Christmas cake shortlisted

A Huddersfield bakery’s unique ‘Christmas Dinner Cake’ – which became an overnight sensation when it was featured on BBC2’s Dragon’s Den – has been nominated for a prestigious bakery award.

ProperMaid’s festive cake, which helped the company scoop a £50,000 investment from the Dragons, has been shortlisted for The Baking Industry Awards 2013.

The Christmas Dinner Cake – which caught the attention of the Dragons on the Christmas special, winning investment from Deborah Meaden in return for a 25% stake – is among the three finalists in the ‘Product Innovation Award’ category.

Using all the ingredients of a traditional British Christmas dinner, including carrots, parsnips, cranberries, Christmas spices, chestnuts and even sprouts, the innovative bake now comes in a distinctive ‘Bake your Own’ kit with step-by-step instructions, measured out ingredients and recipe book.

“Our Christmas Dinner Cake was such a huge success, we wanted to take it forward as a business and make the most of the opportunity. We’ve taken the basic idea and made it into a lovely gift box that people can buy to bake at home or give as a gift for a friend – and we’re delighted it has caught the attention of the judges at the awards,” says MD Allison Whitmarsh. “It’s great to be in the running for a nationally recognised accreditation and is the biggest award we’ve ever been up for.”

“It’s been a really exciting six months for us,” adds Allison. “As we’re now finalising a supply contract with a major online grocer and taking the Dinner Cake idea one step further by creating prototypes for our ‘Sunday Dinner Cake’, which will be available all year round.”

Proper Maid, based in Heritage Mills, has made a name for itself with its out-of-the-ordinary home baked cakes and loaves, with flavours that have included Courgette & Lime, Beetroot & Chocolate, Liquorice, Dandelion & Burdock (which won a Gold Star at the 2012 Great Taste Awards) and Chocolate Chilli & Fudge, made with real chillies.

The 26th annual Baking Industry Awards will be held at Park Lane Hilton on September 11, with up to 800 key industry executives attending.