Xmas festivities kick-off in OG spirit across Delhi-NCR
It doesn’t need to be December to feel the Christmas cheer! The age-old tradition of cake mixing has brought back the Yuletide spirit like pre-Covid times.
Hotels in the city are leaving no stone unturned to ensure that Delhiites get to partake in the vibrant event of cake mixing. They are conducted the ceremony within the realms of a thoroughly sanitised kitchen and will be using this mixture to create the finest array of plum cakes and puddings, dundee cakes, stöllen breads, mince pies, and more.
Of traditions and dry fruits
“We had many people gather this time at one of our restaurants, where we mixed up 40 to 50kg of dried fruits and nuts with 40 litres of alcohol and spices,” informs Amit Rana, general manager, Holiday Inn, which recently held a cake mixing ceremony. “This was the first time after Covid that we had a grand event, so we ensured that everybody had gloves on to maintain hygiene standards,” informs Rana, adding, “This ceremony kicks off Christmas festivities and is celebrated worldwide. At one time, entire villages would gather and mix dried fruits and nuts in a common area with liquor, leaving it to ferment so that the flavour and taste of the fruits were well infused.”
A maiden show!
“For our first ever cake mixing ceremony that we recently organised, we invited quite a few people to gather by the gorgeous pool area,” says Shibendu Ray Chaudhury, executive chef, Courtyard by Marriott Aravali Resort. “We used approximately 50kg of dried ingredients that included cherries, plums, tutti frutti, apricots, prunes, almonds, cashews, pistachios, orange peels, candied oranges, golden raisins and black sultanas... The response to the event was really good, which could be because people are now more confident about stepping out. Since our hotel is an hour’s drive from Delhi, it made the perfect weekend getaway for some who decided to stay back even after the ceremony.”
Sunday brunch meet pre-Christmas fun
Vivek Rana, executive chef at The Claridges, Delhi, shares, “For the ceremony, about 60 to 70 people were present... Our hotel has a tradition where, a week after Diwali, on a Sunday brunch, we conduct this event and later send plum cakes to everyone who participated. We have been following this tradition since 1985! But this year, it was a special affair as we carried out the event on a large scale after two and a half years of Covid-19. There was a lot of happiness palpable among the attendees, and that’s exactly what Christmas is about!”
Prep for 2,500 cakes and more
“This year, the theme of our cake mixing ceremony was the spirit of togetherness,” says Rajesh Wadhwa, executive chef at Taj Palace, New Delhi. He states that the recently held event complied with all the hygiene and food safety protocols. “We conducted the ceremony within the realms of a thoroughly sanitised kitchen,” says Wadhwa, adding, “We intend to bake around 2,500 cakes this year. We used over 200kgs of nuts and fragrant dried fruits and combined all these with freshly pounded aromatic spices including cardamom, nutmeg, cinnamon, star anise, and ginger powder. This was then thoroughly mixed with several litres of ambrosial spirits. We’ll be using this mixture to create the finest array of plum cakes and puddings, dundee cakes, stöllen breads, mince pies, and more.”
Infusing flavours with fervour
Since cake mixing is all about mingling with others, the event, themed Jingle and Mingle, at the Crowne Plaza Okhla was more about being interactive. Pradipt Sinha, director of Food and Beverage says, “We are aiming to revive the whole spirit of enjoyment and tourism. So we also invited a few food and lifestyle bloggers to the ceremony that kicked off at our al fresco seating area with live music.” The event started off with a brief discussion about why the ceremony was celebrated and was followed by the mixing session. At the Crowne Plaza Greater Noida, 150kgs of dried fruits have been soaked in approx 30 litres of liquor for about 45 days to let it infuse with flavour. Chandan Singh, head pastry chef at the hotel, shares, “The ceremony was attended by 150 people, which made us feel happy that people are now returning to be part of community events like these. We will make 1,500 cakes.”
At Crowne Plaza Greater Noida 150 kilograms of dried fruits have been soaked in approximately 30 litres of liquor for about 45 days, to let it infuse with flavours. Chandan Singh, Head Pastry Chef at the hotel shares, “The ceremony was attended by 150 people, which made us feel happy that people are now returning to be part of community events like these. Ek bar yeh mixture ready hojaye, then we will make 1,500 cakes weighing half a kilogram each.”
Author tweets Anu_95m