McVitie’s owner Pladis has marked the 70th wedding anniversary of Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip by creating a 35kg fruit cake.

The cake, which is two feet tall and two feet wide, was created by a team of specialist bakers and was made in Pladis’ Halifax bakery, decorated in High Wycombe and delivered to Windsor Castle yesterday (20 September).

The creation included handmade sugar work details such as flowers replicating the Myrtle used in The Queen’s original wedding bouquet and intertwining initials to represent their union.

The manufacturer offered to bake the cake as a gift to the royal couple and received a letter in July from the Master of the Household, stating: “Her Majesty would be very pleased to receive the cake”.

“It was a pleasure to create this very special cake to mark such an important milestone for the royal couple,” said Mark Schomberg, global development chef at Pladis. “The team at Halifax had a great time designing, testing and baking the cake, and we hope that it is enjoyed by Her Majesty The Queen and Prince Philip.”

Pladis’ royal tradition of baking cakes dates back to 1893 when McVitie and Price’s – the name derived from the original Scottish biscuit maker – made one of the wedding cakes for Prince George, Duke of York (later King George V) and Princess Mary of Teck (later Queen Mary).