Waitrose customers break tradition as new Easter cakes are top of the shops

• Waitrose Hot Cross Bunettone and Lemon & Raspberry Torta put a new spin on Easter traditions
• Waitrose Lemon & Raspberry Torta is top choice, out selling the traditional simnel cake and colomba cake by 139% and 115%
• More customers are celebrating with sharing cakes with searches up 69% on Waitrose.com

We know our customers are looking for new and innovative products and love to celebrate with a sharing cake at Easter, with searches on Waitrose.com for ‘Easter cakes’ up 69% compared to the same time last year. So the Hot Cross Bunettone and Lemon & Raspberry Torta, two beautiful cakes made in a family-run bakery in Piedmont, Italy have been introduced to the range this year - putting a new twist on traditional Easter bakes. 

Cakes have been a tradition at Easter since the mediaeval times, when the simnel cake was born - a light fruit cake topped with either marzipan or almond paste, with toasted ‘eggs’ around the edge and often enjoyed on Easter Sunday. Another favourite, stretching back to the Middle Ages is the colomba cake - an iconic fluffy dove shaped cake topped with pearl sugar and almonds.

Serena Jackson, Bakery Product Developer at Waitrose, said: “It became apparent at Christmas that our customers were looking for something new, when our Cinnamon Bunettone was a sell out. So we have introduced not one but two new sharing cakes for Easter! The demand has been amazing, with lots of customers set to have a cake on their table this year. So whether they choose to enjoy it now or save it until the bank holiday weekend - we know they won’t be disappointed.”

The two Italian cakes have been in high demand - outselling the more traditional options, with the Lemon & Raspberry Torta taking the spot of our top selling cake so far for this Easter - predicted to sell out in the next week. It has out sold the simnel cake by 139% and the colomba cake by 115%, showing customers are wanting to try something new over the bank holiday weekend. The Hot Cross Bunettone takes second place, outselling the simnel cake by 84% and the colomba cake by 49%.