It's a nippy Saturday evening atop the scenic hillock of Pasumalai and a small group of locals and guests have gathered in the lawns of The Gateway Hotel that overlooks the city. A large rectangular table covered with a plastic sheet is brought and the guests position themselves around it. As the sheet is unveiled amidst loud cheers and claps, a beautiful design of a bull and peacocks made with dry fruits and nuts comes into view. The Executive Chef Sanjay Singh briefs on the long tradition of cake mixing ahead of Christmas and there's instant happiness on every face. The guests enthusiastically get ready for the task donning plastic gloves and caps. From young to the old, everyone digs into the contents on the table and pour in a variety of alcoholic beverages. After decanting about 40 litres of alcohol, the mixture is given a thorough mix. For a good half-an-hour, over 20 pairs of hands work through the mound of colourful and rich nuts and fruits, making a heterogeneous assorted mass.
“Cake mixing heralds the festive Christmas mood. Before the onset of winter, families and friends get together, bringing in whatever they have to put in the mixture. It's a joyous occasion that represents giving and sharing. And Christmas has always been a great time for business for the hospitality industry,” says Arshad Sheriff, Sales Manager. “We have made ourselves unique in the way that we are the only hotel that offers plum pudding instead of plum cake. Along with the Taj signature of quality and taste, it is our USP.”
The pudding is a lot richer than a plum cake, says Singh. “Also more authentic is the pudding which has over 60 percent more fruit than the regular plum cake. The difference is that pudding has higher amount of alcohol and concentration of nuts and fruits. Egg and bread crumbs are just kept minimal to act as binding agents. Another 20 per cent of apple and liberal amount of butter is added before baking which pushes fruit content further.”
This year, the hotel has mixed 120 kilos of nuts and fruits that will yield 250 kilos of pudding. With over 25 varieties of dry fruits and nuts and six kinds of spices, the plum pudding will be an explosion of myriad tastes, vouches Singh. “Left to ferment for 60 days, the mixture gets enriched in flavour and taste. Every week, we'll check on the process and keep adding alcohol to enhance flavour. It will be stored in air-tight containers so that the aroma doesn't escape.”
One kg of the pudding will be sold at ₹800 plus Taxes. “Apart from counter-top sales, we also take bulk orders. We have already received 40 Kg order from the English Club in Munnar,” says Sheriff.
Hotel Heritage Madurai in Kochadai ushered in the Christmas season two weeks ago with a colossal spread of assorted dry fruits and nuts, mixed in a range of spirits. “It's a special event every year, as we invite our patrons from the city and also guests at the hotel. This year, we have added Jamaican and Mexican rum, some imported wine and other spirits. Our Christmas cakes are sought after for the authenticity and rich taste, as we only use real fruits and no added artificial flavours. From almonds, dried apricots, pistachios, cashews and raisins to spices like cinnamon, cardamom and nutmeg, the cake mixture is abound with flavour this year,” says Bharathi Mohan, Executive Chef, Heritage Madurai.
“The key to our cake being different from other options in town is the care we take in the process that follows the mixing ceremony. We sprinkle high quality brandy to the fermenting mixture periodically and give it a fresh stir, so that the alcohol soaks in uniformly. The deep strong flavour is our USP,” says Mohan. One kg of the Christmas cake will cost ₹1200 plus Taxes.
