Christmas incomplete sans this sweet tradition

Christmas is incomplete without the sweetness of a traditional plum cake. While some like to prepare the cake at home, others prefer picking a loaf or two from a nearby bakery. City bakeries and home bakers have baked soft plum cakes to make Christmas special. The modern Christmas cakes have different Christmas motifs on them which make them extra special.

Mary Nathaniel, Brown Road resident, explaining the significance of cake on Christmas said, “Plum cake is full of spices like cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and cloves are known to bring warmth, which is certainly required in winters. The preparation of Christmas cake starts a month in advance with dry fruits soaked in wine and finally being used in baking a cake. The whiff of Christmas cake fills the entire household with a different aura and this is the best time of the year,” she said.

Sharing a slice of history about the Christmas cakes, Ella Costa said, “It all began with a porridge in England when eating plum porridge consisting of beef, a broth thickened with slices of bread, prunes, raisins, currents, lemons, mix of spices, sugar, and wine was a tradition to break the Advent fast. This gelatinous broth would solidify into a jelly and consumed in that form. This jelly porridge was later replaced by the plum pudding.”

“Apart from the regular plum cakes, I got huge order for bento cakes to be given as a return favours on Christmas parties,” said Diya, a home baker.