Cakes yule simply love

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If there ever was a popularity contest for the best Christmas mascot (let’s exclude Santa for a minute, shall we?) then it would be valiantly fought between the tree, the holly and the cake. So, while our last contender might not be as generous (the gifts!) or as glamorous/hook-up friendly (the kiss!), it sure does win its brownie points by being the pallbearer of the shiny, glittery and very exciting Christmas spirit.

Starting right with the cake mixing ceremony, which incidentally varies from a period of six months to few weeks before Xmas, depending on the propensity of each family, hotel or restaurant.
Chef Daniel Kowshi of Radisson MBD terms it as an ancient European tradition that mainly came into being to avoid the harsh winter months, when Christmas would occur. “People would soak their fruits in alcohol, an integral part of the cake mixing ceremony, as to avoid having to fetch them in cold December, when they would be scarce,” he tells us explaining the process called maceration, when fruits like raisins, prunes, apricots, candied melons, cherries are soaked with alcohol of choice, be it rum, brandy or dark beer as in the old days. Also, there are spices like cinnamon, nutmeg, mace and clove which are added to give a typical flavour.
“The process has evolved a lot since when it originated, which then used pork fat to give it that creamy and silky texture. But now, with changing times, we add apple to bring the same moistness,” says the Chef, who macerates his fruits months before December to give it that heady, rich flavour of the spirit.
But with the ever-increasing desire of turning every occasion into a celebration, this process too is an event held across several hotels and restaurants, with complete fanfare.
Chef Devraj Haldar of The Suryaa, New Delhi says that it allows everybody including the guests and the staff to be a part of the process and bring in the Christmas spirit.
“It’s a wonderful bonding exercise for everyone and the guests feel very happy to be involved. In fact, we have this little tradition, where we add silver coins to the entire mixture and over the period it gets darkened and gets lost in the batter. But when the cake is baked and the guest find the coin, he often treats it as a sign of luck,” he lets us in on their tiny, warm tradition.
But, out of the hotels and restaurant, cake mixing is a big day for most Christian families across the country for it ushers the festivities and celebration of the festival. Naithy Cyriac tells us that she would really look forward to cake mixing and couldn’t wait to get her hands on the cake after baking. “It’s really special as we gift most of the cake to our friends and relatives. In fact most people have already begun asking for my plum cake,” says the Associate Consultant. While Ashish Mathai thinks it’s a great way to get everyone involved in the preparations. “We all get together and mix the fruits a month or so before with rum, buy lots of tutti-frutti and add them all to the batter. It’s something I have been doing with my dad as a child and still look forward to it,” he informs us.