2016 was a busy year for patisserie and chocolate. Competitions this year showcased the best of the best in our industry, new flavour combinations had us fascinated, and new talent proved some boundaries are meant to be broken.

I was privileged to travel throughout 2016, including teaching in New Zealand, Belgium and at the Chicago Chocolate Academy. I also hosted a Callebaut pop-up store 2017 with Chef Jerome Landrieu in Chicago. Witnessing what pastry chefs from around the world are making and the trends in other countries has me really inspired and excited for what Australia has in store 2017.

I think next year we’ll start to see the polished cakes currently popular in cafes rivaled by rustic pastry and cakes. In this vein, we’ll also be moving away from structured cakes created in the classic circle, and instead using more of the modern shaped silicon moulds with rounded edges that give an illusion of movement. On the subject of cakes, I’d say we’re also coming to the tail end of the naked cake’s reign as cake du jour. After seeing plenty of iterations, I’m looking forward to seeing the new techniques chefs will use to create texture and show off the flavour of a cake – after first covering it!

Also aligned to the move away from polished products, panned products – such as chocolate-coated nuts and caramel – have been a big trend that I still think will grow, as will high-end croissants and danishes. Not just in these products, but more broadly, something that really excites me is that we’ll be seeing a lot of bright colours in chocolates, glazes and garnishes. Bright colours are something I’ve been putting into my style rebellion work for some time now, so I’m looking forward to seeing how talented pastry chefs use colour in their work.

I’m also really excited about the increasing popularity of tarts. In all forms, shapes and sizes, I think they’re going to be a huge hit for the next year. I love creating tarts – I have a whole section of my recent book, Chocolate, dedicated to them. Tarts are an incredibly versatile item – whether you’re layering them with decadent chocolate or using fruits to create distinct flavours, the many possibilities mean we’re going to see some interesting and delectable flavour combinations.

When it comes to the business side of baking, there are a couple of other trends that I see taking shape in store for 2017. Firstly, I’m starting to see quite a few artisan businesses create their own chocolate, a process known as ‘bean to bar’. Savour Chocolate and Patisserie School offers a class specifically on this trend, teaching you everything you need to create chocolate from scratch. The classes have picked up in popularity recently, which is a hugely positive indication of the excitement and passion in the industry. Businesses will also become more focused by offering only one concept. That’s already started to happen, and whether it’s éclairs, doughnuts or chocolate bars, distilling their offering means businesses will be producing high standard, quality products.

One of the things I love about the pastry industry is that it’s never boring – innovations are constant and flavours are always exciting. 2017 will certainly prove this with the mix of trends and continual inventions coming out of Australia. I certainly can’t wait to see what’s ahead.