18 December,2022 11:25 AM IST | Mumbai | Team SMD
The chefs at Parisserie, Nayantara Thomas and Farah Shroff, make a Christmas cake with a treacle base and caremalised layer of almond marzipan. Pic/Atul Kamble
Fruit cake or plum cake, the mid-day editorial team has tried and tasted and tested all kinds of cakes given that ours is a newsroom of hardcore foodies, and much of the food and drink coverage we pull off for the newspaper requires us to taste before we write. So, when we asked the Anglos, East Indians, Goans and Mangaloreans in our ranks to list out their favourite Christmas cake, look what our search threw up.
Perpetual's & Rochelle and Clayton, Malad West
The secret to a good Christmas is the East Indian fruit cake, always the light batter one, not dark. It's loaded with black currents, raisins, red and green glace cherries, apricots and nuts. And since this is a semolina or rava recipe, it's super crumbly. The word around town is that the best cakes are to be found at Perpetual's Sweets and Rochelle and Clayton's. Pro tip: Eat a slice hot and fresh out of the oven, something this writer's mother taught her. In this case, maybe you'd want to go and pick up the cake yourself?
To order: Perpetual's Sweets 9820947968, Rochelle and Clayton 9987252923
Parisserie, Girgaum
Nayantara Thomas and Farah Shroff, the duo behind Parisserie, have a special Christmas menu which includes the traditional Christmas cake. It has a treacle base, and the fruits used include an assortment of cranberries, raisins, lemon, cashews, all soaked in a mix of alcohol for over a month. The cake comes with a layer of almond marzipan that's caramelised.
To order: 9619331166
Sequel
As someone who doesn't associate the decadent Christmas rum cake with anything organic and healthy, we were quite surprised when we recently tried Sequel's traditional cake. It's made with fruit and nuts soaked in cognac for over a year, and bansi wheat, an indigenous variety sourced from Katol near Nagpur and sweetened with raw sugar. It has a bit of the health cafe's rye sourdough starter. It brought back memories of a cake we had many moons ago, prepared by a Sri Lankan family friend. It's rich and velvety, and full of flavour and moist.
To order: sequelmumbai.in
Perfect Confectioners, Chandan Wadi
The plum cake at Perfect Confectioners and Caterers is the star of Chandan Wadi in Girgaum. Owner Tony Dsouza says that they have stuck to the same recipe over the decades, and it comprises four kinds of fruits which render the creation a unique flavour when compared to other bakeries. During Christmas, the cakes travel all the way to Dubai and Canada.
To order: 22058092
Learned From Mom, Bandra
My family, and many of my friends, orders only from Learned From Mom for every celebration, especially Christmas. This is because their cakes are unfailingly delicious. No matter what you choose from Dinelle's repertoire, it will be yummy. This year, the special menu is all about the bundt cake - from chocolate almond frangipane to vanilla bean bundt.
To order: 9867219430
Zarine D'souza's, Nerul, Navi Mumbai
Home chef Zarine D'souza bakes a variety of cakes, and you can have your pick of the lot. Be it the rich fruit cake with marzipan and fondant, light fruit cakes, alcohol-free creations, Panforte, and the splendid Goan baath cake made with semolina and coconut. The cakes are excellent, one of the best I have had. The cake is moist as well when you compare the cake with, say, a store-bought one.
To order: 9920975733
Venus Bakery, Bandra Reclamation
I would recommend the Christmas plum cake from Venus for its measured richness and taste. You'll never go wrong with this predictable fare. You'd rather have your guests smirk at your safe choice, than have them cringe over something that is over the top.
To order: 022 26425306
Bonnie's, Mulund
Stepping into Bonnie D'Silva's cutesy store, Bonnie's, it's tough to resist not being like a little kid in a candy shop. But it's her cakes from the range that are the standout - from the Christmas classic plum cake to the all-year bar cakes that can be made to order and perfect to go with your tea.
To order: 9167202537
At Indulge, Mulund
At Indulge by Fay Almeida, the Christmas rum fruit and nut cakes are decadent and airy, all in one bite. The OG hands-on baker is almost always stationed at her gala-cum-store, keeping a close eye to ensure the quality is top-notch.
To order: 8422993535
