HALLOWEEN is now one of the baking high points of the year, with home cooks keen to rustle up creepy cupcakes, slime-drenched biscuits and other blood-curdling creations, according to home-baking supplier Dr Oetker.
“Unlike Christmas and Easter where the focus is on the aesthetics of baking, Halloween provides a great opportunity for creativity,” said Gill Davies, executive head of marketing (ambient), for Dr Oetker UK.
“Consumers are increasingly baking over Halloween when we see strong sales in decorative products such as icings, especially the traditional Halloween colours of black and orange.
“Halloween is a really creative time for families and friends, people enjoy making spooky cakes and treats and we are helping them to become more adventurous.”
Davies said, however, that the home baking market, which has shown major growth in recent years, has started to plateau.
“Despite this, the category is still extremely strong and performing well, worth approximately £1bn according to Kantar.”
Scratch baking is still, she continued, extremely popular with UK consumers and remains the preferred method of making cakes, biscuits and other sweet treats at home for many people.
“It’s no surprise that we’ve seen cake mixes experience some decline. However, sub- categories such as cake decorations and snacking fruit continue to drive growth year on year.”
