MELVILLE, NY – Comax Flavors has released new primary research on consumers’ behavior, usage and attitudes toward various dessert categories.  

“Americans have an affinity for sweets,” said Catherine Armstrong, vice president of corporate communications for Comax. “Traditionally, baked goods connote comfort and joy and frequently conjure warm childhood memories. The pandemic has accelerated consumers’ desire for sweet baked goods.” 

Sweet Baked Products 

  • Three-quarters (72%) of respondents noted taste as the most important attribute 
  • 58% of respondents cited Flavor as an important attribute driving purchase intent 
  • Coffee (53%) is the number one beverage consumed with sweet baked products, cited by more than half of respondents: Silent Gen (59%), Millennials (57%), Gen Z (51%), Baby Boomers (51%), and Gen X (49%) 
  • Muffin” (72%) and donuts (63%) are most heavily consumed in the morning 
  • More than half of the respondents eat brownies (58%), cake (55%), and cupcakes (54%) as a snack 
  • Respondents enjoy cookies in the evening (41%) and in the afternoon (35%) 
  • 57% of respondents eat pie as a dessert 

Cake  

  • Almost two-thirds (64%) of consumers cited frosted/iced cakes their favorite 
  • Chocolate (55%) is the most popular cake flavor among all generations: Gen X (60%), Gen Z (57%), Baby Boomers (55%), Silent Generation (50%), and Millennials (47%) 
  • Vanilla (40%) is the second preferred flavor among respondents 
  • One-quarter of respondents (26%) equally consume Strawberry and Cookies & Crème cake flavors 

Cookies 

  • Texture is a key factor in cookie consumption. One-third (65%) of respondents consume Soft/Chewy cookies, while more than a half (52%) eat Hard/Crunchy and shy of half (47%) eat Filled/Stuffed/Sandwich cookies 
  • Chocolate Chip (67%) is the number one cookie flavor consumed by all generations: Gen Z (80%), Gen X (78%), Baby Boomers (65%), Millennials (58%), and Silent Generation (48%) 
  • Chocolate (45%) is a popular flavor among all respondents 
  • 40% of respondents enjoy Oatmeal which is particularly popular among the older generations: Baby Boomers (52%) and Silent Generation (52%) 

Donuts 

  • Glazed (71%) and Frosted/Iced (70%) donuts are the top two types liked by all respondents 
  • Chocolate (56%) is the most popular flavor among all generations: Gen X (63%), Millennials (62%), Gen Z (58%), Baby Boomers (39%), and Silent Generation (39%) closely followed by Glazed (55%): Silent Generation (72%), Gen X (65%), Gen Z (55%), Baby Boomers (54%), and Millennials (43%) 
  • One-third or more of respondents consume Vanilla (33%), Cream/Custard (33%), and Sugar (35%) donuts 

Muffins 

  • Blueberry (52%) is the number one muffin flavor consumed by all generations: Silent Generation (79%), Gen X (55%), Baby Boomers (54%), Gen Z (51%), and Millennials (43%) 
  • Shy of half (46%) of all respondents eat Chocolate Chip muffins 
  • 43% of respondents enjoy Chocolate muffins 
  • More than one-third of respondents consume Banana (38%) and Coffee Crumb (34%) flavors 

Pies 

  • More than half (54%) of all generations consume Apple pie; Millennials (67%), Baby Boomers (59%), Gen X (52%), Silent Generation (46%), and Gen Z (33%) 
  • One-third or more of respondents eat Blueberry (33%), Chocolate (35%), and Cherry (39%) pie flavors 
  • The Silent Generation are the heaviest consumers of Blueberry (50%) and Cherry (58%) pie while Millennials (53%) are the heaviest consumers of Chocolate pie 
  • More than a quarter of respondents enjoy Lemon (29%), Pumpkin (28%), and Pecan (27%) pie 

Cupcakes 

  • Frosted/Iced (73%) is the number cupcake liked by all respondents 
  • Chocolate and Vanilla are the most prominent cupcake flavors among all respondents: Chocolate (51%) is the most prevalent flavor among all generations; Baby Boomers (59%), Millennials (55%), Gen X (54%), Gen Z (48%), and Silent Generation (30%) 
  • Vanilla (50%) is closely behind Chocolate and is enjoyed by all generations; Gen Z (63%), Millennials (60%), Gen X (54%), Baby Boomers (35%), and Silent Generation (10%) 
  • 42% of respondents consume “Red Velvet” cupcakes 

Brownies 

  • Chocolate and Fudge are the leading two brownie flavors well-liked among 60% or more of all respondents 
  • Shy of two-thirds (63%) of respondents eat Chocolate brownies, making it the most popular flavor among all generations: Gen X (76%), Millennials (61%), Gen Z (59%), Baby Boomers (57%), and Silent Generation (57%) 
  • Fudge” (60%) follows Chocolate and is well-liked by all generations: Baby Boomers (81%), Silent Generation (71%), Gen X (56%), Gen Z (52%), and Millennials (50%) 
  • Shy of one-third of respondents consume Walnut (32%) and Brookie (31%) brownies 

The study was conducted in February with 1,200 US respondents aged 18-70+; half were female, and the other half were male. Comax has partnered with Amy Marks-McGee of Trendincite LLC to manage the market research program and Costello Creative Group to translate the data into infographics. 

Generations defined: Gen Z born 1996 and later; Millennials born 1977 to 1995; Gen X born 1965 to 1976; Baby Boomers born 1946 to 1964; Silent Generation born 1925 to 1945