Tesco shoppers have gone wild after seeing the return of a bakery heirloom that has been absent from stores since the 1980s.
Eagle-eyed shoppers soon saw the signature Tunisian cake back on supermarket shelves for £10 after a 40-year hiatus.
The historic Tunisian cake, often eaten as an alternative to Christmas cake, features soft Madeira sponge cake and a thick layer of chocolate icing.
Disguising its interior as a sponge cake, the Tunisian cake is covered in a rich chocolate glaze before finishing with vanilla glaze and vibrant marzipan fruit decorations.
Although it is unclear exactly when it returned, the arrival of retro baking appears to have been recent and is likely to return for the festive period, as Tunis Cake was traditionally eaten at Christmas.
Tesco shoppers have gone wild after seeing the return of a bakery heirloom that has been absent from stores since the 1980s – the Tunisian cake.
Despite its popularity, the cake is rarely seen in supermarkets, making the relaunch particularly exciting for lovers of this delicious treat.
The supermarket is selling a £10 version of the Say it with Cake brand cake.
In a Facebook post revealing the retro find, hundreds took to the comments to express their excitement at the return of the family favorite.
One wrote: ‘My mom brought it for Christmas. I’m glad he’s back. Happy memories,” while a second wrote “had one every Christmas when I was a kid.”
Another recalled having one “every Christmas with a child.”
A fourth enthusiastically tagged a friend writing: “We need to look into this.”
While the origins of Tunisian cake are unknown, its origins are believed to date back to Edwardian times.
The Scottish bakery Macfarlane Langs produced a commercial version in the 1930s. The brand merged with McVitie & Price in 1948, to create a new company called United Biscuits (the current owner of McVitie’s).
The new brand acquired the recipe and McVitie’s stocked a commercial version in supermarkets in the 1980s.
The cake may have been named after a Tunisian warrior during the Carthage Empire, who is believed to have celebrated victories over Rome by serving Madeira wine and cake.
Despite its popularity, the cake is rarely seen in supermarkets, making the new launch particularly exciting for lovers of this delicious treat.
Originating in the Edwardian era, McVities (pictured) stocked a version of the cake in supermarkets until the 1980s.
The cake is so popular that the McVitie’s variety, which was phased out in the 1980s, has an entire Facebook page dedicated to campaigning for its return.
McVitie’s recipe was said to have been created by Elizabeth Ewing of Inverness, whose husband was a baker in the company and had created the cake after eating a similar one while stationed in Tunisia during the Second World War.
The cake is so popular that the McVitie’s variety, which was phased out in the 1980s, has an entire Facebook page dedicated to campaigning for its return.
The Facebook group is called ‘McVities Tunis Cake Campaign’ and has almost 3,000 members.
The campaign description reads: “Christmas (in the ’70s and ’80s) was never complete without the obligatory McVitie’s Tunis Cake.”
“While I don’t mind pudding and Christmas cake, for people who prefer chocolate to nuts (and who doesn’t?), Tunisia cake is the perfect after-Christmas dinner dessert,” the creator wrote of the page.
In a Facebook post revealing the retro find, hundreds took to the comments to express their excitement at the return of the family favorite.
The group hopes to see a remake of the famous version of McVitie’s sweet, which they claim cannot be replicated.
“I know that nothing I’m about to bake can compare to McVitie’s beautiful, professionally made original,” the group’s creator wrote.
After McVitie’s discontinued its famous Christmas alternative, M&S followed suit, although the chain relaunched the cake last festive season, much to the delight of fans.
Fans have also seen other supermarkets take advantage of the resurgence, with Sainsbury’s reportedly selling its own versions.