Heralding the festive season

As a way to usher in the fun and frolic of the festive season, a cake-mixing session was recently hosted at Botania, ITC Gardenia.

Quite literally lending a helping hand, the guests made a day of it as they donned the chef’s hat, put on their gloves and aprons and went about mixing the delicious and aromatic concoction.

The one thing that’s always associated with Christmas is the desserts, be it the plum cake or pudding. For that, 150 kgs of mixed fruits like black raisins, almonds, cashews, walnuts, dates, Pecan nuts, orange peel, black currant and prunes were mixed with a total of 75 litres of vodka, brandy, single malt, lemon juice and orange juice, informs Vijay Malhotra, executive chef, ITC Gardenia.

Vijay explains, “This ceremony is our way of marking the beginning of the festive season. It’s always a light and fun-filled atmosphere where entire families, starting from the kids to the grown-ups, have a good time.

It takes around nine weeks to ferment and get the right
mix. From December 1, as and when the orders start coming, we’ll start using the mix for baking.”

Yogen Datta, executive chef of ITC Windsor, who is collaborating with chef Vijay this year, adds, “The art of cooking, coming together
and the bonhomie of Christmas time is what we are here to celebrate.  For me, it’s the people that count most. This mixing could have been done behind-the-scenes. But people getting involved are what makes it special.”

The terrace garden was spruced up with Christmas decorations and that, coupled with the weather and live music, made for a fun afternoon for the attendees. “This is the third time I’m participating in the cake-mixing here. I just come to have fun and feel like a kid again. Plus, the smell of the ingredients is incredible,” says artist Jaya Javeri, who was present at the event.

It wasn’t only the adults who were having a good time; the younger lot were enjoying themselves too. “I find it interesting how kids of my age and older people are coming together to make the cake. I’m looking forward to tasting the cake!” says
12-year-old Aayana.