The Bistro Gourmet Bakery, the Peoria, Ill.-based foodservice dessert portfolio of The Hillshire Brands Co., Chicago, launched an expanded Bistro Collection line of thaw-and-serve gourmet cakes, each hand-crafted and individually portioned for operational ease.

“The Bistro Collection brand enables operators to provide patrons a diverse and gourmet dessert offering with an ease-of-service that will drive dessert sales,” says Vic De Martino, director of marketing. “Each cake is prepared in small batches and hand-decorated, ensuring customers receive a quality product that both looks and, most importantly, tastes exceptional. All of our recipes are delicately crafted to assure a moist texture and deliver a melt-in-your-mouth flavor.”

New flavors include:

Chocolate Raspberry Duet Cake—chocolate cake layers divided by raspberry mouse, covered with white chocolate buttercream frosting and dark chocolate curls.

Harvest Caramel Apple Cake—cake with fresh pieces of apple, covered by cream cheese frosting, caramel and toasted pecan pralines.

Lemon Mousse Melody Cake—cake infused with lemon mousse, covered by whipped cream and lemon candies.

Roasted Pistachio Mascarpone Cake—cake layered by pistachio mascarpone, covered with mascarpone frosting and roasted pistachios.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Thunder Cake made with Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups—chocolate cake layers with crushed Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup covered with peanut butter frosting, chocolate drizzle and additional Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup.

“Our operators are always looking for a way to provide an indulgent dessert tray without the excessive labor resources,” says DeMartino. “Our Bistro Collection brand and the sales online resources that support it gives chefs and restaurant owners the power to easily build and offer an exclamation point to the end of the meal without the significant labor resources usually associated with dessert time.”