The latest bakery flavour trends: Zeelandia UK explores Summers 2025’s sweetest treats.
Summer is here and so are a range of new bakery treats, launched by coffee shops, craft bakeries and the major multiple retailers. At Zeelandia UK, we’re on a mission to keep you at the forefront of the latest trends to support your own product development plans, ensuring your bakes remain irresistible to consumers all year round.
As a part of the Royal Zeelandia Family, we have a unique global perspective looking at the flavours, textures and recipes delighting consumers around the world.
Our expert team, including marketing and NPD professionals also regularly visit top retailers and artisanal bakers across the UK, to taste test their latest product launches.
We use these insights as the foundation for the development of new jams, curds, caramels and other delicious fillings which translate into profitable, on-trend recipes for our customers to meet evolving customer demands.
Summer Bakery 2025
Since the start of the year we have seen the continuing growth for indulgent ‘treats’, across all day parts including breakfast and late night snacking. Newstalgia bakes – offering a modern twist on classic favourites also shows no sign of abating.
Pistachio – the flavour on everyone’s lips
Two years after the viral launch of the Dubai Chocolate Bar, Pistachio has firmly cemented its place in the bakery world.
Thanks to its rich, nutty profile and stunning visual appeal, pistachio is showing up everywhere from cakes, cookies and pastries to doughnuts and Danish pastries.
Whether as a creamy filling or a crunchy topping it seems the UK has gone simply nutty for pistachios!
At Zeelandia UK we are particularly excited at how well pistachio pairs with other flavours – but don’t take our word for it - try it yourself.
Overfill some delicious pillowy doughnuts made with Complete Doughnut Mix with Roma Cold Patisserie and pistachio crème then finish with a sprinkle of crushed pistachios – we guarantee they will be a hit!
Caramel – the sweet sensation that continues to grow
Caramel is experiencing a major comeback and for good reason. With rising cocoa prices, caramel offers a rich, creamy, nostalgic alternative to chocolate. It’s no surprise that in 2024, over 50% of new product launches across bakery, desserts, ice cream and confectionery featured caramel, toffee, or dulce de leche and this continues in 2025.
From swirls on cookie tops, to layers in brownies, caramel is the perfect way to add extra indulgence in flavour and melt-in-your mouth texture.
At Zeelandia UK, we’re proud to offer a wide range of caramel products for filling, layering or topping. Our New Luxury Caramel is the ultimate firm set caramel with a traditional buttery flavour profile and a soft mouthfeel. Developed to be super cut-able it is the perfect choice for the most deliciously indulgent millionaires shortbread. It can also be used to flood caramel tarts, or for an extra special topping for brownies and traybakes, ensuring your products are a hit with consumers seeking out a quality treat.
Fruit Fusions: Citrus and Tropical - the signature flavours this summer
Citrus and tropical flavours have also made a big splash this summer paired with creamy fillings to offset their tartness.
Driven by the UK’s love of cocktails, we’ve seen some exotic flavours enter the scene – dragonfruit, Sicilian lemon, mango and key lime have all been used to great effect to delight the senses with a zesty punch.
Papaya identified by Tesco as ‘the UK’s fastest growing fruit flavour’ (Jan 2025), has also featured as a dessert topping while passionfruit curd has added a fresh tropical update to classic Belgian buns.
If you’re looking for something on-trend and easy to make, check out our Sicilian Lemon Meringue Cake Pots, made with John Morley Sicilian Lemon Curd layered with buttercream, meringue pieces and madeira cake – a great lunchtime treat for craft bakeries, that can also use cake cut offs reducing waste.
Or why not try Zeelandia Pineapple Jam as a topping for coconut cookies bringing the tongue tingling flavours of a classic Caribbean cocktail to your bakery range.
Creating your next Bakery range with Zeelandia UK
At Zeelandia UK, we’re dedicated to keeping your bakery innovative and profitable. Whether you are looking for inspiration for your latest doughnut fillings, a simply delicious fruit topping for your Danish pastries, or a versatile caramel at a highly competitive price, we’re here to provide both the ingredients and the inspiration to help you succeed.
By keeping an eye on the latest trends and using our global insight, we can support you to create bakery treats that not only meet, but exceed the expectations of today’s ever more adventurous consumers. Let us help you unlock new flavour and textures and elevate your recipes with premium ingredients that bring the latest trends to life.