What’s Yours?
Today’s consumers are looking for delicious, authentic patisserie with exciting textures and flavors. In addition, our Taste Tomorrow research indicates that consumers love to hear the stories behind their favorite treats! They are also keen to understand the impact of the food they eat on their health and the planet. This is why we would like to work with you to reinvent patisserie and help you to better answer (and benefit from) the very latest consumer requirements for patisserie.
Each of our ‘reinventions’ begins with a classic patisserie recipe, one that is already adored and treasured somewhere in the world. From there, we re-develop the recipe in a creative way, so as to come up with a version that has greater focus on health and well-being, as well as one that is more sustainable.
At Puratos, we are really eager to tell these patisserie stories. And we would like to help you create your own patisserie stories, so that you can surprise and delight your customers as well as growing your business!
Discover all the stories based on the Castella below.
The story behind the classic
Today, Castella is often associated with Japanese cuisine, but it was originally a Portuguese pastry recipe that was taken to Japan by Portuguese missionaries in the early 16th century. As the missionaries travelled from the port city of Nagasaki on Kyusha Island in the second half of the 16th century to spread their beliefs, so too did Castella.
Now fully embedded among Japanese pastry classics, Castella is commonly eaten throughout the day, but often as a late morning snack. It can be eaten in restaurants, on the go, or at home. It is usually presented in very attractive, neat packages and often serves as a gift for friends or relatives.
The name of the cake, derived from the Portuguese expression pão de Castela (Castilian bread), could also have come from the word castelo (castle), recalling - according to some - the shape of St. George's castle in Lisbon, although for others, the name refers to how the egg whites that make up the dough are whisked into peaks (claras em castelo).
The creative story
For this approach, the original Castella cake has been re-invented in a more creative way by adding flavor and texture to the original recipe. Our new Castella offers the indulgence of the classic Castella’s soft, moist and fine texture, but now filled with a delicious passion fruit filling. To complete the delicacy, a thin milk chocolate coating with crispy flakes inclusion has been added.
The health & well-being story
We know from our Taste Tomorrow study that more and more people are concerned about their health. In fact, 58% of consumers prefer healthier options so that they do not have to compromise on their consumption or occasions of eating. So, to meet consumers’ expectations, we started from the classic Castella recipe, but reduced the sugar by 30%, without adding any artificial flavor, color or preservatives.
This guilt-free recipe promises the same indulgent experience that captures the essence of the original recipe. Enjoy the unique texture of Castella with its slightly sweetened honey profile.
The sustainable story
At Puratos, we take great care in selecting the ingredients we use in our products, prioritizing local sources so as to minimize our impact on the planet.
Did you know that 66% of consumers believe that local sourcing is better for the environment?
Delight your consumers with our sustainable Castella cake recipe. As always, we started from the classic recipe, but this time we added a delicious sweet-sour Jonagold apple filling, locally sourced from Limburg, in Belgium.
Locally-sourced ingredients are not only more sustainable, they offer a great way of re-inventing a classic from another part of the world as well as incorporating a favorite local taste.
