Walking through city streets, one can see desserts with rich fillings and multiple layers attracting customers everywhere. The once-simple candied hawthorn is now wrapped in milk skin, fruits, and roasted rice, becoming a deluxe version with five layers. Traditional cream cakes have been replaced by mousse cakes with seven textures, and mooncakes now feature fillings like molten custard or durian snow skin. The dessert industry is in the midst of a vibrant filling competition, a topic of keen interest and innovation showcased at major industry events like an International Bakery Exhibition.

The Creative Formula Behind Viral Desserts

Many popular desserts follow a simple formula: basic version + trending elements + multiple layers. This approach is used by businesses from street stalls to chain brands.

The milk skin candied hawthorn is a perfect example. Based on the traditional version, it adds milk skin made from fresh milk, mixed with fruits, roasted rice, or even yogurt to form a five-layer treat. This helped one brand sell over 10,000 units in a week, while another sold out nationwide upon release.

This trend has even spread to other foods, such as a milk skin burger that combines baked buns with milk skin, roasted rice, and cheese.

Why Do Consumers Love These Sweets?

In today’s fast-paced life, desserts offer a way to relax. Multi-textured treats—combining crispy, soft, chewy, and smooth layers—provide stronger satisfaction. The butter rice cake, popular earlier this year, features a crispy outside and soft, stretchy inside, selling thousands daily.

Social media also plays a big role. Visually appealing desserts get more likes and shares on platforms like Xiaohongshu and Douyin. Businesses use eye-catching layers to attract customers, with the "milk skin" trend proving especially successful.

Health and Sensory Concerns

However, these desserts often hide health risks. A single milk skin candied hawthorn contains carbs, saturated fats, sugars, and starches, making it high in calories.

Long-term consumption of such foods may lead to health issues like skin aging, heart risks, and even sugar addiction. Despite growing health awareness, many still overlook calorie intake, focusing more on natural ingredients.

Additionally, too many strong flavors can clash, masking the true taste of baking. Traditional baking emphasizes skill in fermentation, layering, and texture, but today's offerings often feel repetitive, with similar products sold everywhere.

Toward Healthier Innovation

The industry is now exploring healthier options. Solid mango pomelo sago, for example, uses only yogurt and fruits, with about 200 calories per serving. It shows that natural ingredients can be both delicious and satisfying.

Another brand recently launched a matcha series using Greek yogurt and cranberries, reducing high-calorie fillings while reflecting traditional “food as medicine” wisdom.

The future of baking may split into two paths: one focused on visual, indulgent creations for social media, and another emphasizing simplicity and health for daily nutrition.

For consumers, enjoying desserts in moderation is key. True innovation lies not in adding more layers, but in balancing flavor, quality, and health.

Bakery China 2026 will continue to share more industry professional content with you, so please stay tuned!

Bakery China 2026, organized by China Association of Bakery and Confectionery Industry (CABCI) and Bakery China Exhibitions Co., Ltd. was launched since 1997. Bakery China 2026 is the Asia Pacific’s leading event serving the entire value chain for the bakery and confectionery market. The event presents all range of ingredient, equipment, packaging and services, and enables global leading professionals and buyer delegates to meet and share the latest innovations and thinking on manufacturing & distribution, R&D, applications and related services for bakery industry. It is the first-choice trade fair to enter China’s bakery market.

The 2026 ASEAN International Bakery Exhibition (Bakery ASEAN), i.e. Indonesia Baking Exhibition, will be held on August 27-29 at JIExpo (Jakarta, Indonesia), co-located with renowned WEPACK Indonesia, Cafe Show Indonesia held by Reed Exhibitions Group, is a premier trade event focusing on the bakery and related industries in ASEAN and global markets. the shows will be covering 20,000 square meters, expecting more than 500 exhibitors and 50,000 professional buyers including distributors, imports and exports, manufacturers, chain stores, supermarkets, convenient stores, hotels and cafes, etc. from not only the ASEAN but also the rest of the world.

(Source: Global Bakery Guide)