Nothing to offer but blood, sweat and levels: Winston Churchill’s birthday cakes, which became a national obsession and made a star of their baker, are unveiled in color for the first time

He famously said he had nothing to offer but “blood, toil, tears and sweat.”

As Prime Minister during World War II, Sir Winston Churchill kept the country’s hopes alive amid the threat of Nazi tyranny.

And as a new demonstration at the leader’s former home shows, Sir Winston was rewarded with spectacular levels of his own in the years after victory was achieved.

Colored photographs of the enormous birthday cakes that baker Maria Floris made for Churchill are on display in Chartwell in Kent.

The Hungarian pastry chef, who worked from her shop in London’s Soho, was also the royal family’s favorite baker.

The cake she made for Churchill on his 80th birthday, as he neared the end of his second spell as prime minister, was 120 centimeters high.

The cake made for his 77th birthday was in the shape of a hat with feathers around the edges. It is seen being carried to number 10 in 1951

As Prime Minister during World War II, Sir Winston Churchill kept the country’s hopes alive amid the threat of Nazi tyranny. Above: Sir Winston and his wife Clementine post for fans outside his London home on his 81st birthday

He weighed more than 45kg and the door of Number 10 Downing Street had to be measured to ensure he would fit through.

On the same day, November 30, a huge model cake was paraded on the roof of a car before the crowds who had gathered to welcome Churchill on his return from the State Opening of Parliament.

The cake made for his 77th birthday was in the shape of a hat with feathers around the edges. It is seen being carried to number 10 in 1951.

However, in 1963 the Daily Mail reported how the cake Mrs Floris made for Sir Winston’s 89th birthday had to be changed at the last minute after an error was spotted on a plaque that featured it.

It featured a retelling of a sentence from one of Sir Winston’s most famous speeches, in which he paid tribute to the fighter pilots of the Royal Air Force.

It should have read: ‘Never has all humanity owed so much in effort to one man.’

But effort was spelled ‘endeaver’.

The light fruitcake had an Anglo-American theme, with maps of Britain and the US linked by a bridge on top.

In 1963 the Daily Mail reported how the cake Mrs Floris made for Sir Winston’s 89th birthday had to be changed at the last minute after an error was discovered

The new exhibition at Chartwell, titled Winston’s Spectacular Cakes, kicks off events to mark the 150th anniversary of Sir Winston’s birth.

The photos, taken from the TopFoto archive, were colored by expert Tom Marshall in collaboration with the National Trust, which looks after Chartwell.

He said: ‘The process is carried out digitally, using Adobe Photoshop, and each photo took between two and four hours to complete, with layers of digital color painted over the monochrome photos.

‘The shades of gray in the original photo determine how dark each color should be, but not the color itself, so the process is a combination of research and artistic freedom.

‘When researching this project I looked at a lot of archive news footage, as most of Sir Winston Churchill’s birthdays were well documented in the newsreels of the time.

“Although these journals were in black and white, they did give me more angles of the cake decorations to work with and showed some details and context that weren’t initially apparent when looking at the black and white photos.”

After the Second World War, Sir Winston’s birthday became a moment of great interest for both the press and the public.

Photographers came to his home to see the cakes, all of which were designed to showcase his career, achievements and interests in sponge and icing.

On Sir Winston’s 80th birthday, a huge model cake was paraded on the roof of a car in front of the crowds who had gathered to welcome Churchill on his return from the State Opening of Parliament.

From the late 1950s onwards, interest had grown so great that there was a special photo opportunity for the press to take pictures of the cakes in the bakery before they were prepared to take center stage on the big day.

Katherine Carter, curator at Chartwell, said: ‘Our new exhibition showcases the beautiful range of cakes inspired by Churchill’s interests and achievements.

“They were a precursor to our love for extravagant and themed baking today.”

She added: ‘It has been a wonderful treat to research and curate this exhibition, and we look forward to our visitors joining in the celebrations at the start of this special anniversary year, here at Churchill’s home.’

‘Winston’s Spectacular Cakes’ runs from January 13 to February 25, 2024, from 10am to 4pm, at Chartwell and is included in general admission.