Hotels and bakeries in the city have begun to prepare for the festive season’s Christmas cakes and confectionery through in-house and public “cake-mixing” ceremonies where large quantities of dried fruits, nuts, spices, and sugar are soaked in alcohol as a prelude to the cooking process.
On Friday, Courtyard by Marriott in Tiruchi invited guests to mix close to 100 kg of dried fruits, nuts and spices with alcohol and cranberry juice at an evening programme.
“Traditionally, fruit cake uses mixture that has been soaked for at least a year because it is more flavourful and improves the texture of the cake. But we will be using today’s mix by December, to make more than 100 kg of Christmas cake, Dundee Cake, Plum Cake and Christmas Pudding,” Pramod Chougale, executive chef, Courtyard by Marriott, told The Hindu.
