I’ve lost count of the number of folks I know who have set up small-scale cupcake enterprises. Many of these have recently also turned their hands to the production of Cake Pops.
What’s next?
Are there any indications as to what will be the next wave of possibly-cutesy home-craft-bakery thing?
Macaroons are supposed to be the next big treat.
I never liked cupcakes-- sticky fingers, the stupid paper stuck on it, and the frosting-to-cake ratio is skewed, and then it gets on my nose, blech. Hmm… perhaps I have cupcake issues!
I love macaroons, though, so I’ve got my fingers crossed.
Interestingly a former colleague of mine recently left work to set up… a cupcake business.
She’s damn good at it too: she makes the best cakes I have ever tasted.
BTW what is a cake pop? ETA: googled it - a cake on a stick?
I’m waiting for beignets to become fashionable.
Yeah those French-style macaroons are indeed getting popular. However I suspect one needs more than home kitchen equipment to make them.
Deep fried cup cakes? Things are generally better deep fried.
No, not really, you just need egg whites and a reliable oven.
And sugar and ground nuts as well, one hopes. 
Seriously though, can you really reach that level of texture, shape and color consistency with home equipment?
Hell yes.
Macarons, not macaroons.
They’re already popping up all over here
We’re discussing them in English, so macaroons isn’t a word that needs correcting here.
Anyway, I thought the macaroon craze peaked before cake pops even arrived on the scene…
My guess is that they’ll give up the cake part completely and just fill the little paper cups with fondant and frosting, maybe put some sugar on top to “brighten it up.”
Yecch, looking at modern cupcakes makes my teeth itch.
Perhaps something savoury then?
Whatever it is, it’s likely to be individually portion sized, as that’s popular with neat/hygiene freaks (although the latter would probably stop eating cake pops if they realised how much handling goes on in their manufacture)
Macarons and macaroons are two different things (at least around here).
I’ve seen many macaron shops, but I’ve yet to see a macaroon shop.
I meant macaroons, but now that you mention it, macarons were touted in the same video, as though interchangeable. Both are delish and welcome 'round here any time! They may be sailing over the shark in big cities, though.
Different varieties of the same thing at best, I’d say (or one as a subset of the other) - I guess I’ll concede that if we’re talking about a specific local variety, the specific local name should be used, but it feels wrong (in a sort of pretentious way) to me - like if I said bocadillo when I just mean sandwich.
Those are not the same things at all. Macarons have cookie-like parts that sandwich whipped egg whites. Macaroons are made with coconut and have no cookie like sandwich part. Just because both use egg whites doesn’t make them the same.
I’ve seen recipes for them. You crumble up a baked cake and mix it with enough frosting so it clumps together, squoosh it into balls, and dip in into yet MORE icing that you decorate with even more icing, candy, etc.
Basically a sugar-covered sugar ball on a stick.
We’ve already been through macarons and whoopie pies in these parts after the cupcakes and cake pops. Last year there was a rash of specialty bread puddings at local bakeries, but that didn’t seem to stick around long. I haven’t noticed anything in particular trending at bakeries or in my baking blogs lately. I agree that most cupcake stores just sell sugary icing bombs that I find really unappealing.
If anything, frozen yogurt stores have been opening in far greater numbers than bakeries these days. It is getting a little ridiculous.
Jjimm, macarons are time intensive and need some additional equipment like a food processor and pastry bag, but they are not that difficult to make at home.
Now that they are a “thing” you’ll see things called “cake pops” that are just cake in a ball covered in candy.
The real original cake pops are basically cake mixed with frosting formed into a ball and dipped in candy/chocolate for a shell.
We had them at our wedding last year before they had really hit. Now Starbucks sells terrible one and there are home cake pop kits you can buy.
Mini-pies are the next big dessert. You already have several pie shops opening in major cities that specialize in this.