Baked Goods Market Research Reports & Industry Analysis

Breads. Popular types of loaf bread include white, whole wheat, whole grain, French, Italian, pumpernickel and rye, potato, sourdough, and artisan.

Flatbreads include the popular Middle-Eastern style pita as well as the Latin American tortilla are also popular.

Cakes. The cake category includes any full-sized, multiple-serving cakes. Ingredients include flour, butter or other shortening, eggs, and sugar and/or other sweetener.

Snack Cakes. Snack cakes are essentially single serving cakes that do not require utensils. Examples include cupcakes and brownies. Many snack cake products feature relatively unique brand formulations.

Muffins. Resembling cupcakes, muffins are less sweet, and therefore suit a greater range of meal occasions. The most popular muffins are corn, bran, and blueberry.

Pastries. The pastry category encompasses coffee cakes, Danish pastries, eclairs, cream puffs, bismarcks, turnovers, and tortes. Other well-known international pastries such as Italian zbaglione, Middle Eastern baklava, and German strudel are also popular.

Cookies. The word “cookie” derives from the Dutch koekie, or “little cake.” Dutch settlers were the first to make cookies in the New World. Crispy, soft-baked, biscuit, fruit-filled, chip, sandwich creme, shortbread/butter, wafer, frosted, glazed, sugar-sprinkled, enrobed, animal cracker, and graham cracker are popular cookie types.

Doughnuts. Doughnuts are deep-fried or baked, bready rings with a hole in the middle. They are usually yeast-raised, but are sometimes leavened with baking powder. Plain doughnuts have a slightly sweet flavor. Other varieties of donuts include glazed or frosted; dredged with granulated, confectioners’, or cinnamon sugar; or topped with candy sprinkles or chopped nuts.

Pies. Pies are basically confections baked in a single or double crust. Fruit pies include apple, blueberry, cherry, peach, apricot, kiwi, and others. Cream pies may be chocolate, coconut, or Boston cream. Meringue pies feature a layer of meringue over lemon, lime, coconut, or other fillings. Popular nut pies include pecan and walnut, often combined with chocolate. Custard, mince, and pumpkin pies are holiday favorites.