Custard cream

Custard creams
A custard cream biscuit
Type Biscuit
Place of origin Great Britain
Main ingredients Biscuits, buttercream (traditionally vanilla)

A custard cream is a type of biscuit popular in the British Isles. Its structure is that of a sandwich, with a creamy, custard-flavoured centre between two flat biscuit layers. Traditionally, the filling was buttercream (which is still used in home-made recipes) but nowadays cheaper fats have replaced butter in mass-produced biscuits. The filling tastes of vanilla and as such is more akin to the taste of custard made with custard powder than egg custard. It is believed that the custard cream biscuit originated in Britain in 1908.[1] They usually have an elaborate baroque design stamped onto them, originating in the Victorian era and representing ferns.[2]

Some British and Irish supermarkets produce own brand versions, with variations including lemon, orange, chocolate, strawberry, coffee and coconut flavours. There is a digestive cream version available, the biscuit is replaced with a digestive like one. In a 2007 poll of 7,000 Britons, 9 out of 10 voted custard creams to be their favourite biscuit.[2] In 2009 it was ranked the eighth most popular biscuit in the UK to dunk into tea.[3]

World record

The largest custard cream in the world, certified by Guinness World Records, was created in November 2010, by amateur biscuit master Simon Morgan and chef Paul Thacker, at Chino Latino's restaurant in Park Plaza, Nottingham, England.[4] It weighed 15.73 kilograms (34.7 lb) and was 59 centimetres (23 in) long, 39 centimetres (15 in) wide and 6.5 centimetres (2.6 in) high. It was auctioned in aid of the Children in Need appeal, then donated to Nottingham homelessness charity Framework.[4]

References

  1. ↑ A Brief History of Biscuits and Cakes Local Histories. Retrieved 2012-05-06.
  2. 1 2 "The strange appeal of the custard cream". BBC News. 2007-08-28. Retrieved 2009-02-23.
  3. ↑ "Chocolate digestive is nation's favourite dunking biscuit". The Telegraph. 2 May 2009
  4. 1 2 "Dentist auctions world's largest custard cream". 2010-11-26. Retrieved 18 September 2011.
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