Cake decoration sits at the intersection of household celebrations, baking equipment, and a growing commercial ingredients industry. U.S. households spent $67 on cakes and cupcakes in 2023, while the global food decorations and inclusions market was valued at $7.43 billion in 2022. The figures below separate observed household spending from market estimates and forecasts, with each measurement period and geography stated explicitly.
Contents
- Household spending on cakes and cupcakes
- How cake spending compares with cookies and candy
- The food decorations and inclusions market
- Bakeware demand in the United States
- Sprinkles market estimates and forecasts
- Frosting, icing, toppings, and decorations
- Natural colors and practical decorating signals
Household spending on cakes and cupcakes
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics series reported household spending on cakes and cupcakes at $38 in 2013. The figure was $32 in 2014, then $37 in 2015 and $37 in 2016. Spending reached $46 in 2017 and $45 in 2018, followed by $46 in 2019 and $45 in 2020.
The same BLS Economics Daily series reported $55 in 2021, $53 in 2022, and $67 in 2023. These are annual U.S. household spending figures for the “cakes and cupcakes” category, not measurements of the value of the entire cake-decoration industry.
| Year | U.S. household spending on cakes and cupcakes |
|---|---|
| 2013 | $38 |
| 2014 | $32 |
| 2015 | $37 |
| 2016 | $37 |
| 2017 | $46 |
| 2018 | $45 |
| 2019 | $46 |
| 2020 | $45 |
| 2021 | $55 |
| 2022 | $53 |
| 2023 | $67 |
The BLS Economics Daily source reported that household spending on cakes and cupcakes rose 26.4% in 2023. It also reported that 2023 spending was 76.3% higher than in 2013. Those supplied percentages describe the BLS category and should not be treated as a direct measure of spending on frosting, piping bags, food coloring, or sprinkles.
For party planning, the category is useful as a broad signal of household purchase activity around finished cakes and cupcakes. It does not identify whether a household bought a decorated bakery cake, a plain cake, a boxed product, or a homemade item. That distinction matters when using the number to think about decorating demand.
How cake spending compares with cookies and candy
The same BLS Economics Daily material provides two neighboring food categories. U.S. households spent $49 on cookies in 2013, $47 in 2014, $47 in 2015, and $50 in 2016. Cookie spending was $56 in 2017, $57 in 2018, $56 in 2019, and $58 in 2020. It then reached $65 in 2021, $72 in 2022, and $91 in 2023.
Candy and chewing gum spending was $88 in 2013 and $88 in 2014. It rose to $103 in 2015, then measured $94 in 2016, $97 in 2017, $99 in 2018, and $112 in 2019. The series recorded $100 in 2020, $114 in 2021, $125 in 2022, and $164 in 2023.
| Category and year | 2013 | 2020 | 2023 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cakes and cupcakes | $38 | $45 | $67 |
| Cookies | $49 | $58 | $91 |
| Candy and chewing gum | $88 | $100 | $164 |
According to BLS Economics Daily, household spending on cookies rose 26.4% in 2023 and was 85.7% higher in 2023 than in 2013. Candy and chewing gum spending rose 31.2% in 2023 and was 86.4% higher in 2023 than in 2013.
The comparison helps put cake-related household spending into context: in the supplied 2023 figures, cakes and cupcakes were a smaller annual household-spending category than cookies or candy and chewing gum. However, these categories are not interchangeable. Candy can function as a cake decoration, while cookies may be used for party favors, dessert tables, or cake-adjacent displays. The figures show category spending, not the share used for decorating.
The food decorations and inclusions market
Grand View Research valued the global food decorations and inclusions market at $7.43 billion in 2022. The same source expected the market to grow at a 6.8% compound annual growth rate from 2023 to 2030. “Global” is important here: the estimate covers food decorations and inclusions broadly, rather than only home cake decorating in the United States.
Chocolate decorations and inclusions accounted for more than 26.90% of global revenue in 2022, according to Grand View Research. That share identifies chocolate as a substantial part of the reported market, but it does not establish that chocolate was the leading choice for every cake, party theme, or household.
For readers planning a party, the market categories suggest a wide decorating vocabulary: inclusions can be part of a product, while decorations can be used on the surface or around the finished bake. The supplied market figures do not quantify individual products such as fondant, edible glitter, wafer paper, piping tips, or sugar flowers, so no separate market size is assigned to them here.
Bakeware demand in the United States
Grand View Research estimated the U.S. bakeware market at $934.0 million in 2024. Commercial end use accounted for about 53.7% of that market in 2024. The commercial share indicates that bakeries, food businesses, and other professional uses represented a larger portion than household use within the reported estimate, although the supplied data does not provide the exact household dollar amount.
The U.S. bakeware market was expected to grow at a 6.7% CAGR from 2025 to 2030, according to Grand View Research. Household bakeware demand was expected to grow at a 7.0% CAGR over the same 2025–2030 period. These are forecasts, not measured outcomes, and the household forecast is a growth rate rather than a stated future market value.
| U.S. bakeware indicator | Supplied figure |
|---|---|
| Market estimate, 2024 | $934.0 million |
| Commercial end-use share, 2024 | About 53.7% |
| Total market forecast CAGR, 2025–2030 | 6.7% |
| Household demand forecast CAGR, 2025–2030 | 7.0% |
For cake decorators, bakeware is an enabling category rather than a decoration category itself. A market estimate for bakeware may include equipment used for many types of baking, so it should not be read as a measurement of cake pans or decorating tools alone.
Sprinkles market estimates and forecasts
Sprinkles are one of the clearest decorating-specific categories in the supplied research, but different reports give different market baselines. Verified Market Research valued the sprinkles market at $331 million in 2024 and projected it to reach $401 million by 2032. That report projected a 5.7% CAGR during 2026–2032.
Congruence Market Insights estimated the global sprinkles market at $370 million in 2024. It projected the market at $572.2 million by 2032 and reported a 5.6% CAGR from 2025 to 2032.
| Source | 2024 estimate | Later projection | Reported growth rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| Verified Market Research | $331 million | $401 million by 2032 | 5.7% CAGR, 2026–2032 |
| Congruence Market Insights | $370 million | $572.2 million by 2032 | 5.6% CAGR, 2025–2032 |
The difference between the two 2024 estimates is a reminder to keep market-report definitions and forecast windows attached to the number. The reports may use different methodologies, coverage, or market boundaries; the supplied facts do not explain the discrepancy. Both are estimates and projections, not a count of retail sprinkle sales at a particular store.
DataIntelo reported that dairy products accounted for about 12.6% of sprinkles market revenues in 2025. It projected the dairy-products application for sprinkles to grow at a 4.9% CAGR. DataIntelo also reported that online retail accounted for about 26.7% of sprinkles market revenues in 2025 and projected online retail to expand at an 8.9% CAGR through 2034.
Those application and channel figures describe the sprinkles market as defined by DataIntelo. They do not say that 12.6% of all decorated cakes use sprinkles, nor that 26.7% of home decorators buy them online. They are market-revenue shares for specified segments and measurement periods.
Frosting, icing, toppings, and decorations
Future Market Report estimated the cakes frosting and icing market at $14,520.75 million in 2024. It projected the market to reach $23,580.40 million by 2032 and reported a 6.25% CAGR from 2025 to 2032. The market label is narrower than the broad food decorations and inclusions category in some respects, but the supplied information does not provide a harmonized definition that would allow the two totals to be combined.
Future Market Insights projected the frosting, toppings, and decorations market to grow from $6.3 billion in 2026 to $11.3 billion by 2036. It reported a 6.0% CAGR over 2026–2036 and projected India at a 6.2% CAGR through 2036 for frosting, toppings, and decorations demand.
These figures are forecasts from named market reports, not historical sales records. Their different starting values and labels should remain separate. A frosting-and-icing estimate cannot automatically be added to a toppings-and-decorations estimate, because the categories may overlap.
For a party host, the practical takeaway is that frosting and surface decoration are measured as meaningful commercial categories in multiple reports. The supplied data does not break these markets down by buttercream, royal icing, cream cheese frosting, fondant, glaze, or piping style, so those individual techniques are discussed qualitatively rather than assigned unsupported percentages.
Natural colors and practical decorating signals
Grand View Research reported that powdered natural food colors held a 48.6% share of the natural food colors market in 2025. Beverages held a 26.3% share of that market in 2025. These figures describe the natural food colors market overall, not cake decorating alone.
The beverage share is a reminder that food-color demand spans more than icing and dessert applications. Likewise, the powdered-color share does not establish that nearly half of cake decorators use powdered colors. It identifies a format share in the broader natural food colors market for the stated 2025 period.
Across the supplied statistics, the most defensible picture is layered: U.S. household spending on cakes and cupcakes reached $67 in 2023; broader U.S. bakeware was estimated at $934.0 million in 2024; global food decorations and inclusions were valued at $7.43 billion in 2022; and reports forecast continued growth for sprinkles, frosting, icing, toppings, decorations, bakeware, and natural-color segments. The categories, geographies, source methodologies, and time windows differ, so each figure is most useful when read with its original label intact.