Tiruchi hotels, bakeries gear for year-end festive spread of cakes and confectionary

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 fruit, nuts, spices, and sugar are soaked in alcohol as a prelude to the cooking process

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 fruit, nuts, spices, and sugar are soaked in alcohol as a prelude to the cooking process.

On Thursday, Courtyard by Marriott invited guests to mix dry fruits, with alcohol and cranberry juice, at an evening programme, accompanied by a choir singing carols.

“The cake-mixing ceremony kicks off our preparations for the year-end festivities. In our second year in Tiruchi, we are looking forward to increased patronage by residents and visitors. This tradition is not just about baking; it is about coming together to celebrate the joy of the season,” P.S. Venugopal, general manager, Courtyard by Marriott, Tiruchi, told The Hindu.

The hotel’s bakery section will be offering Christmas plum cakes, mince pies, gingerbread cookies, pannetone, stollen bread, and Yule logs as part of its festive fare in the coming weeks.

Cake Bee, which operates bakeries and restaurants across Tiruchi, Chennai, Coimbatore, and Madurai, is preparing for Christmas sales with over 1,000 kg of fruit cake in the first week of December.

“We usually have two sessions of fruit marination to help us cater to the demand in rotation. This year, around 16 fruits and nuts were soaked in premium spirits seasoned with spices in mid-October, in the first batch. Usually plum cake and wine cake are best sellers among both corporate and retail customers,” said proprietor S.P. Sethu Subbiah.

At The French Cake bakery, the fruit mincemeat contains dried plums, dates, raisins, and tutti-frutti soaked in wine and rum for at least a month. “We make over one tonne of plum and fruit cakes during Christmas and New Year. Preparations will start for our festive orders soon after Deepavali,” said Pandian, proprietor and chef of the city bakery.