“Sweet Bao is a historic breakthrough – every now and then, the team hits a bullseye; this is one such lucky example.”

Heavenly Desserts has partnered with Asian-inspired brand Itsu to offer sweet chocolate bao buns at its 48 UK locations.

The dessert franchise has gained exclusive rights to serve Itsu’s newly launched buns.

According to Itsu, it took them more than 50 trials to perfect the new sweet treat, which is described as “fluffy” with a “melt-in-the-middle” chocolate filling.

‘Bao buns are setting a trend’

“After a lot of consumer research and flavour profiling and following on from the popularity of our mochi desserts which we announced in the summer last year, we found that bao buns are setting a trend in the dessert sector as itsu has become the go-to brand in the UK market for this recognisable Asian dish,” Ravinder Faguraha, project support manager at Heavenly Desserts said.

“Most Brits know bao buns to come with a savoury filling such as duck and hoisin sauce, but they can be made slightly differently by adding a sweet middle. So, it was a no-brainer that these would attract new customers familiar with the cuisine to Heavenly Desserts.”

The sweet bao buns are available in both chocolate and salted caramel flavours. The filling is made with coconut cream, and both flavours are vegan-friendly.

They are already available for retail at Tesco and Waitrose.

“Sweet Bao is a historic breakthrough – every now and then, the team hits a bullseye; this is one such lucky example,” said Julian Metcalfe, founder of itsu.

 What else is vegan at Heavenly Desserts?

This year, Heavenly Desserts celebrated Veganuary 2023 with its first-ever plant-based collection.

The extensive new vegan menu, which includes brownies, sundaes, mochi and custard, was formulated to replicate popular Heavenly Desserts treats with plant-based ingredients.

“It was really important for us to create a dynamic menu suitable for vegans and vegetarians with this being a rising dietary requirement in the eating-out sector,” said Yousif Aslam, co-founder and managing director of Heavenly Desserts at the time.

“We are proud to have dessert chefs in our ranks, who took great care and attention in developing every product on our menu. It is with this attitude of love and innovation that we have brought our range of creations to life.”

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Mohsina Dodhiya

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