Morrisons rebrands Victoria Sponge as ‘Elizabeth Sponge’ for Platinum Jubilee

The Queen will celebrate the milestone with a long weekend of festivities in June

Morrisons has renamed the sponge to Elizabeth Sponge cake (Getty/Morrisons)

Morrisons has renamed the Victoria sponge cake in honour of the Queen’s Plaitnum Jubilee.

From Monday 30 May, shoppers will be able to purchase the aptly-named Elizabeth Sponge in 334 stores across the UK.

The classic British tea-time offering was originally named after Queen Victoria, who was known to enjoy it with her afternoon tea.

While the cake eaten by the former monarch consisted of two layers of sponge, sandwiched together by jam, the modern-day Victoria Sponge also includes a generous layer of cream, and is typically finished with a dusting of caster or powdered sugar.

The cake has also remained a royal favourite, with the Duchess of Cornwall recently sharing her own recipe for the sweet treat, which also includes a layer of sliced strawberries in the filling.

The Morrisons version is topped with strawberries (Joe Pepler/PinPep)

In May 2020, pastry chefs at Buckingham Palace disclosed the recipe they use to make the cake in a post to the Royal Family Instagram. The recipe replaces fresh cream with buttercream in the filling.

The Elizabeth Sponge takes on the modern sponge recipe, including whipped cream and strawberry jam sandwiched between three layers of sponge, topped with slices of strawberries.

Jessica Islip, cake shop manager at Morrisons, commented: “The Platinum Jubilee is a cause for nationwide celebration and we want to help our customers enjoy the festivities by offering a cake fit for a King or Queen.

“Victoria Sponges are one of our customers’ favourite cakes and we hope the change in name brings a bit of fun to their long weekend as well as a tasty treat.”

The Queen, who turned 96 last week, marked 70 years on the throne in February, becoming the longest reigning monarch in British history.

She is due to commemorate the milestone with a four-day public holiday in June.

Planned celebrations include a Platinum Jubilee Pageant, a “Platinum party” at Buckingham Palace and the Queen’s annual birthday parade, Trooping the Colour.

A number of jubilee-themed initiatives and products have been announced in the run up to the occasion.

This includes a Platinum Jubilee cookbook containing 70 recipes from around the world by food writer Ameer Kotecha, and limited edition Royal Mail stamps bearing pictures of the royal throughout her reign.