Cake Shop

The popularity of gelatine desserts began during the war. With much beef being processed for the boys overseas, factories found ways to turn bone waste into profit by processing gelatine. Households made cakes, mousses or jelly desserts using gelatine as a base.

Alternative ingredients are not just a recent, 21st century fad. Bakeries were looking into ways to create flour alternatives at a lower cost back then, and ways to use less salt without compromising flavour and texture.

Cordon Bleu-trained Chef Julia Child changed the way domestic baking and the way American professional bakers saw French cuisine. Her weekly television show stoked consumer interest in European foods among North Americans.

The new boom in convenience meant grocery stores really started ramping up their pastry counters; where the stand-alone bakery offered cakes and pastry, grocery stores began offering more affordable options.

In December of 1981, the U.S. News and World Report informed readers of America’s “Great New Food Craze”: Brunch. This can be seen as an extension of the buffet experience, where consumers wanted more variety. “Once criticized for their traditional ‘meat and potatoes’ mentality, many consumers are seeking better quality, greater variety — and much more enjoyment — at mealtime,” wrote Lawrence D. Maloney and Jeannye Thornton.

The ‘bigger is better’ motif of the decadent ‘80’s continued well into this decade. The hottest plating trend moved from the artsy Nouvelle Cuisine to architectural structures. Heaping plates piled high with artistic layers of food ushered in the age of “Tall Food.” Triple decker sandwiches, high cheesecakes and improbable looking towers of cream were on every menu.

At this point, the interest in healthy ‘clean living’ is slowly making its way to bakeries, but the dichotomy between healthy and luxurious is still evident. People want something nostalgic but also want low sugar, clean label and healthier foods.