A wedding cake takes center stage for a few moments when the wedding party cuts and tastes the sweet treat. Long after the photo flashes have faded, a smattering of guests makes their way over to the table for a large piece of the heavy dessert. Wasted servings sit as the cake is forgotten among the event’s drinking and dancing.

A new dessert trend is taking shape in high-volume catered functions to curb food waste and tempt guests into a sweet treat with an array of delicious bites. Several stations located throughout an event space offer beautiful desserts which can be eaten in two or three bites. The ideal grab-and-go situation for revelers and party attendees. From a liquid nitrogen ice cream station complete with fog and flavor customizations to thoughtful tarts and macaroons, guests can mingle and move while sampling an assortment of treats. 

A dessert bar’s smaller portions also cater to calorie-conscious attendees. Data shows consumers are now opting for smaller portions to promote health and well-being. Even though the portion is smaller, there is an increased emphasis placed on the stunning visual appeal of the applications. After all, people eat with their eyes first.

Jaclyn Joesph, season four winner of the Food Network’s “Best Baker in America,” has witnessed this trend as she served as the Omni Louisville Hotel executive pastry chef and in her own special-order pastry studio JJBakes and Co. “The concept of the dessert bar has become increasingly modern and highly customized. Customized-themed desserts and color schemes have become a huge request,” she said.

The idea behind a dessert bar is to create a variety of light, small desserts that are decorated beautifully. The display must also follow with stunning carriers and multiple levels. All the item’s colors, textures and flavors must flow with the event’s theme.

“Bakers need to understand the event,” chef Joesph said. “Guests have one drink in hand and they are mingling and talking. They want to hold something light that won’t fill them up. It will be gone in two to five bits. It also must be something that they can move with and not drop (and ruin an expensive dress).”

The 2010 Winter Games Olympic Pastry Chef follows a formula for determining application portions. “I figure there will be 1.5 standard fare desserts eaten per person. I multiply 1.5 by the expected guest numbers to get the total number of portions. Then, divide that number by the number of dessert options. This will give me the portions per application,” she explained. She also emphasized a chef must know the guests’ demographics and make accommodations such as increasing the portion size to 1.75 or 2 per person if needed.

The featured contestant on the Food Network’s March 2020 “Chopped Sweets” episode noted that nostalgic flavors are popular in current dessert requests. “I think it’s because of the pandemic,” she said. “People were at home in the kitchen cooking for themselves and they referred to what they knew growing up. It is the food that makes them happy.” 

She also said that more people are asking for a few dessert options for people who are gluten-free or vegan. In that case, chef Joseph will accommodate the request by making a few portions of an appropriate dessert. Her favorite go-to option is a vegan dessert shooter made with coconut milk, tropical fruit and a vegan thickener served in a small glass. “I like using aquafaba (chickpeas or other pulses cooked in water),” she said.

One of her most memorable dessert bar offerings was originally scheduled for March 2020. The Omi Louisville Hotel was planning a high-end 1920 art deco event to coincide with the 2020 Kentucky Derb,y. The event’s plans were complete with the final food tastings having already occurred before COVID-19 shut down the event and horserace at the last minute. Chef Joseph and her team were especially disappointed. “It was going to be incredibly detailed with many stations. The theme was light and bright colors and we planned eight customized stations including an action station that served liquid nitrogen sorbet in a champagne flute topped with champagne. We even had a chocolate cigar bar planned. And the tastings were delicious,” she recalled.

Even though this dessert bar was closed before it began, Chef Joesph still receives many requests from large corporate functions to charity work for the dessert arrays. The clients are asking for dessert bars that offer customized desserts throughout the event to entice attendees with a bite or two of a sweet treat, and they are forgoing the heavy-plated cake option.