Platinum Jubilee bundt cake
Britain’s favourite bakes revealed
We’re a nation of sweet-lovers, from our obsession with afternoon tea to the millions of us that tune into Great British Bake Off every year. And with the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee on the horizon, it’s time to don our aprons and power up our mixers in preparation for Jubilee parties aplenty!
In fact, thousands of us tuned in to watch BBC One’s The Jubilee Pudding: 70 Years in the Baking on 12 May 2022 to see Jemma Melvin’s Lemon Swiss Roll and Amaretti Trifle crowned the ‘Platinum Pudding’ for The Queen’s Jubilee celebrations. The dessert recipe will become part of British food history, following in the footsteps of the Coronation Chicken and the Victoria Sponge.
But will it stand the test of time and potentially become the nation’s new favourite pudding? It has stiff competition to beat off. In autumn 2021, the experts at Baking Mad revealed the results of a survey to find Britain’s favourite cake.
Britain’s favourite cake
The survey, conducted in conjunction with Allinson’s, Billington’s and Neilsen Massey, asked 4,700 members of the British public for their favourite bake and compiled the results into a list of the nation’s top 10 puddings.
In first place the humble Victoria Sponge – Queen Victoria’s favourite – took the crown as Britain’s favourite cake. It’s no surprise, given the simple-yet-delicious combination of moist sponge, rich cream and fruity jam. It’s a timeless classic.
Victoria Sponge, brownies and cookies are the nation’s favourites (photos: Baking Mad)
Britain’s second favourite cake – or bake, to be more accurate – was a tie. Chocolate brownies and chocolate fudge cake each received 12% of the votes. Chocolate chip cookies and lemon drizzle cake narrowly missed out on the podium spots with 11% and 10% of the votes.
Cinnamon rolls, carrot cake, cupcakes and rocky road all gathered a respectable number of votes but didn’t get the support required to hit the top spots. Finally, banana bread – a bake that united us all during the 2020 lockdown – finished bottom with just 6% of the votes. Perhaps we consumed too much of it while stuck at home during the pandemic?
Here’s the list of Britain’s favourite cakes and bakes in full:
- Victoria sponge: 16%
- Chocolate brownie: 12%
- Chocolate fudge cake: 12%
- Choc chip cookies: 11%
- Lemon drizzle cake: 10%
- Cinnamon rolls: 9%
- Carrot cake: 9%
- Cupcakes: 8%
- Rocky Road: 7%
- Banana bread: 6%
The Platinum Pudding
Fancy trying your hand at the Platinum Pudding for The Queen’s Jubilee celebrations? Surprisingly, a trifle didn’t feature among Britain’s favourite cakes and bakes, but perhaps Jemma Melvin’s Lemon Swiss Roll and Amaretti Trifle recipe will boost the popularity of this layered classic?
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You can also find the links to all five finalists’ dessert recipes here. Among them is Sam’s Jubilee Bundt Cake, a twist on the classic Victoria Sponge that features the Queen’s favourite tipple, Dubonnet, in a jam, and is topped with a regal crown shape. If the official Platinum Pudding isn’t for you, this runner up is sure to be a show-stopping Jubilee party cake.
Sam’s Jubilee bundt cake – a Platinum Pudding finalist – is a Victoria Sponge with a twist. Photo: BBC Food