Category: Food Trends

I always wanted to be a skilled cake designer from the moment I found my love for food. However, it didn’t come to me very naturally. I decorated my sister’s wedding cake, and it was the worst decision ever in my life. I compensated her last year on her 6^th anniversary by creating another cake. I’ve finally completed design courses and have a lot of experience now. 

From my experience, understanding the fundamentals may make all the difference. I’m going to share a few fundamental cakes decorating techniques with you today that I’ve picked up in my journey towards being a cake designer. 

1. You’ve to spend some money initially. 

This was the first time I learnt how to properly decorate a cake. When I first aspired to be a cake decorator, I spent a little money on a tip set and some icing bags.

However, it’s a good idea to spend some more money in the beginning if you’re serious about it. In my design classes, we were given a list of 26 items. But you don’t need that many things to start tbh! My recommended list would cost you a few hundred dollars only. 

The fundamentals, according to Topping Solutions, are:

• Bag of pastries (fabric or disposables)
• A spatula set
• Coloured food
• Cake stand with a turntable
• Cutters 

2. You can make your own icing if you want to.

I don’t believe it’s fair of me to give away my class’s icing recipe since we paid for it, but I’ll tell you this was the toughest pill for me to swallow.

I am a firm believer in eating whole foods. However, we must utilise it to get our frosting to curve the way we want it and make lovely flowers. Why? Because butter is soft at room temperature and becomes much more so when touched. We’d end up with a melted mess!

So, swallow your pride and give this recipe a try, tweaking it as needed. You may get some excellent flavourings in the cake and confectionery aisles. I suggest that you bring additional powdered sugar to each session so that you could create a firm frosting and correctly make the flowers.

Also, if you’re using a stand mixer to create your icing, don’t go beyond number 4, or you’ll end up with too many air bubbles in your frosting. This isn’t good.

3. Overturn your cake. 

Before you finished your last cake, you were meant to apply a crumb coat, right? This is because you don’t want the crumbs to show through in the finished result.

Before I proceed any further, I strongly advise you to use a cake leveller. I was hesitant to buy it at first, but I’m happy I did in the end. The difference in how well it sliced into my cake astounded me.

Anyway, we’re left with crumbs after the cake is levelled. You are not if you flip it upside down! Huh! Who would have guessed?

4. Practice piping. 

It takes practice to make beautiful flowers and other forms using a piping bag and different tips. The same may be said with royal icing writing. Of course, nothing beats a hands-on cake decorating experience, but practising on wax paper instead of the cake is a wonderful way to get started.

Individual tiny flowers may be transferred from wax paper to the cake, but this will not work with edging or writing. Still, it’s a fantastic method to get some practice in till you master it.

5. Icing should be smoothed out.

A paper towel is a secret ingredient when it comes to smoothing off your icing.

The first step is to smooth it out as much as possible using your tiny offset spatula, then put it aside for a bit. When your cake is tacky to the touch, it’s time to smooth the icing out completely.

Simply smooth the icing over the non-patterned side of the cake with your icing smoother. You’ll have a wonderful, silky cake before you know it!

6. It probably isn’t tough enough.

This, I believe, is my greatest challenge. The frosting on my cake isn’t firm enough. Writing this article has made me want to go in the kitchen and practice (and I hope it has done the same for you!).

I just did it, and my frosting didn’t seem firm enough. So I went ahead and added some more. It’s still not firm enough. Nothing will stick if it isn’t – from the 3-dimensional flowers that make you scratch your head to the leaves – nothing will stay if it isn’t.

Purchase a large quantity of powdered sugar.

7. Practice will make you perfect. 

Practice, practice, and more practice. When I first began cake designing, I told you I had gone through many icing bags and cake boards.

I have the advantage of being in a culinary school, so I alternate between courses about baking my cake and who gets to eat it the following day (I decorate for now). They like it, and I enjoy it since it allows me to practice a simple cake without consuming it.

I also suggest that if you’re going to consume it, you don’t stick to the usual chocolate gems or vanilla flavours. Try different toppings for your practice. 

8. Is it better to write or not to write?

Surprisingly, this is one area where I am confident in my abilities.

I practised on the chocolate chip cookies whenever I could get away with it. I eventually became as excellent as, if not better than, the bakery workers. Whether you’re a left-hander or not, lol!

There is no shortcut other than practice when it comes to writing on your cake “HAPPY BIRTHDAY BOB”. My only suggestion is to hold it up high with your non-dominant hand and down low with your dominant hand to get the writing perfect. 

9. Last but not least, have fun.

I often joke with folks that I don’t have a life since I know there’s still so much I need to accomplish. I’m a graduate student, a teacher, and a Junior Class Sponsor (which means I raise money for prom… aka concession stands).

In addition, I am the sponsor of our school’s culinary competition team, I blog, and I am enrolled in a cake design program.

To summarise, I don’t have time for YouTube. I just have fun as much as I can, 

Final Thoughts 

My first attempt at cake decorating was a disaster. I didn’t devote the time and effort that I should have. Now that I’m a certified cake designer, I’m feeling more confident. I’m looking forward to being as creative in the baking department as I am in the culinary department. Nothing makes me happier than watching someone enjoy a gourmet masterpiece I created.If you’re in the same boat, I suggest enrolling in a class or doing some research and learning from those who are eager to share what they’ve learned. What’s most important? Have a good time and if you need anything for your topping, turn to Topping Solutions!

In 2021 innovation was the name of the game. The food service industry saw a rise in virtual kitchens, advanced ordering apps, and touchless delivery to meet their customers’ demands for new technologies that make life easier. 

In an ever-changing world where only those who adapt will survive, companies must constantly guard against any potential changes coming down the pipeline to not miss out on anything essential or disrupt how they operate within this lucrative market segment. Eleven food service industry trends have been highlighted in this article.

Tamper Protecting Take Out Containers

Tamper evident packages or containers are designed to seal your food once it is ready for pickup or delivery, ensuring the food has not been tampered with. This also helps you ensure that customers’ food isn’t exposed and can be left unsupervised without the worry of contamination when they’re gone on vacation! In addition, it’s clear when these packages have been opened. So, there will never be any questions about what was done while their back was turned.

Cashier Safety Shields

If you want to avoid contact with others during a pandemic, it’s not easy. Businesses have been forced to limit indoor dining and shopping in accordance with social distancing guidelines – making transactions that much more difficult for their employees or guests. But now there is an answer: cashier shields! These come in many shapes and sizes, so they can be used at any point of sale (using your thumb over the other hand will do just as well).

As businesses restrict workplace interactions due to health concerns regarding exposure risks from respiratory droplets transmitted through face-to-face customer encounters, one solution has emerged—cashier shields. It protects both customers and retail workers while giving them flexibility on where these are placed throughout the store space.

Online Ordering Apps

Restaurants are making it easier for customers to place their orders with the introduction of apps quickly. These apps also promote the restaurant through push notifications or tweets that send out coupon codes! In addition, they have streamlined the ordering process by having those apps that can offer better customer service.

Instead of developing apps, some restaurants have been taking over text-based customer requests. Nevertheless, an increase in Twitter ordering from certain establishments such as smaller local diners has been observed over the last few years. However, it could take years before starting to use any advanced technological features on a broader scale.

Virtual Kitchens/Cloud Kitchen

With the future of food becoming increasingly take-out and delivery-heavy, restaurants have had to make some changes. They turn into a fully operated ghost kitchen model with just an open space for cooking ingredients because it is cheaper than having front-of-house dining areas. 

The money they save on rent, servers, furniture, bartenders, and electricity goes towards high-quality ingredients or lowers their menu’s cost to attract more online orders from customers who want convenience instead of eating out face-to-face.

Drive-In Restaurant Service

Restaurants are seeking new ways to go out and enjoy a meal as safety rates rise. Drive-in diners provide the perfect solution since they allow customers to order their food before arriving at the restaurant via a computer or phone app. They then receive it through an ordering window directly attached to their car’s driver-side door, allowing for easy access while seated inside your vehicle without any worries about getting back into traffic afterward! 

This also means that restaurants can avert using up valuable parking spaces on busy nights when patrons may not want takeout but instead prefer eating indoors with family members or friends present, making everyone happy all around!

QR Code Menus

QR codes are an ingenious invention. These quick-response barcodes contain information accessible through a smartphone camera or external app, depending on the model. Recently, restaurants have been using QR code technology to house their menus and eliminate time-consuming interactions with customers by having servers carry real menus around for them instead of tangible copies – saving money in paper costs too!

Independent Delivery Services

Third-party delivery services offer a convenient way for individuals to order food. These companies partner with restaurants and have drivers deliver orders directly to the customer’s doorstep, eliminating administrative tasks from business owners on both ends of the transaction. In addition, services like Uber Eats, Doordash, and GrubHub work as an additional form of ordering food and act as a source of income for many people throughout the pandemic.

Grocery/Fresh Produce Delivery Services

Grocery store owners are always looking for new ways to stay ahead of the competition. As more people order takeout or opt for food delivery services, grocery stores offer their version of a service that allows customers to cook from home while keeping the exposure low to others. This will become the most crucial food ingredient industry trend in 2021.

In addition, it’s now possible to create and check out your cart online so it can be delivered right at your door! Grocery Delivery Services allow you to pick up orders once they have been prepared without having the inconvenience of going back into town on foot.

Meal Subscription Services

With more and more people making the switch to exclusively using internet-based services, subscription meal deliveries have begun popping up all over. Similar to Netflix or Spotify subscriptions, these meals offer a monthly fee in return for personalized food prepared just how you like it! 

Once they’ve chosen what they want as their next dish, customers will receive shipments at home that allow them to start preparing right away – no need for grocery shopping! You can also choose from different plan lengths: weekly plans send fresh ingredients every week while monthly plans deliver once per month with enough ingredients for three weeks’ worth of cooking.

Co-Op Delivery

What could possibly be more convenient than ordering products from your local farmer’s market and having them delivered to your doorstep in one package? This is what Co-op delivery does. The best part for the customer is that they can order fresh fruits or vegetables any time of year through these services without worrying about their food going bad before it arrives on their doorsteps! This is what Co-op delivery does.

Zero Contact Temperature Checks

To keep sick customers out of their restaurant, the cafe hosts are scanning every customer for fever with a contactless infrared thermometer. Contactless, non-contact technology scans the surface area without touching or making physical contact with skin and converts it into temperature readings on the large LCD screen within one second. The entire process is quick enough that guests won’t even notice they’re being scanned at all! No wonder restaurant owners are adopting this food service industry trend positively.

Usually, it takes a long time to change food ingredient solutions purchasing habits. However, that dynamic was shifted by the COVID-19 pandemic.

According to the IFIC’s 2020 Food and Health Survey, eight out of ten Americans have changed their eating habits because of the COVID-19 epidemic. Six out of ten customers say they are cooking more at home, which is the single most significant shift in behaviour. It bodes well for sauce, dressing, and condiment manufacturers.

When it comes to food trends, it’s already difficult to predict what will come next because of its ever-changing nature. Moreover, In 2021, Covid-19 limitations continue to influence how individuals consume food, shop for groceries, dine out, and engage with quick-service restaurants. That’s why it becomes more difficult! 

Topping Solutions’ Predictions for Food Trends in 2021 

In this blog post, Topping Solutions market specialists have predicted 10 trends that will influence the global food sector in 2021. We have compiled and evaluated a comprehensive list of food trend forecasts from leading industry sources, which we’ve summarized for you below. We put all of the main food industry trend forecasts in one spot.

So, what can we expect in 2021? Topping Solutions top 10 food trend forecasts for 2021 are as follows:

1. Mental Health Cooking

Food and nutrition have an important influence on general mental and cognitive well-being. And, after a long and challenging 2020, mental health is more essential than ever. There’s no disputing that a lack of crucial minerals in your body may have long-term consequences. This is why, in 2021, eating for your mind and body will be a growing culinary trend. Some amazing nutrients and superfoods may help you improve your mood, relieve anxiety, fight depression, and support your mental health.

2. On-Demand Consumption

A rise in omnichannel consumption is one of the most noticeable developments in reaction to the epidemic. Consumers today have more options than ever before in terms of eating what they want when they want it, and where they want it. Home cooking has been transformed by convenient meal options and restaurant-branded goods. It’s not only about finding familiar tastes in meals; it’s also about discovering restaurant flavours in snack items like potato chips. Convenience, better experiences, and readily available indulgence are now more essential than ever for food producers.

3. Celebrating Culture Through Food

Every year, a new worldwide emphasis on particular regional tastes emerges. Due to the limited travel opportunities in 2020, many nations celebrated their history via cuisine. For example, in the United States, we’ve seen a rise in African American food and companies as people become more interested in these flavours, and we anticipate this trend to continue and spread in 2021. Following the worldwide demand for Mexican tastes, we expect a rise in Latin American dishes and flavours such as chimichurri, horchata, and salsa macha.

In the Asia-Pacific, we’re witnessing a localized fusion of particular nation tastes incorporated into other countries’ cuisines, such as Mala, a Sichuan Chinese dish. The Chinese characters for “numbing” and “spicy” make up the word “mala.” Mala cuisine became famous in China and other Asian nations. Since it is now used in various Asian cuisines, it is now expanding across Asia in the form of snacks and instant noodles.

4. Specific Spices & Ingredients

We’ve anticipated spicy specificity as a trend in past years. This required going beyond “mild,” “medium,” and “hot” to add zing to meals and drinks with precision. Now, rather than simply garlic, the trend for particular spices and ingredients has extended to include front-of-pack claims for additional spices, alliums, fruits, and vegetables, such as black garlic. Consumers need distinctiveness, which links into the broader trend for openness throughout the supply chain.

Consumers are becoming more interested in their purchasing habits and the stories behind the goods they buy. This narrative may contain a variation on classic tastes, a knowledge of the cooking methods that enhance the depth of flavour, or a story based around product transparency. 

5. Breakfast Buffet

In 2020, did your breakfast nook become busier? You’re not alone; 80% of Americans had their morning routine interrupted by the epidemic. With less time spent travelling to work and school, more time is available for the most important meal of the day, and food producers are responding. For example, casserole Bites and Pancake Mix are more convenient morning meals filled with beneficial nutrients like protein and fibre. Expect well-known companies to step up their breakfast game with enticing deals.

6. It’s Getting Easier to Stay Healthy

Americans want to eat better, and in 2021, it will become much simpler (and cheaper). We’re searching for nutrient-dense food at a reasonable price. Still, we’re also concerned about a company’s environmental and ethical principles. Food producers have a difficult task but expect them to rise to the occasion. Subscription-based e-grocers like Thrive Market are making nutritious food cheaper. 

7. Food Waste Is A Constant Battle

Cooking with leftovers has become increasingly popular in recent years. With more families and people cooking at home, many more are becoming aware of food waste’s moral and economic consequences. Restaurants and hotels are also part of the initiative. Hundreds of them donate surplus food to food banks during the Coronavirus outbreak.

8. “Flexitarian” Diets

Because not everyone is ready or willing to convert to an entirely plant-based diet, the concept of “flexitarian” eating is gaining popularity. Being a flexitarian is a simple concept: Meat becomes a once-in-a-while or only-on-weekends treat rather than a regular ingredient of your diet. Even a tiny reduction in meat consumption has been proven to benefit the environment and our overall health, making this one of the most important food trends for 2021.

9. Mix-&-Match Products

Everyone understands that in the food and beverage business, innovation is a must. We’ve set our eyes on product mash-ups for 2021. Why? Research shows that three out of five customers are interested in experiencing new sensory experiences (e.g., smells, tastes, textures, colours, feelings. The younger generations lead the charge. Consider ice cream pizzas and coffee-flavoured cereals. However, finding the appropriate industry partner from the beginning of product development is critical to getting it right in terms of flavour.

10. A Modern Twist on Classics

Classic tastes and comfort meals have been popular, but now that people are cooking at home for longer periods, they want to spice things up and try new things. This includes using non-traditional ingredients in their favourite comfort meals and using specialist cooking methods to add depth to the tastes, such as roasting, toasting, caramelizing, and smoking. We also anticipate a rise in customers experimenting with plant-based proteins and vegetarian diets, whether via groceries or meal packages. 

Keep Exploring…

In 2021, customers will continue to depend on food, beverages, and health goods to satisfy various requirements, including emotional comfort, health support, and even the desire to travel when trapped at home. This is a chance for product makers and taste suppliers to thrill, soothe, and perhaps attract a new generation of customers who will stay loyal long after the pandemic’s limitations are lifted.

We believe that the other half of the year 2021 will be the start of a taste renaissance. With the introduction of the vaccination, there is optimism that social activities, including eating out, may continue safely. There has never been a better time to experiment with taste!