Acake is no longer just a sweet finale to a meal. It is a statement—of artistry, of culture, of a palate that demands more than mere indulgence. They have become a playground for unexpected pairings, where umami meets sweetness, and nostalgia meets reinvention. As per Mordor Intelligence, a market intelligence and advisory firm, India’s cake industry is projected to grow at a compound annual growth rate of 12.5 per cent between 2025 and 2030.
For Anand Panwar, executive pastry chef at The Roseate and Roseate House, the journey into India’s evolving dessert landscape began with fusion creations—rasgulla cake, rasmalai pineapple cake—melding French pâtisserie techniques with the familiar warmth of Indian sweets. Over time, these experiments have evolved into more layered compositions: lotus cheesecake, Rabri mousse with Gulab Jamun layers cake, and cardamon Rabari cheesecake. Even time-honoured Indian sweets like boondi laddus now find themselves reimagined in the intricate architecture of entremets, echoing the way French pastry is meticulously built. Rose coulis, gulkand jam, jalebi crumble and elaichi creamaux are some of the additions in dessert plate.
“We’re seeing a shift in how our guests experience cake: they seek bold, innovative flavours and visually stunning creations that captivate the senses,” says Simran Singh Thapar, executive chef, The Leela Palace Bengaluru. That shift manifests in creations like saffron-infused matcha cakes laced with black sesame or browned butter candied bacon cakes—flavours that push boundaries while nodding to tradition. In the evolving world of haute pâtisserie, cakes are no longer confined to the predictable comforts of vanilla and chocolate.
Indian flavours are making their mark not just in cakes but across the broader dessert spectrum, particularly in ice creams. “Today, chefs are experimenting with tamarind ice cream, golgappa-flavoured sorbets, even incorporating savoury elements like chaat papdi as a crumb base,” Panwar explains.
In today’s world of patisserie, beauty is measured in precision and detail. The modern dessert is not just smaller—it is more intentional and when done right, needs only a few perfect bites. Rather than grand, towering cakes that risk going stale after a few days, pastry lovers are gravitating toward smaller, individually sized confections—just enough for two to share. “These miniature creations, known as entremets in the European tradition, are as visually stunning as they are intricate, requiring meticulous craftsmanship to perfect,” says Avijit Ghosh, one of India’s leading pastry chefs.
A big part of that is, of course, social media. It’s not just about taste anymore; it’s about presentation. A chef flambéing fruit tableside or caramelising sugar into delicate lace—these aren’t just theatrics. They’re sensory-driven moments that heighten anticipation and deepen appreciation.“When you witness that process unfold in real time,” Ghosh says, “you don’t just taste the final creation—you experience it.” And in today’s world of dining as spectacle, that experience is what lingers longest.