A Christmas cake poisoning in Brazil, which killed three people, may be linked to a power cut, police have revealed.

Zeil dos Anjos made a traditional Brazilian Christmas cake with dried fruit for her family, which resulted in six members of her family being hospitalised.

Police suspect that a power cut at her beach house could have caused some of the ingredients that had been left in the fridge to spoil, resulting in the poisoning.

According to the Daily Mail, the surviving three family members who consumed the tainted dessert during the holidays reportedly noticed that it had an “unusual” taste.

The victims, including Zeli dos Anjos, who baked the cake, took several bites and found that it had a “spicy” flavour, as the family gathered for an afternoon coffee on December 23, Rio Grande do Sul Civil Police Chief Marcos Veloso told RBS TV.

Dos Anjos, 60, stopped eating the traditional holiday pastry, known as 'Bolo do Natal', while her guests complained about it before they all fell sick.

After multiple guests voiced their concerns at the flavour, the woman reportedly put her hand over the cake and said, "No one will eat it anymore".

Dos Anjos' sisters, Neuza dos Anjos, 65, and Maida da Silva, 58, and Neuza's daughter, Tatiana dos Santos, 43, were taken to Nossa Senhora dos Navegantes de Torres Hospital for treatment.

Dos Santos died the evening of December 23, and da Silva passed away during the early hours of December 24 after they each went into cardiac arrest.

Neuza died the evening of December 24. Police attributed her death to "post-food poisoning shock".

christmas cake

Christmas cake tragedy: How three women died after eating 'tainted' dessert