Housewares Business-to-business magazine for housewares retailers and their suppliers
While cookshop sales suggest that the UK’s favourite pastime now is baking, new research reveals that all is not quite as it appears in the nation’s kitchens.
A YouGov study of over 2,000 adults for Sainsbury’s uncovers a sorry picture of cheating, lying and good old plain ignorance amongst our home bakers.
The research identified what it calls “a new breed of half-baker”, with 46% of people taking serious shortcuts when it comes to preparing cakes and desserts. The techniques most used by half-bakers include buying pre-made icing and readymade cake mix or mincemeat.
A quarter of these cooks cut corners due to time constraints or a lack of patience. But for many it stems from a crisis of confidence as 15% lack the belief that they can produce a decent cake from scratch.
While this new breed of half-baker is at least giving cake-making a go, the research uncovered a number of full-on-fakers passing pre-made cakes off as their own. More than one in 10 admit to duping guests, serving up store-bought creations as homemade triumphs. Cheesecake, chocolate cake and mince pies were revealed as the most faked desserts on the dinner table.
The research also found that 41% of those surveyed could not name the top five ingredients that go into a Christmas cake. In fact, 32% thought that mincemeat was the key ingredient, when it is only used in mince pies.
Last Sunday was Stir-up Sunday, traditionally the deadline for finishing the festive cake, and Sainsbury’s launched a special one-day Stir-up Sunday hotline with a team of baking experts on hand to give out tips and advice.
