McVitie’s and pladis, both distinguished organizations in the confectionary industry, have created a masterpiece cake to commemorate the Coronation of Their Majesties on the 6th of May 2023. The cake was presented as a special gift, baked and decorated to perfection and showcased at Windsor Castle.
McVitie’s, with a rich heritage dating back to 1893, has been a part of numerous milestones in the British Royal Family’s life. The company has been instrumental in creating and presenting unique celebration cakes for weddings, christenings, anniversaries, and Jubilees. McVitie’s created and presented a celebratory cake to the late Queen last year on her Platinum Jubilee, which was based on the Tree of Life theme, reflecting on her long reign and the passing seasons.
The Coronation cake is a tribute to the Carolean era and is inspired by the Prince’s Foundation ethos – Respecting the Past, Building the Future. The concept of the cake, while being contemporary, reflects the grandeur of the Coronation, with each tier featuring aspects of historic Coronation regalia.
David Murray, UK and Ireland Managing Director of pladis, expressed his pride in presenting this uniquely crafted cake to celebrate Their Majesties’ Coronation. As a Royal Warrant holder, pladis has a rich history of proudly serving the British Royal Family.
The cake, which took five months to make, is a dark fruit cake baked by pladis’ Chef Robert Craggs, inspired by McVitie’s recipe archive for previous Royal cakes. The cake stands at a height of 1.2 metres and is packed with succulent fruits, including sultanas, raisins, and glacé cherries. Over 300 Duchy organic, free-range eggs are used in the recipe, making up more than half of the ingredients. The fruit cake was left to age for two months and fed with 1,000 Trees Apple Eau de Vie 2020 from Capreolus Distillery in Cirencester. The apples were sourced from His Majesty’s Highgrove Estate’s 1,000 apple tree orchard.
The pladis team collaborated with a Royal historian and award-winning cake artists Rosalind Miller and Elizabeth Wood to curate this Coronation cake and combine modern minimalism with the regal majesty of the Coronation ceremony. The cake is built in four layers, with each tier symbolizing important elements of the Coronation ceremony.
The cake’s bottom tier has matt stone icing that reflects the Stone of Destiny, a symbol used for centuries in the inauguration of Monarchs. The second tier is engraved with the delicate pattern taken from the Anointing spoon. The third tier sees marbled stone texture continuing but embossed with gilded detailing from the Coronation Chair. The final tier wears a porcelain surround featuring details again taken from the Coronation Chair and is topped by a ceramic interpretation of the Sovereign’s Orb, one of the Crown Jewels.
The Coronation cake is a true testament to the hard work and dedication of the pladis team and their commitment to creating unique and memorable experiences that reflect their pride in being Royal Warrant holders.