What Is a Traybake?
You may have noticed that Exploding Bakery specialises in traybakes.
A traybake is a cake baked in a large rectangular tray and then cut into individual portions. Instead of baking separate cakes or cupcakes, everything is baked in one tray and either marked or sliced once cooled.
Classic traybakes include brownies, blondies, flapjacks and sponge based slices topped with icing, fruit or chocolate. They’re simple yet incredibly tasty, large cakes designed to be shared, portioned easily and enjoyed with a good cup of coffee.
At Exploding Bakery we’ve always had a soft spot for traybakes. That's how our business started. They’re the kind of cakes that look fantastic piled high on a café counter and somehow manage to disappear faster than expected. They're easy to be portioned and bagged up in takeaway bags at busy rush hours, too.
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Why traybakes are so popular in cafés
Traybakes have become a staple of café counters across the UK, and it’s not difficult to see why.
First of all, they’re incredibly practical. A traybake can be cut into consistent portions, making them easy to serve during busy coffee rushes. They also hold their texture well throughout the day, meaning the first slice and the last slice still taste just as good. Because traybakes tend to be flat, it makes it easy to store as you can pile boxes on top of each other either in the freezer or fridge. Handy if you're struggling for space!
For café owners this makes traybakes one of the most reliable types of cake to offer.
They also have that comforting, slightly nostalgic quality that customers instantly recognise. A good brownie or flapjack has a way of calling out from the counter, quietly suggesting that coffee alone might not quite be enough.
Examples of popular traybakes
Some of the most well-known cakes in cafés are traybakes. A few favourites include:
Brownies
Rich, chocolatey and often slightly fudgy in the middle. Brownies are one of the most dependable café cakes because they hold their texture well and portion easily.
Blondies
The vanilla-based cousin of the brownie. Blondies skip the cocoa but keep the chewy texture, often featuring flavours like white chocolate, caramel or nuts.
Flapjacks
Made with buttery oats and golden syrup, flapjacks are hearty traybakes that travel well and keep beautifully on the counter.
Sponge traybakes / cakes
These are lighter cakes baked in trays and topped with icing, fruit or glazes. Lemon drizzle slices and iced sponge traybakes are common examples.
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Why traybakes work so well for café counters
From a café perspective, traybakes tick all the right boxes.
They’re easy to slice into handy portions, making them quick to serve during busy periods. Because they’re baked in large trays, they’re also efficient to produce and transport.
Many traybakes hold their moisture well, which means they stay delicious for several days when stored correctly. That reliability helps cafés reduce waste and keep their cake counters looking well stocked.
And perhaps most importantly, traybakes are simply hard to resist. Their chunky, slightly rustic slices look fantastic next to a flat white or cappuccino.
Traybakes at Exploding Bakery
At Exploding Bakery, traybakes have always been at the heart of what we do. Our bakery began life as a café in Exeter back in 2011, so we’ve spent plenty of time watching what actually sells from a cake counter.
Over the years we’ve developed a range of traybakes designed specifically for cafés and retailers. Our brownies, blondies and flapjacks are baked to hold their texture, slice neatly and deliver big flavour in every bite.
We also care deeply about what goes into them. Our cakes are baked using flour from Shipton Mill, chocolate from Luker Chocolate, butter from Trewithen Dairy and other thoughtfully sourced ingredients. Choosing suppliers who prioritise quality and responsible farming helps us bake cakes that taste better and feel better to serve.
Traybakes: simple, generous and made for sharing
At their core, traybakes are wonderfully straightforward cakes. They’re baked in trays, cut into chunky slices and shared between friends, colleagues or anyone who happens to be standing near the cake counter at the right moment.
Whether it’s a fudgy brownie, a chewy blondie or a moreish oat flapjack, traybakes remain one of the most satisfying forms of cake. They’re generous, comforting and perfectly suited to the rhythm of cafés and coffee shops.
And if you ask us, that’s exactly how cake should be.
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