The air is suffused with the irresistible aroma of freshly baked cakes straight from the oven. As Christmas approaches, city bakeries get busy making sumptuous red velvet cakes, plum cakes, puddings, and many more quintessential preparations for the festival. The list seems to be lengthy for those who like to take home some fresh cakes and share them with their loved ones.
Adding new options to the menu, Bakers Castle and Ice Castle have come up with orange-rind and fruit pound tea cakes, flavoured cookies, white-chocolate truffle based bull’s eye pastry and exotic flavours of chocolates based on one’s zodiac signs. “Depending on the characteristic traits and preferences of a person’s zodiac sign, the chocolates are infused with a combination of specially sourced ingredients. This apart, we have also introduced pumpkin and minstrel soups for the season,” says S. Prasad Babu, who runs the bakery houses.
This year, in addition to rich plum cakes, Fresh Choice bakery is planning to fill its shelves with tea cakes, banana cakes and Santa Claus shaped chocolates.
Catering to the festive demand, Chocolate Craft Club is getting ready to offer Santa Claus lollipops, rich plum cake pops and basket full of delicious cookies and hand-crafted chocolates. It is not just bakery houses ushering in the festive spirit, hotels too are gearing up to dish out delectable treats. Among other preparations, roasted turkey carving with plum sauce, smoked salmon with capers and dill and plum cake with royal icing top the Christmas spread at Fairfield by Marriott.
Even at workplace, many intend to showcase their creative expertise by decking up their workstations. “Every Christmas, the celebration at our office starts a week ahead. Employees take part enthusiastically in floor and bay decoration competitions. However, this time, our organisation’s anniversary celebration is also coinciding with Christmas,” says Narendra Nerla, chief operating officer, Inspiredge IT Solutions.
Innovative ideas
Employees find it amusing to celebrate festivals at workplace as their innovative ideas get noticed. Revati Yangala, HR executive in an IT firm, says, “As we spend most part of our day in our office, thematic celebrations not only help us connect well with employers but also enhance our interpersonal skills.”
