Source: Pladis
Pladis has created a special 1.2m-high fruitcake in commemoration of the King’s coronation on 6 May.
Having taken a total of five months to make from design through to decoration, it was presented as a gift for hundreds of royal guests to enjoy a slice at the coronation reception at Windsor Castle.
The recipe for the dark fruitcake was inspired by previous royal cakes created by Pladis-owned McVitie’s, which date back to 1893.
The batter alone weighed over 300kg and comprised 300 Duchy organic, free-range eggs, and fruits including sultanas, raisins, and glacé cherries. It was baked in small batches, aged over two months and fed with a spirit produced with apples sourced from the 1,000-tree orchard at His Majesty’s Highgrove Estate.
Embracing the ethos of the Prince’s Trust – ‘Respecting the Past, Building the Future’ – Pladis chef Robert Craggs and his team collaborated with a Royal historian and cake artists Rosalind Miller and Elizabeth Wood to ‘combine modern minimalism with the majesty of the coronation ceremony’.
Each of the cake’s four tiers incorporates designs inspired by elements of the coronation.
Source: Pladis
The bottom tier has matt stone icing, reflecting the Stone of Destiny – a symbol used for centuries in the inauguration of Monarchs.
The second tier is engraved with a delicate pattern taken from the Anointing spoon, on to which holy oil is poured by the Archbishop of Canterbury during the ceremony.
The third tier sees marbled stone texture continuing but embossed with gilded detailing from the Coronation Chair – the centrepiece of coronations for over 700 years.
The final tier wears a porcelain surround featuring details again taken from the Coronation Chair, topped by a ceramic interpretation of the Sovereign’s Orb, one of the Crown Jewels.
“On behalf of the Pladis family, it is an honour for us to present this uniquely crafted cake to celebrate Their Majesties’ Coronation,” said David Murray, UK and Ireland managing director of Pladis. “As a Royal Warrant holder, this culinary contribution to the coronation builds on a long history proudly serving the British Royal Family.”
McVitie’s has been creating celebration cakes to mark British Royal Family milestones for the past 130 years, including for weddings, christenings, anniversaries and Jubilees. Last year, McVitie’s presented a celebratory cake to the late Queen on her Platinum Jubilee, with the theme of the Tree of Life reflecting her long reign and the passing seasons.
