A Scottish Institution
A new design concept pairs two genuine giants of the UK food and drink scene: Marks & Spencer’s Colin the Caterpillar and Scotland’s other national drink, Irn-Bru. The mockup shows Colin’s familiar box, but rendered in the distinctive orange and blue of the A.G. Barr brand. Inside, the caterpillar itself has been given an orange makeover, with a bright orange sponge, orange smartie-style spots, and orange feet.
It’s a crossover that seems, on the surface, entirely logical. Both are icons, and both are fixtures at parties, albeit in very different capacities. The image, which appeared online with the caption “The Irn-Bru Colin the Caterpillar! What a phenomenal cake!”, presents a version of the UK’s most famous birthday cake re-engineered with one of its most distinctive soft drink flavours.
The Real Colin Range
While a full-sized, flavoured variant of the main cake is a rare sight, the Colin the Caterpillar brand itself is enormous. What started as a single chocolate log in 1990 has expanded into a vast universe of spin-off products, primarily in confectionery. It’s an IP that M&S is more than happy to experiment with.
The current range includes sweets like Colin the Caterpillar Softies, Fruit Gums, and Cola Gums. There’s also a significant sour line, featuring Sourtastic sweets, Sour Stomps, and Fruit Sours. Beyond bags of sweets, you can buy Mini Colin the Caterpillar Cakes, Party Cups, and even Colin the Caterpillar Speckles for home baking. A flavoured cake, however, would be a new direction, moving the experimentation from the sweet aisle back to the core bakery product.
Soft Drinks in Baking
Using carbonated drinks in cakes is not a new idea. American baking has a long tradition of Coca-Cola cakes, 7 Up pound cakes, and even Dr Pepper glazes. The fizziness can act as a leavening agent, while the syrup adds a unique sweetness and flavour. The challenge here is the flavour itself. Irn-Bru’s taste is famously hard to define—a complex, sweet, slightly-citrus mix often described simply as ‘phenomenal’.
Capturing that specific profile in a sponge, buttercream, and chocolate shell would be a significant technical challenge for any development kitchen. It moves the idea from a simple colour change to a fundamental flavour reformulation of a product that has remained largely unchanged for decades.
What the real range looks like
The official M&S Colin the Caterpillar range is extensive, but focuses on confectionery spin-offs like Colin the Caterpillar Softies, Sourtastic sweets, Fruit Gums, and Sour Stomps. While Mini Colin Cakes exist, a full-size, flavoured version like the Irn-Bru concept would be a departure from the brand’s usual strategy of keeping the main cake as a standalone classic.
- M S Colin the Caterpillar Cake
- M S Colin the Caterpillar Softies
- M S Colin the Caterpillar Speckles
- M S Colin the Caterpillar Cola Gums
- M S Mini Colin the Caterpillar Cakes
- M S Colin the Caterpillar Sourtastic
- M S Colin the Caterpillar Fruit Gums
- M S Colin the Caterpillar Party Cups
- M S Colin the Caterpillar Party Time
- M S Colin the Caterpillar Sour Stomps
Frequently asked questions
- Who is Colin the Caterpillar?
- Colin the Caterpillar is an iconic chocolate sponge roll cake sold by Marks & Spencer. First launched in 1990, it has become a staple of British birthday parties and celebrations.
- What does Irn-Bru taste like?
- Irn-Bru is a Scottish carbonated soft drink with a unique sweet flavour often described as citrusy and similar to bubblegum. The exact recipe is a closely guarded secret.
- Is the Irn-Bru Colin the Caterpillar cake for sale?
- No, this product is not real. It is a Snackfish — the image is a mockup created by the online designer UK Snack Attack. It is not an official product and is not sold anywhere.
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You have been Snackfished!
Snackfish :
[sn-a-ck-fish] verb
A snack that lies about its legitimacy as an official product online for internet clout and attention. Most commonly fabricated in Adobe Photoshop or using the unofficial Snackfish AI