17/09/2026
🚨 Trend Alert! 🚨� Heat is having its moment in the pastry kitchen and it's not going anywhere.
What started with hot honey drizzled over everything has evolved into something far more considered. Chefs are now layering heat with intention, building flavour profiles that move from warm and aromatic to truly fiery, sometimes within the same bite. The result is desserts that linger, surprise, and keep guests coming back to figure out exactly what just happened.
There are two distinct registers to work with. You're already familiar with the warming flavors of speculoos, chai, cinnamon buns and hot cross buns, all of which invite comfort and familiarity. Hot heat is a little more novel, with chipotle, gochujang, habanero, Sichuan peppercorn, chilli crisp bringing edge, contrast and the kind of slow burn that makes a dessert genuinely memorable. The most interesting territory right now is where both meet: chilli and cinnamon in a single chocolate, a peach habanero bonbon that balances fruit sweetness against real heat, a baharat-spiced tres leches that shouldn't work but absolutely does.
The natural sweetness of fruits like peach, mango or citrus also play a starring role, softening the blow of those hot flavors without blunting the excitement.
While hot honey has already gone mainstream, the specificity of regional chillies, date and maple syrups and caramels can all be swapped in to bring both heat and provenance.
Chef Peter Remmelzwaal brings that sweet-heat balance to life in his new Volcanic Guava chocolate bar, pairing guava and chipotle with almond praline and Veliche Intense 35 milk chocolate.
Discover the recipe 👉 https://www.veliche.com/discover-inspirations/recipes/volcanic-guava
With the colder seasons on the horizon, the timing couldn't be better to bring a little fire to your menu. So how hot are you willing to go?