Šakotis, Lithuania's traditional tree-shaped cake, is a popular staple of Christmas table – and bakers are already busy filling orders, despite higher prices.
Jolanta Šiugždienė, the owner of a bakery, says Christmas orders for šakotis cakes started coming in October – they do not need to eaten fresh and stay good for several months.
“Our regular clients ask for even older cakes, because they know that it gets better when it's mature,” says Šiugždienė.
The most popular are 1-2kg cakes, although corporate clients order even bigger šakotis. Companies want them for their office parties or as gifts for employees.
One order came all the way from Italy.
“We have been coordinating our first big order since last summer,” says Šiugždienė. “We sent samples to Italians, who were happy with our quality. It took a long time to arrange everything, but now the shipment is off to Italy.”
And this is despite growing prices – due to higher input costs, one kilogram of šakotis is about one euro more expensive than last year.
“Our main clients continue to buy our products, they value quality over price,” says Šiugždienė.
The prices vary from 14 to 17 euros per kilogram. Standard cakes weigh a few kilograms, while a big šakotis for a festive dinner can be 8kg or more.
Newsletter
Every Friday morning.
