Compiled with industry insight, hard-earnt bakery experience, and the latest data, this year’s cake trend report is our most ambitious yet. As always, it’s written with a finger on the pulse and an ear on the ground. We’ve gone beyond flavour-of-the-month fluff to bring you the essential trends shaping the future of cakes and bakes in Britain and beyond.

Top Ten Cake Trends for 2026

1. Pistachio Persists

It may no longer be novel, but it’s not going anywhere. Pistachio continues to dominate menus across all formats, layer cakes, tiramisus, cheesecakes, doughnuts and even gelato cake hybrids. Its luxe green hue still screams sophistication, and despite potential backlash tied to the over-exposure of Dubai chocolate and ethical concerns with the name itself (in reference to the UAE's complicity in the Sudanese genocide), pistachio’s versatility and indulgence keep it on trend.

2. Mile-High Cakes

Layer upon layer of sponge, ganache, mousse, and praline. With consumers associating taller cakes with higher value, sky-scraping slices are commanding premium prices - and they’re selling. Massive Matilda-style mile high chocolate pistachio cakes are both spectacle and comfort food in equal measure.

3. Matcha, But Make It a Combo

Matcha has gone mainstream (I mean, when Pret starts doing a matcha latte you know it's no longer niche), so savvy bakers are taking it up a notch. Enter matcha-strawberry cakes, matcha-coconut loafs, and even matcha-miso marvels. The trend is no longer about matcha alone, it’s about its pairings and how they elevate or ground its earthy profile. Fun fact: Our Matcha Oreo cake was released ten years ago, and sales this year have bounced back making it one of our top sellers. 

4. Sweet Heat

Chilli, cayenne, and “swicy” flavour combos aren’t cooling down. Hot honey still finds new life in glazes and drizzles, while chilli-laced chocolate ganache and jalapeño-jam fillings are making waves. Expect a new generation of “fiery comfort” cakes. It's a trend that I think will be fizzling out as soon as its caught fire though. 

5. Burn-Away Cakes

Still viral, still dramatic. The rice-paper burn-away topper trend continues to thrive in the gender-reveal, anniversary, and corporate gifting spaces. Cakes with theatrics? Always a yes. Our burn-away cakes are one of our most popular styles and it's set to be the same going into the new year based on pre-orders alone.

6. South Asian Flavours

As Diwali celebrations become more commercialised, South Asian dessert flavours are crossing over into the mainstream. Coupled with the newly elected mayor of New York City, Zohran Mamdani, which has resulted in galvanising Indian pride around the world, the spotlight on desi flavours is brighter than ever before. Think gulab jamun cheesecakes, rose cardamom loafs, pistachio and saffron layer cakes. Cultural pride is strongly correlated to culinary inspiration. 

7. Buttercream Florals

The days of real edible flower “salads” on cakes are gone. Meghan Markle can try of course, but sprinkling some edible potpourri petals over anything and everything is passe. Plus, nobody likes to chew on pesky petals. Instead, beautifully piped buttercream blooms - à la Korean cake artists - are flourishing. They’re edible, elegant, and far more photogenic. 

8. Oil-Based Sponges

They’re here to stay. Moisture-retaining, dairy-free-optional, and ideal for flavour absorption, oil-based sponges are now considered industry standard for professional cake makers. Expect customer resistance to fade as quality wins out over nostalgic preference. Our Hero Sponge Recipe is not just exclusively used at our award-winning bakery but is a cult favourite and sales are consistent each month.

9. Little Luxuries

Small indulgences pack a big punch and this might be down to the cost of living crisis. People are feeling the pinch in their wallets but are still looking for ways to treat themselves. Indulgent £20 slices of rich chocolate cake, mini bento cakes with luxe fillings and £8 bougie doughnuts are the new kids on the block of casual celebration.

10. Texture Treats

The winning formula of any food lies in its taste AND texture profile. This is why Dubai Chocolate became some a behemoth in the confectionary world (ugh, the amount of times I've referenced to this darn bar of chocolate in this article is making me squirm). The kataifi pastry (shredded pastry strands) within the kunafa filling in the aforementioned bar retains its delightful crunch when combined into the "wet" medium of creamy pistachio paste which isn't always the most straight-forward of results to achieve in patisserie. This crunchy-creamy combo has re-ignited a resurgence in other crunchy inclusions such as feuilletine, corn flakes, and nut bresilienne as we see them increasingly included in cakes, cheesecakes, doughnuts and truffles.

Emerging Trends to Watch

Ube Everything

Popular in the Philippines and the US, ube (pronounced as "oo-bay"), aka purple yam, is inching into UK bakery menus. Its vibrant hue and nutty-sweet flavour are a natural fit for aesthetic-forward bakes. Ube swiss rolls, ube doughnuts, ube cheesecake brownies, and ube cookies are early signs of a growing presence.

Yoghurt Cake Bases

Following yoghurt’s booming presence in breakfast bowls and frozen treats, it’s increasingly appearing in cake bases. The result? Moist, tangy, tender crumb with wellness connotations. We've already jumped way ahead on this trend as it features in our Hero Sponge recipe as a key ingredient.

Indian Mithai Hybrids

We’re seeing mithai-cake crossovers: barfi cakes, rasmalai trifles, and jalebi-topped celebration cakes. Driven by both cultural celebration and Gen Z experimentation, plus the high likelihood of the Zohran-effect, this trend is starting to crystallise beyond just festive bakes.

Miso in New Contexts

Miso isn’t new, but its applications are growing bolder. We’re clocking miso chocolate brownies, miso banana loafs, and even miso caramel layer cakes in UK bakeries. It adds depth, intrigue and that much coveted "umami" to otherwise safe flavour profiles.

Gut Instinct Picks: Signals, Not Yet Trends

Brown Butter Everything

We’re seeing whispers - brown butter sponge, brown butter cream cheese frosting, brown butter banana cake. It brings a richness and warmth that feels comforting, luxurious, and grown-up. In fact, our top-selling Hero Cookies recipe is a brown-butter based cookie recipe.

Tea Cakes (Beyond Matcha)

Infusions with lapsang souchong, hojicha, Orange Pekoe, masala chai and genmaicha are appearing in modern bakeries. Tea flavoured cakes are shedding their “old auntie” Earl Grey image and getting a worldly Gen Z glow-up.

The 2026 Cake Economy

Cost-of-living concerns continue to shape consumer behaviour, leading to more “premium casual” formats like bento cakes and individual portions. Cakes that scream higher perceived value (multi-layered, textural, indulgent) are more likely to win hearts and wallets for special occasions. At the same time, sustainability concerns are increasingly affecting sourcing choices - expect more conversation about palm oil, cacao ethics, and packaging as well as politically driven boycotts of certain brands and ingredient origins.

Speaking of politically driven boycotts, geopolitical factors DO shape perception: UAE or Israel linked brands could face more intensified backlash tied to international news cycles, just as dairy alternatives surge from environmentalist pressure. Apps like No Thanks and BoyCat with users in the hundreds of thousands are influencing consumer behaviour when it comes to shopping ethically - you simply scan the barcode of a product and it's flagged as problematic or not based on various micro and macro factors.

Meanwhile, social media continues to be both trend accelerator and validator. A cake that goes viral on TikTok on Monday will be requested at bakeries by Thursday. A founder of a bakery found to be linked in support of oppressive government regimes can be 'cancelled' in the court of social media within hours.  

Food and politics have always been linked. Food IS politics. However, social media is now the third wheel that makes the status quo shaky and unpredictable. Scary? Naah. It's exciting.

Leading the Conversation of Cake

Staying ahead of cake trends isn’t just about knowing what flavours are hot. It’s about understanding the stories, psychology, and spending habits behind them. This year, we’ve combined our gut honed by 15 years of experience, our extensive sales data, and our deep-dive research to ensure that what we’re baking doesn’t just respond to demand, it creates it.

I hope this article is helpful to fellow business owners. Let us know is comments which trends you're happy to see gain footing, which you're happy to see fizzle, and any that you think that should earn a spot in this list.

Happy baking,

Reshmi xoxo