakes in the same basket. New research from Innova Market Insights reveals that bakery consumers are split in attitudes towards bread and cake. 

The former is seen as an everyday staple with health and nutritional benefits, while the latter is a pleasurable indulgence for more occasional use.

“In East Europe, cakes are most often eaten with the evening meal,” says Lu Ann Williams, director of innovation at Innova Market Insights. “But North Americans are most likely to choose cakes as evening snacks.”

It is also evidenced that cake consumers are “bigger experimenters” compared to their bread-eating counterparts. A total of 44 percent of consumers surveyed say that they would experiment with flavor choices in cake versus 33 percent in bread.

Disparities in flavor preferences
Innova Market Insights found that there are clear preferences for strong and innovative flavors in cake consumption, while bread consumers tend to prefer milder and more familiar tastes.

There can also be regional distinctions among bakery consumers. For instance, in eating occasions, breakfast is on average the most important time for bread consumption, but lunch takes the lead in parts of Europe.

Similarly, the trend of cakes being eaten as afternoon snacks was found to vary across different regions.

Similarities between bread and cake consumption
It would be wrong to say that there are no similarities between bread and cakes, concede Innova Market Insights’ analysts. For instance, taste is still the single most important choice factor in both categories. 

Similarly, freshness is highly valued across bakery, although slightly more so in bread than cakes.

Over half of all consumers would also pay more for fresh products, a figure that increases with age, notes Innova Market Insights. A total of 59 percent of consumers expressed a clear preference for fresh bread, while just 16 percent preferred products with longer shelf lives.

Although regular supermarkets are the primary purchasing channels of both bread and cakes, just over one-third of consumers still buy them at local bakery shops. 

This is particularly pronounced in Latin America and Continental Europe, wher over 40 percent of survey respondents use specialist outlets.
International Flavors & Fragrances (IFF) is targeting label-friendly baking demands with the launch of its new dough strengthener EnoveraTM 3001 in the North American market. The “enzyme-only” ingredient allows industrial bakers to formulate without compromising dough strength, texture or taste.

A total of 44 percent of consumers surveyed say that they would experiment with flavor choices in cake versus 33 percent in bread. IFF also launched a new range of bakery enzymes for the amid a boom in the nation’s demand for sweet baked goods. Powerfresh and Powersoft are marketed under the Danisco range of food ingredients that is now part of the IFF family. 

Meanwhile, yellow chlorella has been found to function well as an egg substitute, while white chlorella can replac conventional dairy bases such as milk, increasing the protein content in plant-based baked goods.

In other ingredient developments, Ardent Mills, a North American flour-milling and ingredient company, launched its keto-certified Net Carb Flour Blend, hailed by the company as “the industry’s first major net carb flour blend for keto and low net carb baked applications.” 

UK-based flavors producer Synergy Flavours also released an ingredient tipped as making significant fat and calorie reductions in baked goods, such as muffins, cookies and biscuits. In the same month, Swiss margarine producer Grüninger unveiled technology to produce palm-free, vegan and vegetarian margarines and bakery fats that mask any off-notes.