Here’s Halloween! Well, we have a few weeks to go but it will be with us before we know it! Are you at the point of planning? Well, it’s always better to be over-prepared than underprepared because little monsters love Halloween!
If you’re a big Halloween fan, you might already have an idea or even have your costumes already. But, if you haven’t even thought about it, now is the right time to start thinking about it. Perhaps you want to go with a family theme for this year, or maybe your little ones have their own costumes in mind that means you’ll all be a mix of different characters. Whatever you decide you will want to make sure you have your spooky outfits ready to go.
Fangtastic Facts
We all know Halloween as a day of the year that we put on our best fancy dress as scary creatures and other things such as favourite TV characters. Some of us enjoy Halloween by staying in and watching scary movies, others go out and trick or treat, and some host Halloween parties for their family and friends.
However, Halloween started long before the tradition of dressing up and carving pumpkins, and here are some interesting facts we’ve found about Halloween.
1.) Halloween dates back over 2,000 years and was called something completely different.
Believe it or not this yearly event is even older than Christianity. It was originally a Celtic festival called Samhain, which meant “Summer’s end”. It was a feast that marked the full harvest and as it was believed the veil between the world of spirits and the living was at its thinnest, to recognise spirits crossing over. Bonfires were also key features to these festivals, as it was believed that they would ward off ghosts.
2.) America didn’t invent Halloween, it embraced it.
When we think of Halloween and trick or treating, we often think of America. American’s often hold huge Halloween celebrations, and if you don’t get involved, you could be targeted with some tricks (or at least that’s what TV and film would indicate, but we all know they aren’t 100% factually correct). But Halloween as we know it, with the fancy dress and trick-or-treating actually existed in Medieval times, in Ireland and Scotland. Back then it was known as ‘guising’; young people would dress up in costumes and went door-to-door looking for food or money in exchange for songs, poems, or other ‘tricks’ they performed.
It was introduced to America in the 1840s when a lot of Irish immigrants fled to America due to the potato famine. The tradition spread until the mischievous Halloween prankster reached an all-time high in the 1920s, and then it was popularised again in the 1930s by creating community-based trick-or-treating that some believed was a way to control excessive pranksters.
3.) The name Jack-o'-lantern also comes from Ireland.
There was a story told about an Irish man named Stingy Jack. He tricked the devil and therefore was not allowed into heaven or hell – as a result, he was forced to spend his days roaming the Earth, carrying a lantern, and then went by the name “Jack of the Lantern”. So that’s where the name Jack-o'-lanterns, as American’s most common call carved pumpkins, is supposed to originate from.
4.) Instead of pumpkins, turnips, potatoes, and beetroots.
That’s right, Jack-o'-lanterns did originate in Ireland. But instead of carving pumpkins, which was popularised in America, vegetables such as potatoes, turnips, beetroot were craved instead.
5.) Sugar rationing stopped trick-or-treating during World War II.
This shouldn’t come as a surprise to anyone who has ever learnt about World War II. There was a huge shortage or sweet stuff during the Second World War, this was due to sugar being in short supply, along with many other food items. So, things like sweets were rationed just like most other things, which meant that trick-or-treating was essentially forgotten about in World War II. We can’t blame them, there were bigger things to worry about.
So, there you have it, five fangatastic and interesting facts about Halloween!
Halloween Cakes
If you’re a big Halloween fan, you might already have an idea or even have your costumes already. But, if you haven’t even thought about it, now is the right time to start thinking about it. Perhaps you want to go with a family theme for this year, or maybe your little ones have their own costumes in mind that means you’ll all be a mix of different characters. Whatever you decide you will want to make sure you have your spooky outfits ready to go.
Another thing to think about is the treats you want to get in. We have lots of treats available to order for Halloween already, and we will be releasing some more special Halloween treats soon.
Here are some of the fangtastic treats that are available to order now.
Whole Cakes
We have a great range of cakes that would be perfect as a Halloween treat. Here are a few of the yummy flavours that are available:
Halloween Special Cake – Get ready to sink your teeth into the wickedly delicious Halloween Sponge that's sure to haunt those taste buds. Perfect for little ghouls and goblins (and big ones, too!). This bewitching delight features layers of fluffy orange-coloured sponge filled with gory green buttercream and adorned with spooky characters that are sure to bring out smiles in everyone.
So, whether you're a parent seeking the ultimate Halloween delight for the little ones or simply a cake-loving soul in search of a ghostly good time, Sponge’s Halloween special is the perfect devilish treat.
Chocolate & Caramel Cake – This yummy sponge cake is flavoured with chocolate and caramel creating a marbled effect. It is sandwiched together with a generous double layer of buttercream - chocolate buttercream on the bottom and caramel buttercream on top. It is finished off with more chocolate buttercream on top, a gorgeous drizzle of chocolate, and a sprinkle of crushed salted butter pieces.
Pumpkin Spiced Latte Cake – Celebrate the cosiest and tastiest season of the year with this tasty Pumpkin Spiced Latte Sponge. A spiced pumpkin, coffee-infused sponge wedged together with spiced buttercream and sprinkled with pumpkin seeds.
Apple Crumble Cake – Our Apple Crumble cake has a beautifully light cinnamon sponge with sultanas and real apple pieces running through it. Generous vanilla buttercream sandwiches the sponge, and the crumble pieces scattered on top give the cake a welcome bit of crunch.
Chocolate Cake – A delicious and indulgent chocolate sponge which is sandwiched together with thick chocolate buttercream. On top you will find a creamy white chocolate icing with a smattering of delicious milk chocolate flakes.
Millionaires Cake – Half of the sponge is hand-made with natural vanilla flavouring and free range eggs and the other half is made with indulgent chocolate. Caramel and natural toffee flavouring create a luxurious buttercream. Pretty drizzled milk and white chocolate on the top.
Speculoos Cake – A comforting and warming sponge with a deep caramel flavour and hints of cinnamon and other spices. The sponge is held together with a thick layer of buttercream which is infused with biscoff - a caramelised biscuit spread. More of the biscoff buttercream is spread over the top and then covered with a generous biscoff crumb. This Speculoos Cake is not one to be missed!
These are just a few of the tasty cakes we think would go down well at a Halloween party, but there are lots of other flavours to choose from. And keep an eye out for our special limited-edition Halloween Cake coming soon!
If you or your ghouls and goblins can’t eat standard cakes due to having dietary requirements, don’t worry, there are still tasty cakes available for you too in our gluten-free cakes, dairy-free cakes, and vegan cakes ranges.
Photo Cakes
If you’re feeling creative, why not create your own spooky masterpiece with one of our photo cakes!
Choose between a Chocolate Cake or Victoria Sponge Cake for 8 or for 16, then you can choose whether to upload and create your own photo topper or pick from one of our fab designs.
The toppers are printed using edible ink on to an icing disc which will then be cut out and carefully placed and secured on top of your cake. Your cake will then be securely packaged to arrive at your chosen delivery address.
Baby Sponges
Planning a Halloween Party for kids, friends, or family? Get some individually wrapped treats for them to enjoy.
Our Baby Sponges are cute baby versions of our whole sponge cakes - these mini cakes are the perfect size to have as a special treat. We have over 15 flavours to choose from including gluten free and some vegan flavours too. Available in packs of 4, 8, 16, 40, 80, or 120. Our packs of 4 and 8 are gift wrapped for gifting, and our larger packs of 16, 40, 80, and 120 are for parties and arrive unwrapped in boxes.
Cake Cards
Can’t be with your favourite little creatures this Halloween? You can send them a letterbox gift as a treat! Our Cake Cards are affordable letterbox gifts starting at just £10.50 for a two slice Cake Card.
You can choose from our wide range of card designs, personalise them with your own messages inside the card. Then you get to add a slice or two of delicious cake, and there are lots of extra goodies, including sweets that you can add to create the perfect gift!
We can deliver our spooktacularly delicious treats all over the UK safely and securely, straight to your door. So, whether you’re looking for Halloween treats to be delivered in London or even in Scotland we can get them to you.