Tunis Cake
The original McVities Tunis Cake (image courtesy of McVities)
I had pictured myself with a handheld camera touring the depths of England, blowing the dust off old cookbooks, interviewing stalwarts of the WI, doing witty pieces to camera, all in search of the elusive Tunis Cake. This was to be my food odyssey, where I discovered not only the history of this childhood favourite, but of myself.
The Tunis Cake is one of those things that people remember fondly or not at all: A round Madeira cake; topped with a thick chocolate layer and some (non-descriptive) marzipan fruits; a seasonal product hitting the shelves for Christmas. The one that was always in my house was produced by McVities and was instantly recognisable in its square, red box.
Sadly my journey was neither long nor enlightening. After contacting all the supermarkets and food historians it turns out that McVities invented the cake in 1973 and ceased production in the early eighties. Bugger. Although they still have the original recipe so…
M&S discontinued their version in the mid eighties (my mum claims she had one in 1986 from them), whilst Tesco and Sainsburys are still flying the cake flag.
Click here for my recipe to my Ultimate Tunis Cake
Sainsburys version of the Tunis cake, at least it's still available.
Should you want to try the original Tunis Cake contact McVities and ask them to dust off the old recipe and mix up a batch, or better still sign my petition – and if we ever get enough people we can march on Downing Street, or something similar!
M&S's Tunis Cake for Christmas 2009
Update
Despite not producing a Tunis Cake for over twenty years, Marks & Spencer have, thankfully, come to their senses and decided that Christmas 2009 is the right time to buck that trend.
Slightly smaller in diameter than the other supermarkets offerings, with a slightly thinner icing, it was worth the wait. I managed to get my hands on one, direct from M&S’s bakery department and I can’t find a bad word to say about it! The sponge was beautifully moist and the chocolate icing just right.
It comes banded in red foil cardboard and should retail at around the £5.99 mark.
Click here for my latest post on the 2011 Tunis cakes available.
Tunis cake originates back to the days of the Carthage empire and the wars with Rome. After great victories the ‘Tunis’ (a class of warrior) would celebrate with cake and wine. Thus this type of cake is associated with great celebration occasions
Hi, I have emailed McVities and they are saying there is not the demand for this cake, but I know there is, so everyone should email them and complain to them that everyone would like to see this cake back on the supermarket shelves! If we do all email them, they may take some notice!!
Good idea Lynn have sent email to McVities Tunis cake is our family favourite now we are eagerly awaiting the arrival at either Tesco or Sainsburys although they are not as nice as when I was younger.
I too have emailed McVities. Let’s get this Seasonal favourite relaunched. There could be a massive demand, so many young people do not like traditional christmas cake, pudding and mince pies. Who doesn’t like choclate?
I disagree that the M&S Tunis Cake is delicious. The madeira cake is fine but the chocolate icing is far too sweet and grainy. Does not taste like chocolate and is a very poor substitute for the real thing. I’ve found that Tesco’s Tunis Cake is the closest to the original and will look in Tesco’s for this year.
Yep. I lend my full support to the ‘bring back Tunis cake’ movement. My daugher has been on the lookout and got the Sainsbury’s one. Well done Sainsbury’s! But it is not like the original. It is too sponge rather than true Madeira and it doesn’t have the ring of iced blobs round the edge. However it did go down well with a cup of tea when the wind is roaring outside.
found tunis cake on sale at tesco middleton manchester still got 5 left after i had mine.
I love Tunis cake but this 2011 I have not managed to find any of the major stockists like Tesco or Sainsburys selling them. You can order online Tunis cake with Waitrose but they dont deliver to Londoners. Bring back McVities the quality is fabulous.
Sainsbury’s are selling Tunis cakes for £7.00 I bought one in the Hedege End Store near Southampton
Just bought my Tunis Cake from Morisson’s, yet to try it though! Here’s hoping it’s as good as the original…
I have struggled to find a good Tunis cake for the past few years so have resorted to making my own. As I type this my maderia cake is in the oven. The beauty of making your own is that you can have a really thick layer of chocolate topping and the multi coloured fondant icing ribbons that I remember as a child.
Found Tunis cake in Morrisons, Leighton Buzzard on a rare shop there – £7, it was the last one on the shelf and I grabbed it quick lol. Just had a slice delicious, but still not as good as the ones in the 70′s! Brought back many happy memories for us.
My mother used to buy Tunis cakes made by Macfarlane Lang and co, in the 1950s.This company had merged with Mc Vities in 1948 but the cakes were still labelled Macfarlane Lang.They were delicious and the chocolate was very thick!!!!!!
When we had a shop in the 70s they were very popular and we had to order early because of the sheer volume of requests.
just tucking into my Waitrose version ~ delicious. almond sponge, and chocolate cream topped with marzipan all over then a chocolate covering on top of that.
My friend Graham Chapman posted about his love for Tunis Cake on facebook just before Christmas, and announced they were available in Sainsburys? The theory that Tunis cake is associated with Carthage is a nice story.
I too remember the original McVities Tunis cake. My mum used to buy it every year, it was part of our Christmas fare. The only supermarket I saw selling them down here in Cornwall this Christmas was Sainsbury’s, as people have already said, at £7! Expensive for a cake to start with but very very disappointed with it. Hardly any effort made with the marzipan fruits on the top, the cake didn’t go anywhere near the sides of the box, no other icing to be found, as Liz Light says it’s a sponge and not a madeira, and the chocolate cracked and was of poor quality. For me, that was always key, as I remember with the McVities ones you could cut the chocolate without it cracking. Still think the Fabulous Baking Boys cupcakes are the closest thing to Tunis cakes, chocolate and taste wise. How can McVities say there is no demand for the cake when more and more supermarkets have been selling them?! Keep up the good work and maybe one day we’ll have this delicious cake back on our shelves, as per the original recipe!