The Growing Popularity of German Chocolate Cake
Not too long ago, people were all about cupcakes and there were start ups everywhere making cupcakes. Everyone wanted their cakes in cup form, probably because it touched on a special place in everyone's soul bringing back fond memories of elementary school parties. Millennials the main driving force behind this trend likely were seeking comfort in things from the past. That trend has since gone down steadily and the novelty is not quite what it was. No longer the preferred and popular option, you will not see as many people rushing for cupcakes at the local cupcake store or bakery. Instead, it is all about chocolate cake and specifically German Chocolate Cake. The traditional favorites are back and often with a spin! According to Google Trends and web analytics, the search for cake and specifically chocolate cake in on the rise beating out the reigning champion search "cup cakes". With gourmet, organic chocolate more available than ever, and exotic baking ingredients, all types of cakes are springing from home bakers pans! People are falling in love with every bite once again, finding a favorite almost every day. Cakes are trending and just about every flavor combination out there has become a cake... including some real exotic tropical cakes merged with traditional favorites. Trending cake styles among artisan bakers are flavor combinations and spins on the traditional like German Chocolate cake with passionfruit cream or dark chocolate cake with orange liqueur soaked and candied kumquat.
Cup cake trend is downward according to online search since the big peak in 2013. Crumbs Cupcake chain which was one of the fastest growing cup cake bakeries declared bankruptcy in 2014 as the trend came down from the high. Crumbs Cupcake Bakeshop story: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crumbs_Bake_Shop
Starting Something New
The cupcake trend is not entirely gone, but it has left enough room for the chocolate cake trend to explode and become once again the popular choice. Shops have taken notice of this and with fewer and fewer people purchasing cupcakes, smart bakeries have quickly adapted. Chocolate cake sales are seeing a doubling in sales rates locally here in Southern California. People want something bigger and richer, and they want all of the flavors and possibilities that come along with it. One baker Santa Barbara Chocolate sells bulk chocolate to says the trend they see in Los Angeles is for merging of traditional flavors with a twist... a popular one seems to be spicy cinnamon and chili Mexican style chocolate cake.
Adapting to this new trend has allowed these innovative shops to stay in business and grow even during the cup cake downturn. Luckily, this was not a big jump to take. As we all know chocolate cakes are popular and have been around for a long time, they just haven't been popularly sold with such an exotic twist. People of course want the same cakes they love, just more often and with more choices. Shops are quickly expanding their chocolate cake options, making sure that all buyers get the products they desire most. Some bakers have told us making the cakes 6" in diameter are the best sellers and ones with single layers. Bakers suspect it is more about the indulgence and frequency that is driving this choice... better to get a fresh cake more often than to have left overs.
Options and Love
Cake flavors exist of all kinds and combinations. From spicy and exotic to sweet and familiar, they are all out there. You can find a flavor that suits your tastes. There are more types of cake today than there has ever been.
Quality has gone up too with the awareness of organic chocolate and cocoa powder as an ingredient. Since you can buy excellent bulk chocolate of any kind, some grocery stores like Vintage Grocers are now offering single origin chocolate cakes for sale. For example, Vintage Grocers in Malibu and Westlake is now offering a single origin Ecuador chocolate baked cake. The availability of higher quality bulk chocolates and exotic new cultural flavors create a spin on the tradition like never before.
In this exciting new trend the traditional German Chocolate Cake is leading the way in online search. People are choosing it as their baked good more often now than ever before. Nothing has radically changed in the recipe except subtle additions like the passion fruit cream mentioned above. The neat thing is we are seeing a true renaissance of cake and flavors. Traditional to exotic, chocolate cake is back and better than ever!
Google's Pinterest shows all the new spins and variations on German Chocolate Cake. Click here to see the vast array of new cake ideas and what is popular: https://www.pinterest.com/explore/german-chocolate-cakes/
The chocolate cake trend and search is consistent and is showing some growth but from what we are hearing from our chocolatier and bakery customers the trend is definitely upward and so this data is lagging. The real results are in the bakery where everyone is scrambling to get chocolate cake.
Easy Gourmet German Chocolate Cake Recipe Idea
Opt for a convenient box cake mix like Betty Crocker shown below. Then doctor it up with a couple tablespoons of black cocoa powder and a cup of gourmet organic chocolate couverture or a mild Belgian dark chocolate. It is fast, convenient and tastes great with your own savoir faire. Try adding additional scraped vanilla bean or mix in fresh passionfruit in with some powdered sugar into the ready made frosting. Be creative and push the limits. Guaranteed everyone will love what you bake!
Homemade Chocolate Cake Recipes
Chocolate Chocolate and More is a great resource if you like to bake from scratch - these cakes taste the best!
Please check out their site: https://chocolatechocolateandmore.com/recipe-index/
From scratch German Chocolate Cake Recipes: https://chocolatechocolateandmore.com/?s=german+chocolate+cake
This is one of our favorite chocolate cake recipes ever!
Some of more of our delicious delights: