In the lead-up to the royal nuptials, Iceland is to roll out a handmade elderflower and lemon cake modelled on Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s choice of wedding cake.

Iceland has unveiled its own version of the royal cake, originally conceived by Claire Ptak, owner and founder of Hackney’s Violet Bakery.

The elderflower and lemon cake will cost £8 – which Iceland said was a fraction of the proposed £50,000 bill Buckingham Palace will receive for the original – and will be available in store from 14 May for one week only. There will be a limited number of cakes per store.

The cake has two tiers, and is comprised of three layers: a lemon sponge encased in white elderflower buttercream, filled with Sicilian lemon curd. Crowning the top are chocolate pearls covered in gold shimmer.

“We want our customers to enjoy the royal wedding celebrations in style, and what better way to do that than raising a glass of champagne to the newlyweds and having a slice of their actual wedding cake – well, kind of,” said Neil Nugent, head chef at Iceland.

Unlike the upcoming original, the copycat cake is not decorated with seasonal flowers. Nugent recommended consumers add “some wild flowers decorations to keep the royal theme”.

Ptak has kept quiet about details of the flowers. Some believe she may opt to use peonies, which will be in season as the nuptials commence.

Additionally, the white elderflower buttercream has been applied to the Iceland cake with a smooth and thick finish, different to the rustic style showcased on Ptak’s Violet Bakery Café’s Instagram.

Buttercream is rarely used by Ptak – elderflower or otherwise.

There has also been no official word on how big the royal wedding cake will be, although Prince William’s celebration cake was a huge eight-tiered affair – with four three-tiered cakes at its base, and a five-tiered cake crowning the top,.

Inspired by the “bright flavours of spring”, Ptak’s creation appears popular with consumers worldwide; a swathe of royal cake copycat recipes have sprung up online from both sides of Atlantic.

The May wedding is believed to the first time a Royal couple has eschewed a multi-tiered fruitcake for their wedding celebration, bucking centuries of tradition and tapping a rising trend for natural flavours and seasonal produce.

Harry, fifth in line to the throne, will wed Markle on 19 May at Windsor Castle. The pair have extended the wedding invitation to more than 1,000 members of the public, who will watch their arrival and departure on the grounds of Windsor Castle.

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