M&S has unveiled a quartet of hand-finished celebration cakes inspired by artisan bakeries.
The new cakes tap into on-trend flavours of pistachio, salted caramel, and miso, as well as demand for ingredients from specific regions, such as Sicilian lemon.
The indulgent cakes, which are part of its own-label Collection range, are priced at £20 each and will generously serve 12 people, according to the retailer. Each features three layers of flavour-soaked sponge, made with a combination of wheat flour and Wildfarmed flour, with a thick filling of buttercream before being hand-finished with a variety of decorations.
“To ensure our ranges remain the best of the best, our expert bakers have worked incredibly hard to guarantee our new Collection cakes taste like a top-quality artisan cake, but with a very un-artisan price tag,” said M&S product developer, Maddie Lovett.
“We’ve used incredible ingredients like Sicilian lemon and Madagascan chocolate, expert techniques like sponge soaks, and precision engineering on the layers and fillings to guarantee maximum flavour in every bite. These really are sensational cakes and we can’t wait for them to be part of our customers’ extra special celebrations.”
Here is a closer look at the new cakes:
Pistachio & Raspberry Cake
A light vanilla & pistachio frangipane sponge, layered with raspberry conserve and indulgent pistachio buttercream. Sprinkled with nibbed pistachios and freeze-dried raspberries.
Chocolate & Hazelnut Cake
Rich chocolate & hazelnut frangipane sponges layered with dark chocolate buttercream made with chocolate & hazelnut chocolate cream, sprinkled with caramelised crunchy hazelnuts.
Sicilian Lemon & Blackcurrant Cake
A buttermilk enriched Madagascan vanilla sponge, with a Sicilian lemon juice soak, filled and hand-decorated with Sicilian lemon juice and lemon curd buttercream, tangy blackcurrant jam, blackcurrant pieces and edible blue cornflowers.
Brown Sugar & Salted Caramel Cake
A brown sugar sponge enriched with dates, topped and filled with sticky salted caramel sauce and caramelised sugar with a rich salty-sweet miso buttercream.
All of the cakes are available in M&S Foodhalls now with the exception of the Brown Sugar & Salted Caramel one, which will be available later this month.
They have been rolled out shortly after the retailer was named a finalist in the Bakery Retailer of the Year category at the 2024 Baking Industry Awards. Products quality and variety plays a huge part in the M&S vision as it strives to ‘be famous for best in market bread offering’ and to differentiate itself with a range of special and different sweet treats. This included extending its Collection Sourdough range and adding Wildfarmed Regenerative Flour to recipes. The retailer has also revamped its handcrafted pastries line-up with a rotation of new flavours and has overhauled its muffins and handcrafted rolls offering.
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