: 8 Iconic Christmas Cakes The Historic Bakeries Where You’ll Find Them #IndiaNEWS #Food The mighty fruitcake, synonymous with Christmas cheer the world over, was a Roman invention that originated

8 Iconic Christmas Cakes The Historic Bakeries Where You’ll Find Them #IndiaNEWS #Food
The mighty fruitcake, synonymous with Christmas cheer the world over, was a Roman invention that originated as an energy booster for ancient warriors. Made with dried fruit and nuts and mixed together with mashed barley, honey, and wine, it was the cake’s longevity that made it an ideal choice of sustenance for soldiers out to war.

Rome has since fallen, but the fruitcake has stuck around, true to its long shelf life.

In India, the advent of the East India Company introduced the subcontinent to this delight, and the country today joins the rest of the world in serving up a slice every holiday season.

As Christmas arrives, this is the best time to secure your cake orders, or perhaps venture to a bakery before their stock runs out.

Here are eight locations that serve iconic fruit cakes that you must get your hands on:

1. Mattancherry spice mature plum cake Kochi

A short journey of 10 km from the heart of Kochi will take you to the quaint town of Mattancherry, whose streets are steeped in history. A popular spice trade centre from the 20th century, most of the town’s stories are intertwined with food.

Mattancherry has a robust Jewish population, so Christmas celebrations are massive every year. And along with the occasion comes tasty food, including a multitude of cakes.

A favourite among them is the Mattancherry spice mature plum cake, which has been an inseparable part of the festive season for the past four decades.

The authentic spice cake is best served at Pandhal Cake Shop. “Infused with honey-soaked fruits and left to mature for months, the iconic spice cake is baked to a rich brown colour and then sealed to lock in the moisture, flavour and fragrance,??? says its website.

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Pandhal Café & Deli (@pandhalcafeanddeli)

Ingredients for the cake are sourced from far and wide early in the year. Pandhal Cafe has been mastering the art of cake baking for the past three decades.

Buy the cake here.

2. Walnut cake Kolkata

There is a long list of bakeries that serve fruit cakes in Kolkata, but a must-try among them is walnut cake.

These are incredibly moist, fluffy, and chocolatey cakes that are not easily available in all bakeries. Topped with a remarkably decadent fudge frosting, their exemplary taste and texture are well-received all over the world.

Started by Ubelina Saldanha and her husband Ignatius in 1930, Saldanha Bakery regularly sends parcels across the city. Their bestsellers are walnut cake and coconut macaroon, and their menu also includes British tea time cake, almond iced Christmas log, lemon drops and blueberry muffins.