A glacé cherry is a candied cherry given its characteristic glossy, jewel-like appearance by candying — steeping the fruit in progressively stronger sugar syrups until sugar replaces much of its water — and finishing with a dip in sugar solution or glaze. The result is intensely sweet, brightly coloured, and shelf-stable, used for decorating cakes and desserts, studding fruit cakes, and topping pastries. Commercial glacé cherries are often dyed a vivid red or green and flavoured, bearing only a passing resemblance to fresh cherries. They are confectionery rather than fruit in any nutritional sense — almost pure sugar — but their festive appearance has made them indispensable to traditional British baking, from Christmas cake to Bakewell tarts.