Colomba cake trends as stylish Italian bake is set to be new Easter must-have 

New data from online supermarket Ocado reveals a significant spike in demand for colomba cake, with Brits increasingly interested in this Italian Easter bake.

Searches for ‘colomba cake’ on Ocado.com, the world’s largest online supermarket, have soared 270% in the last month as shoppers stock up ahead of Easter. Google trends data also reveals how searches for ‘Colomba Cake Easter’ have shot up 100% compared to this time last year. 

This isn’t the first time Italian bakery staples have taken centre stage during seasonal events – in recent years both panettone and pandoro have become wildly popular in Britain at Christmas. Google trends data also revealed ‘panettone’ searches soared 53% higher than ‘Fruit cake’ during last December in the UK. 

And it’s not just at Christmas, TikTok insight data reveals that searches for ‘how to eat panettone bread’ are up 1000% (1.87k searches) in the past seven days, showcasing a rising trend for Brits embracing stylish Italian baked goods year-round.

In response to this growing popularity, Ocado has expanded its range of colomba cakes by 300% this year to cater to customers’ evolving tastes.

Rachel Glaysher, Buyer for Sweet Bakery at Ocado Retail, describes colomba cake as “similar in texture to panettone, but lighter, with lovely citrusy notes from candied peel and those crunchy almonds. The colomba is a great alternative to the traditional British simnel fruitcake for Easter, as it’s rich and buttery but not too sweet, making it just as perfect for breakfast, as an afternoon snack or post-dinner treat.”

She adds, “While simnel cake is still popular with customers, with site searches for ‘colomba’ +53% higher this year, it’s clear that many are interested in exploring other options too and we predict this trend will continue to grow, given the popularity of panetonne at Christmas. We want our customers to have the most sought-after special occasion treats, and that’s why we’ve expanded our selection of colomba cakes.”

Notes to Editors

• Based on Ocado data taken between 27.01.25 – 27.02.25 vs 27.02.25 – 27.03.25

Google Trends Data

Based on data taken from 24.03.23 – 24.03.25

Based on data taken from 24.05.23 – 24.03.25

TikTok search data

Data taken from 25.03.25 – 31.03.25