bake - April 2014 - 21

Fruit tarts are another huge seller nowadays for

which is the same type of donut, we might ﬁll it with a

Porto's. Owner Raul Porto, whose parents Rosa and

type of jelly. Obviously, we have a lot of kids who visit

Raul Sr. opened the family's ﬁrst California bakery in

the bakery. One thing that we brought on board is

1975, foresees a pressing need for retail bakeries to

what we call a Caterpillar. Basically, it's just four donut

respond to America's growing battle against sugar.

holes on a stick. We proof them with a stick in it, we
fry it and then we decorate it, including adding M&Ms

"One of the things we thought, especially lately in

as eyes. It's very popular and we sell a lot of them."

California, where all you hear is that everyone wants
to eat healthier, we were always concerned that if

In Salt Lake City, UT, The Sweet Tooth Fairy Gourmet

all we had were products with chocolate and cream,

Bake Shop produces some of the most interesting

some customers just wouldn't be happy with that,"

cupcake designs, such as the Apple Pie Cupcake that

Porto says. "Fruit tarts are a big component of our

is made with pieces of crust in the topping. Other

sales. We started them maybe 15 years ago. Today,

popular ﬂavors include Strawberry Shortcake, Crème

we actually not only do the fruit tarts, but we have a

Brulee, and VaNIElla Squared, a vanilla cupcake with

lot of cakes that have fruit in them. A fruit tart might

a blend of extracts and a maraschino cherry on top.

have the same calories as a chocolate cake, but it's

Owner Megan Faulkner Brown, a Cupcake Wars

perceived as a healthier, more natural product. I think

champion, points out the importance of rotating

that's where we're going."

in favorite ﬂavors monthly and designing creative
combinations that will keep customers coming back

Different trends for different cities

for more. Her bakery's cupcakes sell for $2.35 apiece

Elsewhere in America, retail bakeries are adapting to

or $27 for a baker's dozen.

local demand, which can vary dramatically from one
part of the country to the next. In Indiana, Muncie-

The Bake Works in Northﬁeld, NJ, near Atlantic City,

based Concannon's Bakery, Café and Coffee Bar

features all sorts of mouth-watering cupcakes and

features new gourmet donuts, including varieties

cakes that are ﬁlled and topped with decadence. The

topped with kids' cereal. Titus Bakery, located in

bakery's three-layer "Masterpiece Cakes" include such

Lebanon, IN, offers a creative assortment of donut

favorites as the Peanut Butter Candy Cake (vanilla

varieties including the new Caterpillar donut for kids.

cake ﬁlled with peanut butter cream and covered in
ganache). Many of their cakes are covered in ganache

"We typically have 12 to 13 varieties of donuts," says

as an indulgent topping. A 6-in three-layer cake sells

Titus Bakery owner Terry Rake. "What we try to do

for $23, while a 16-in three-layer sells for $119.

is expand on the types
of donuts by how it's
ﬁnished. One donut we
might add chocolate and

To learn more about the latest innovations in retail baking, visit Discovering America's Bakeries
on The Baking Channel, sponsored by Dawn Food Products, Inc., at www.bakemag.com.

sprinkles. Another donut,
bakemag.com | APR 2014 > 21

http://www.bakemag.com http://www.bakemag.com

bake - April 2014

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of bake - April 2014