HAPPENING -- 7:

CHRISTMAS MOOD COMES WITH CAKE MIXING CEREMONY

P S SUNDAR

Christmas mood has been ushered in in The Nilgiris with tourists, including foreigners, and enthusiastic residents joining the professionals led by Executive Chef R Surendran at Gem Park Hotels and Resorts Ooty in the traditional cake mixing ceremony.

The Toda Café restaurant of the hotel reverberated with cheers to welcome Christmas and New Year.   Many were seen donning aprons marked with ‘Merry Christmas’.   Caps and food-grade gloves were worn by all who directly mixed the ingredients to bake an aromatic cake.

“We regularly follow the European tradition of cake mixing which is hailed to be a harbinger of good tidings in the Christmas celebrations.  Every year, our guests look forward to this ceremony as Christmas is no fun without cake mixing celebration but, the process of Christmas cake baking has to start a month ahead with this mixing event”, said Gem Park Resident Director Ismail Khan.

This European tradition dating back to 17^th century also encourages people to make their wishes for the New Year.   For Europeans, it is a tradition to mix the ingredients of the festive fruits with liquor so that the cake baked will have a fascinating aroma and attractive taste.   This was originally a family affair with all members of the family eagerly participating in the mixing ceremony, thereby ushering in Christmas – New Year festivities.   Plum cake made with a liberal mix of freshly harvested fruits and nuts is a real treat for Christmas in Europe.

“We follow the same except that we have made this into a community affair by enlisting the participation of our guests, tourists and residents.  For the cold Christmas weather, this cake is a perfect energy food cherished by tourists”, Khan noted.

Endorsing this sentiment, Ann Lumley, who participated in the ceremony with her husband Stephen William, who had come from England, said that she would mix the cake in her house every year before Christmas.   This year, they had to be away in India but this event made them feel at home, partially homesick (!) as it reflected the scenario back at home, she added.   

  

“All participants enjoyed mixing dry fruits including raisins, black currents, prunes, cashews, pistachios and almonds, glazed dates, cherries, candid orange and lemon rinds, besides freshly ground spices.    They added liberal volumes of liquor, fruit juice and honey”, Executive Chef Surendran told me.  He was seen cautiously guiding the guests to ensure that the ingredients were properly added.

Surendran knows the pulse of such ‘enthusiastic chefs’ as he serves as an active judge in ‘Master Chef’ contest organised for non-professionals by Nilgiri Hotel and Restaurant Association. 

“We will allow the mixture to soak for one month with periodical stirring.  On December 15, we will begin baking the cake.  By December 20, we will have 120 kg fascinating cake made ready for the Christmas week”, Gem Park Food and Beverage Manager Pradeep Kumar disclosed.  

“We already have some orders.  We will make the cake in one kg and half kg packs and guests can buy at our hotel sales counter or in various departmental stores across Ooty.  The cakes will be priced ` 650 per kg”, he noted.

Interestingly, the cake mixing ceremony has led to further orders for future events.   “We have received orders for a marriage party to be held in February 2018.   We will bake 60 kg of such special cake for that event and cut into consumable pieces.  But, the highlight will be a three-layer wedding cake to be cut by the couple on stage --  a real offshoot of the cake mixing ceremony!”, Pradeep shared.    

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