A mouth-watering treat that was dreamed up in a Gate Pa bakery is now being sold in Baker's Delight stores nationwide.
The creamy Italian coffee dessert tiramisu, popular among Kiwis, has been transformed into a sweet scroll by German baker Max Sommer, who bought Baker's Delight, Gate Pa three years ago.
MrSommer and wife Beate visited New Zealand on holiday in 2004 from Stuttgart in south Germany, secured work here and started a family with the birth of their son, Lucas, now 13 months-old.
Mr Sommer said he missed the flavours in German baking and is a big fan of tiramisu cake.
"I like the different flavours that's why I created tiramisu this time.
"Because Baker's Delight make the sticky cinnamon scroll, I thought why not tiramisu?"
Baked fresh every day, the scrolls have a creamy, rich tiramisu-flavoured filling, are topped with a rich cream cheese icing and then dusted with cocoa powder.
After spending three days perfecting the recipe, Mr Sommer trialled the tiramisu in his store before sending some samples to Baker's Delight's New Zealand head office in Auckland.
From there the product was re-created in a test bakery in Melbourne where the tiramisu scroll was perfected over a three week period.
Mr Sommer said he was "happy and excited" by the news his product was a hit and is now being sold at bakeries across the country for $3.70 each.
He said feedback from customers in his own store had been "really good", and his sales figures had convinced the company to yesterday begin selling the product nationwide.
The name tiramisu translates to "pick me up".
"The customers like it because it's a different flavour for their afternoon tea. Many people drink tea, not coffee but they like the coffee taste," he said.
Mr Sommer said he has also created a roasted walnut baguette which he sells from time to time in his own store but was too expensive to be sold nationwide.
If the tiramisu scroll sells well in New Zealand, the product may be stocked in stores across Australia and Canada.
Baker's Delight New Zealand manager Scott Paterson said berry and apple and walnut scrolls were currently the most popular. But he believes the tiramisu scroll was the perfect offering for Kiwis who can't say no to dessert.
"We know it will be a hit with sweet tooths and coffee-lovers nationwide," he said.
