The Spirit Of Christmas Is In The Air!

Insync

oi-Staff

Tuesday, November 24, 2009, 16:07

Come winters, and the countdown for the Christmas begins. Though the Christmas parties seem to be incomplete without the plum cakes, most of you must be unaware of what goes into making it.

No, it is not as easy as baking a cake. The process starts exactly a month and a half before Christmas. A mixture of dry fruits and spices (of the chef's choice) is soaked in a wonderful blend of liqueurs, especially brandy and rum. The mixture is mixed together and soaked for at least a month. The alcohol adds flavour to the entire mixture.

To ensure the perfect mixing of all the ingredients, traditionally a small gold coin is hidden in the mixture. In course of mixing the ingredients, the one who finds it keeps the gold coin. It is considered auspicious and is believed to get good luck in the coming year.

Better the ingredients are mixed, richer the taste of the cake is expected to be. Therefore this small ceremonial game of finding the coin eventually ends up in a perfect blending of the mixtures.

To celebrate the coming of Christmas and to kick off the cake making session, French Loaf, a bakery shop in Bangalore invited people to its cake mixing event. “We are going to mix all the ingredients today and allow the mixture to soak in alcohol for the next one month. Our plum cakes will hit the shelf by 15th of next month," says Aji Joseph, Executive Chef, French Loaf. Laila Baker was the celebrity guest, who graced the event.

French loaf situated in Frazer Town in Bangalore has a range of delicious pastries, cookies and all kinds of fresh breads. It has branches in Delhi, Chennai, Pune and Mumbai.