Mr Kipling facts for kids
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A pink Mr Kipling French Fancy cake renamed to cream fancy
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| Product type | Cakes |
|---|---|
| Owner | Premier Foods |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Introduced | 1967 |
| Markets | UK and Ireland |
| Previous owners | Joseph Marassery (RHM) |
Mr Kipling is a very popular brand of delicious cakes, pies, and other baked treats. These yummy products are made in places like Carlton, South Yorkshire and Stoke-on-Trent in the UK. You can find Mr Kipling cakes in the United Kingdom, Ireland, Australia, and North America.
The brand started in May 1967. Back then, most people bought cakes from small, local bakeries. Mr Kipling wanted to sell cakes that tasted just as good as those from a local baker, but in supermarkets. By 1976, Mr Kipling had become the biggest cake maker in the United Kingdom!
Mr Kipling's Cakes were first made by a company called Manor Bakeries Ltd. This company also made products for other well-known names like Lyons and Cadbury. The Cadbury cakes are made with special permission from Cadbury plc, who own the Cadbury brand name.
Contents
The Story Behind Mr Kipling
The Mr Kipling brand was created in the 1960s by a company called Rank Hovis McDougall. They wanted to sell more cakes and use a new bakery they had built. The brand officially launched in 1967 with 20 different products, all sold in fancy boxes. The name "Mr Kipling" was made up just for marketing and advertising!
"Exceedingly Good Cakes"
Mr Kipling became famous for its advertising slogan: "exceedingly good cakes." Early TV adverts even featured the voice of actor James Hayter. Thanks to these ads and tasty cakes, Mr Kipling became the top cake brand in the UK by 1976. It has kept that leading spot for over 40 years! They also started selling cakes that were wrapped individually, perfect for a single serving.
Around 2005, the company tried out a new look for their packaging. The new design was very simple, with just the words "Mr Kipling," the cake's name, and "Exceedingly good cakes" in a classic style. The only picture of the cake was a close-up used as a background. For a short time, the descriptions on the back of the packs even seemed to be written by Mr Kipling himself!
However, the brand soon went back to its original, well-loved look. The logo now looks very similar to the first one, with a traditional font in a gold-edged shape. The packs show clear pictures of the cakes, and different features are highlighted on the front. In 2009, the pack designs were updated slightly, putting more focus on the name of each product. The descriptions on the back no longer pretended to be written by Mr Kipling.
Snack Packs for Freshness
Premier Foods, the current owner, also introduced "Snap Pack" packaging, which is now called "Snack Pack." These are cakes in individually sealed plastic packs that help keep them fresh. This new packaging quickly became a best-seller for the brand.
In 2018, Mr Kipling updated its packaging again, but this time for markets outside the UK, like North America and Australia. The new design aimed to look more modern and unique to attract new customers, moving away from the brand's long history. However, the main "Mr Kipling" logo stayed the same. Also, the UK slogan "exceedingly good cakes" was changed to "make every day delicious" for international sales.
Popular Mr Kipling Products
Mr Kipling makes many different kinds of cakes and treats. Here are some of their most famous products:
Slices
- Almond slices
- Carrot cake slices
- Angel slices
- Lemon layered slices
- Bakewell slices
- Chocolate slices
- Country slices
- Unicorn slices
- Trifle tarts (since 1990)
- Victoria slices
- Banana (minion) slices
Pies and Tarts
- Bramley apple & blackcurrant pies
- Bramley apple pies
- Mini fruit pie selections
- Cherry bakewells
- Mini bakewells selections
- Jam tarts
- Mini sponge tart selections
Goodies
- French fancies
- Lemon fancies
Biscuits
- Viennese whirls
Cakes
- Manor house cake
- Battenberg
- Mini battenbergs
French Fancies
Mr Kipling French Fancies are small, soft sponge cakes. They have a round top made of "buttercream" (which is actually made from vegetable oil). The cakes are covered with a sweet, smooth fondant icing. Many varieties also have a drizzle of a second color on top. The most common types are pink (which tastes like vanilla) with white drizzle, yellow (lemon flavor) with brown drizzle, and brown (chocolate flavor) with dark brown drizzle.
Even though cocoa is listed as an ingredient, strawberry and lemon flavors are not. These cakes are about 30% sugar!
French Fancies were one of the original 20 types of cakes that Mr Kipling launched in 1967.
In September 2008, Mr Kipling announced the Big French Fancy. This was a much larger cake that you could slice into portions. In 2012, a special limited edition called British Fancies came out. These cakes were red, white, and blue! Other stores and home bakers often make similar cakes, which they call Fondant Fancies.
See also
- Petit four, small bite-sized cakes
