Mini desserts more tempting to diners

While pastry chefs like to wow customers with innovative confections, comforting dessert classics remain favorites. According to Technomic’s 2015 Dessert Consumer Trend Report, today’s most preferred sweet endings are brownies (67 percent), apple pie (65 percent) and chocolate cake (59 percent).

But 34 percent of consumers also say they are more likely to order dessert if a smaller portion is available. Noncommercial operators, too, are sweet on the idea, shrinking desserts that traditionally are made in large sizes, such as cobblers, crisps and layer cakes.

Jim Dodge, director of specialty culinary programs at Bon Appétit Management Company in Palo Alto, Calif., says mini desserts fit in perfectly at the company’s accounts, from corporate dining to schools. “Employers want their employees to be healthful, and B&I customers are looking for smaller portions as a healthier option,” Dodge says. “And at schools, students like the variety of several bite-size desserts.”

Dodge offers 1½-inch-diameter layer cakes, such as pumpkin cake with butterscotch pudding and cinnamon glaze, in individual compostable cups. Sponge-cake layers for mini desserts are thinner and bake more quickly, which saves time but also requires a close eye to avoid overcooking, Dodge says. He prefers thin layers of frosting and glazes on the tinier cakes for well-balanced flavors.

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Dodge’s cobblers and crisps also are downsized, including a customer-favorite, pear and raspberry crisp with fresh ginger. Baking cobblers and crisps in shallow sheet pans instead of deeper vessels, provides an ample amount of crispy, browned topping for each serving. With an ice cream scoop, staff portions the baked desserts into mini containers for portability.

At Princeton University in New Jersey, students favor mini desserts over larger options, says Robert E. Harbison, campus dining executive chef. “From a presentation standpoint, the look is much cleaner when doing an individual portion verses a large-format-style dessert,” he says. While it takes more labor to prep small desserts, there’s the benefit of less waste.