When wonderful plum cakes steal hearts

Hyderabad: For Tina Thomas a trip to the Golden Bakery in Secunderabad is an annual ritual. She said, “To share the happiness of Christmas, we distribute plum cakes to friends and neighbours. I purchased 150 plum cakes this year. On Christmas Day people sit down for dinner and Christmas pudding and cake is a must.”

A baker, Joshua Emmanuel says that dry fruits are soaked in the wine six months before the Christmas and one day before the plum cake is made. “We use the traditional recipe made in my Catholic family over generations. While we used to make fruitcake mix preserved in wine or rum, we've switched to a plum cake, due to its high demand," Joshua says. Well-known bakeries like Golden Bakery, Secunderabad, Paradise Bakery & Cakes, Johns Bakery, Abids, make more than 1000 kg of plum cakes for Christmas. Late Syed Mehboob started Golden Bakery 73 years ago in Secunderabad. Syed Amer, grandson of Syed Mehboob, says, “For the past 60 years our family has been baking a traditional plum cake. We are the masters in it. This year we have made 13,000 kg. There is also an eggless option.”