Consumer interest in multicultural cuisines and authentic and unconventional taste experiences are driving flavor innovation.

“We cater to each season,” says Nick Sakkos, one of the owners of Bravo Bakery in Prospect Heights, Illinois. “We do strawberry, pineapple, peach. We sell slices of cakes that turn into full cake sales.”

Catering to the convenience trend, small serve is a great way to go, so customers can take that risk on new flavors or get just enough dessert to share with their loved ones without overindulging.

Millennials and young couples are opting for late night snacks or an extra special or creative dessert, in lieu of flavors like mini cookies and mini fun cupcakes with sweet and salty and caramel.

Jennifer Angel, owner of Angel Cakes, a cupcake bakery based in Oakland, California, uses Perfect Purée’s products. She highlights the pink guava purée and passion fruit concentrate to customize her celebrated vanilla buttercream cupcakes.

Tres leches cakes and tiramisu are other specialties at Estrella’s Bakery in Houston, which offers a wide range of dazzling cake designs created by cake decorator Agustin Rueda, a talented pastry chef with more than 15 years of experience.

Tiramisu is topped with decorative chocolate pieces and fresh strawberries. Elaborate cakes are filled with Twinkies, cupcakes and fresh fruit in the center and are surrounded with chocolate pieces, and then tied with a ribbon.

Fresh fruit remains a favorite garnish as well as flavor enhancer. Also, coconut is trending upward. Coconut sugar carries a healthy halo as an alternative sugar. Experiment with coconut sugar in your cake base.

Experts predict a rise in classic floral flavors, such as honeysuckle, jasmine, lavender, lilac and rose. Tropical fruits are on the rise, so try incorporating guava or mango into your cake fillings and icings.

Another flavor to incorporate is avocado, which has a mild flavor that pairs well with others including chocolate.

Novelty flavors are often sought after for the nostalgic, feel-good sentiments they provide. That is why strawberry lemonade, root beer and lavender are some popular ingredients for 2019.

Dunkin’ is partnering with Hershey’s for a new lineup of treats flavored with candy such as KIT KAT, Heath bar and Hershey’s Cookies ‘N’ Creme.