With global cocoa prices hitting an all-time high, Liz Gabriel, bakery specialist at European flavour experts I.T.S is urging bakery manufacturers to consider using natural flavours as a solution for reducing the amount of cocoa and chocolate in finished sweet bakery.
“One of the most straightforward and stable solutions to reducing the amount of cocoa powder in a recipe is for bakery manufacturers to use a natural flavour”, Liz explains. “This helps protect against the current cost fluctuations in the cocoa market, helping to give better stability in the supply chain and of course steadying the price of the finished product”.
I.T.S claims that natural flavours also offer the baker more options and flexibility around the flavour of the finished product as many different profiles are available. From the classic taste of authentic cocoa to more indulgent milk, dark or ruby chocolate flavour profiles and flavour combinations such as chocolate wafer, chocolate orange or chocolate honeycomb, the addition of a chocolate flavour can completely transform a standard chocolate filling, icing or frosting while helping to manage end product costs.
“Bakeries can also tap into other indulgent and well-loved indulgent flavours to help take the place of chocolate”, Liz explains. “Caramel is the obvious first choice when it comes to indulgent flavours particularly when creating a filling for a muffin or donut for example. As well as the standard caramel flavour profile, other flavours like salted caramel, caramelised biscuit or even a ‘braver’ take like miso caramel can help create additional flavour notes to frostings for example and that all important ‘mouthfeel.’
“Another option is to use white chocolate, which is seeing a resurgence in both indulgent and standard ranges and does not rely on cocoa powder like its partner flavour”.
Liz says bakers can also try bringing different flavours into chocolate or chocolate-flavoured products because, again, the partner flavour will be doing a lot of the flavour work meaning that the amount of cocoa can be reduced. Chocolate orange, raspberry, mint, hazelnut, and coconut are some popular flavours to try. Or maybe try combining really brave flavours like sesame, pink grapefruit, cinnamon bun or chili with chocolate!
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Editor, International Bakery
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