Tequila spritz and dot cakes - why these summer trends are having a moment

Image source, Chloe Steen /@chloerosebakes By Lauren Potts and Polly Weeks Published 20 June 2026, 00:44 BST Fun, colourful and great on camera, this summer's big food trends come in the form of sprinkle-covered dot cakes, sparkling tequila spritzes and soft Japanese-style milk bread. But are they just social media fodder, or actually worth spending time and money on? Dot cakes Sprinkles are having a real moment in the US right now. New York bakery The Dotcakes went viral in May for its flat-topped, single serve cakes, covered in buttercream and "dots", as they're now being called online. That's "hundreds and thousands" to us on this side of the Atlantic. Versions have already been cropping up across the UK, including in Manchester , external , at Alex's Bakery. Meanwhile, people are also having a go at making them at home – one TikTok recipe video , external has been viewed 2.5 million times as of June. "Home bakers are rushing to recreate dot cakes themselves," agrees Blanca Spencer Morena, Ocado's buyer for home baking. "We've seen a massive 80% month-on-month increase from April to May in searches for hundreds and thousands." Chloe Rose Steen, 23, from Cheshire, decided to try making her own dot cakes after they appeared on her social feeds. Image source, Chloe Steen /@chloerosebakes Image caption, Chloe Rose with her original dot cake "After seeing the third dot cake video in a single scrolling session, I had a feeling they'd be everywhere on social media in a few days," she says. "There's been a shift lately in adding whimsical elements to your everyday, with things like sprinkles on matcha, yoghurt bowls and desserts." Chloe recorded herself making them , external and her post quickly reached 20,000 views on TikTok and 10,000 views on Instagram. But aren't they just fairy cakes? "At their core, yes, they're simple cakes," says Chloe. "But that's part of the appeal." Simple, fun and inexpensive, there's plenty to be sold on when it comes to baking dot cakes at home. They're perhaps less convincing if you find yourself queuing or paying premium prices, though. Tequila spritz Aperol Spritz has long been the 'it' summer drink, but last year, Hugo Spritz sidled up to the bar and settled in for a long session. Jane Atkey, product developer at Sainsbury's, says shoppers are continuing to look for lighter, floral drinks this summer, with Hugo continuing to tick all the boxes. At Ocado, searches for this elderflower-based fizz are up 452% year-on-year. But now there's a new contender – the tequila spritz. M&S likens it to the grapefruit-based Paloma cocktail and says it follows in Hugo's footsteps. According to the retailer, sales of tequila are up 50%. Joseph Costello, 25, is a bartender at Dos Dedos in Bath. He thinks this emerging trend is being driven by an attitude shift to tequila. Once something mainly just served as a shot alongside lemon and salt, it's now regarded as a higher-quality drink. Image source, Josh Linfitt, Fezant Creative