Sara Lee heats up cake market with ‘adults-only’ lines

Sara Lee Bakery is launching its first dessert range aimed specifically at the adult market, one of whose products is a liqueur gateau.

The two new frozen desserts, which will be available from the beginning of next month, will be marketed as luxury “adults-only” products.

Irish Cream Bash, a combination of cookie, caramel and chocolate, will be laced with Irish cream liqueur. Crispy Caramel Crunch will contain chocolate puffed rice, caramel and cream.

The company is to appoint an advertising agency to handle the entire dessert portfolio, after reviewing out of Walsh Trott Chick Smith (MW June 19). The spend is estimated at about 1.5m.

Until plans for advertising have been confirmed, the launch will be supported by a 500,000 sampling and editorially-led publicity campaign through Mason Williams.

The Sara Lee brand is synonymous with family cakes and gateaux, such as lemon meringue pie, apple Danish, Loony Tunes cartoon cakes and the UK’s best-selling cake brand – the Double Chocolate Gateaux, which sold 15 million last year.

To coincide with the adult desserts launch, Sara Lee is launching lunchbox size Danish pastries branded Danish Delights.

The pecan Danish and apple Danish varieties will be sold in double packs.