By Veronica Hendrix

Who doesn’t love a moist, decadent cupcake, piled high with rich and luscious buttercream frosting?

Most of us do.

In fact, who doesn’t love desserts?

Our sweet tooth for sweet treats is a guilty pleasure we love to indulge in.

So, it’s no surprise that dessert bars featuring traditional and elevated confections are part of an emerging trend - and the recent pandemic has played a large part in that.  

As life started to get back to normal, consumers began to resume dining at restaurants and attending Sunday brunches. They once again began to gather at baby showers, weddings, birthdays, and galas, many of which were held at hotels and restaurants.

While the food was always important, the desserts were that little indulgence that guests really embraced. They were synonymous to a big hug, something we all welcomed. And when they were artfully and aesthetically displayed, they were a delight to the senses of the young and old.

In a recent article on trends in dessert bars Chef Jackie Joseph, Winner of Food Network’s “Best Baker in America” (Season 4), predicts that the concept of the dessert bar will become more prevalent and popular.

“As a former executive pastry chef of a large convention hotel, I saw the trend of an elevated dessert bar on the rise,” Chef Joseph said. “The elevated dessert bar is on the rise for its emphasis on making the dessert the star of the show. Dessert is no longer to be enjoyed at the end of the event, but a staple centerpiece to the event as a whole.” Chef Joseph is the owner of JJBakes & Co, a special-order boutique cake and pastry studio based in Louisville, Kentucky.

Static dessert bars featuring an array of single and mini bite-size portions are pretty traditional. But when you elevate some of the “usual suspects” on the dessert bar with elaborate plating, ornate display sets (think the American show “Cupcake Wars") and a few unexpected, sophisticated desserts, it creates a “wow factor” guests love to gobble up and share on their social media platforms.  Another new emerging trend at many events is the donut wall featuring an array of brightly frosted and whimsical full size and mini bite-size donuts.

Self-serve dessert stations are riding this trend and seeing a renaissance. Soft serve yogurt, build your own brownies, cookies and cupcakes are the kind stations people enjoy. The feeling of creativity and control they have in crafting their own dessert makes it a highly customized and interactive experience.

But what about those action stations? Be on the lookout for the return of dessert flambés. Bananas Foster is not the only dessert offering. Peaches, pineapple, crepes and even donuts are a few of the items that are dancing in flames.

The emerging trends in dessert bars will undoubtedly create many new and unique opportunities for the business community.  Restauranters, hotels, event planners, menu consultants, restaurant designers, pastry chefs and restaurant suppliers can all work together to create an experience for guests to remember and an experience that lives on in the social media ether for prospective guests to search and find.

Here’s looking at you cupcake! You’ve come away and you are taking so many of us with you.