Savouring the showcase

From May 6 to 8, the International Centre in Mississauga, Ont., was full
to the brim with bakers, students, industry professionals,
mouthwatering baked goods

From May 6 to 8, the International Centre in Mississauga, Ont., was full to the brim with bakers, students, industry professionals, mouthwatering baked goods and exciting new products and equipment as the Baking Association of Canada held its biennial Toronto show.

New patisserie, curd and savoury fillings in a variety of flavours were on display at the Lentia booth.

More than 4,400 people attended the show over three days, participating in competitions, checking out potential suppliers, picking up new ideas and making new contacts. Tart and savoury seemed to be the flavour trends around the show, and several companies offered new products that caught our eye.

Oakrun Farm Bakery’s new savoury English muffins were creating a buzz at the front of the hall. Three flavours are available as part of the savoury line: jalapeno salsa, sundried tomato basil, and toasted onion and smoked black pepper. The English muffins are kosher certified, low in saturated fats and each serving has fewer than 140 calories. (www.oakrun.com )

The Knock Shoppe’s booth featured stunning displays of wedding cakes accentuated by illuminated cake stands. The company has a number of stands available, from simple and stylish to bright and bold, to display your cakes and cupcakes (www.theknockshoppe.com )

The Lentia booth was filled with new products, including a reusable silicone piping bag. Available in orange and transparent, the bag comes in assorted sizes and works well for thick icing, cookie dough and hot fudge. Spectators who visited the booth also had the chance to taste Lentia’s new patisserie, curd and savoury fillings. Curd fillings are available in lemon, passionfruit and lime varieties and work well in tartlets, pies, muffins and mousse. The savoury line, available in flavours like capsicum and apricot, caramelized onion, and sundried tomato and olive, are great for breads and muffins. All fillings come in a pre-filled piping bag for easy application. (www.lentia.com )

Nature’s Best Crop was promoting healthier choices with its acai-blueberry pastry filling, gelato and ice cream topping and doughnut filling. The pastry and jelly doughnut filling is available in seven-kilogram pails, and the gelato topping is available in two-by-four-litre jugs. (www.naturesbestcrop.com )

The Alfa Cappucino booth showcased Toschi Amarenada, a flavoured syrup made from candied Amarena cherries. Amarena cherries are a sweet fruit with a tart aftertaste and are perfect for decorating cakes and ice cream. (www.espresso.com )

Heavenly Cake Pops made its Bakery Showcase debut and showcased the Easy Roller, a new way to quickly roll approximately 20 cake balls at one time, hands free. Let dough come to room temperature and ensure it is completely kneaded with no loose crumbs. Roll the cake dough into the rolling frame and use the moulded insert to shape the dough and easily roll it into balls. Each cake ball will weigh approximately 26 grams, depending on ingredients used. (www.heavenlycakepops.com )

Gluten Free Gourmet displayed the Mrs. Crimbles line of gluten-free and wheat-free products, including macaroons, cheese bites and chocolate-covered rice cakes.

Gluten Free Gourmet has added the Mrs. Crimbles line of gluten-free and wheat-free products to its portfolio. From the United Kingdom, Mrs. Crimbles’ macaroons, cheese bites, crackers, yogurt-coated rice cakes and chocolate-coated rice cakes are now available through Gluten Free Gourmet. (www.canbrands.ca )

Other highlights from the show included the Baking Association of Canada’s annual general meeting and welcome reception, held on May 6, and daytime product seminars on May 7 and 8. The inaugural Canada’s Landmark School Challenge saw teams from George Brown College in Toronto and Niagara College in Niagara-on-the-Lake create showpieces depicting Canadian landmarks, built entirely of baked goods. After hours of sculpting, painting, and finishing touches, the votes were tallied and show delegates deemed George Brown College’s showpiece chronicling the history of the Hudson’s Bay Company the winning piece.

Bakery Showcase will return to Mississauga in 2014. Check out more photos from the show at www.facebook.com/bakersjournal .