Pune: Fluffy, chocolaty and dark plum cakes are the flavour of Christmas. December witnesses demand for plum cakes shooting up every year and bakers in the city start preparing for it two or three months in advance.
Sakal Times spoke with several bakeries providing the plum cake. Yusuf Mirdehghan, owner of Husseny Bakery, said, "The plum cakes are world renowned and the main customers are Christians, but now, other communities are also celebrating Christmas and slowly, plum cakes are becoming the trademark Christmas cake. The cakes were introduced to India by British Army before independence and still, the tradition is followed by the Indian Army staying in Pune Cantonment area."
He further added, "The dry fruits used in the cake are imported from Turkey and Iran and rum flavour is another main ingredient of the cake. We also customise the cake as per customers' demand, we add fruits like pineapple and oranges. For the baking purpose, we use wooden ovens which are authentic dating back to 1930. The walnut cake and marble cake are two new additions to the Christmas goodies."
Vijaya Sheriyarji, owner of Marz-O-Rin bakery, said, "Plum cake along with plum pudding is in demand, red velvet cake, mini pies, cupcakes are trending as Christmas sweets this season." She further added, "Plum cake is an age-old recipe, we add dry-fruits marinated fruits, spices and brown sugar to the cake but we do not use rum or whisky because some of our customers do not prefer alcoholic cake."
Priscilla Nathan who had come to MG Road for shopping, said, "Plum cakes had become an integral part of Christmas celebration and the bakeries in Camp area are the best places to avail traditional plum cakes."
Naomi George, a lawyer, said, "Christmas is an important festival for Christians and plum cakes are the icing on the Christmas day, it is a symbol of spreading sweetness among people."
