Capturing the spirit of Christmas and New Year, the traditional ceremony of cake mixing began at Fortune Murali Park here on Monday. And the entire lounge smelled of spirits and dry fruits and other ingredients that go into cake mixing.

To start the ceremony, all guests, chefs and staff were handed gloves, aprons and chef hats. The ingredients along with spirits were mixed thoroughly. Before this the fruits have been placed in casks to soak in all liquid and mature beautifully by Christmas. It will then be used by the hotel to make plum cakes, puddings and other delicacies.

“The cake mixing ritual has now acquired social face. But it has not diluted its religious importance and remains to be one of the most awaited events in the Christian households,” said hotel general manager P.K. Venkatesh. Huge quantity of dry fruit and nuts with wine were soaked. The mixture would be allowed to settle for a period of forty days from which plum pudding with brandy sauce, exotic cakes, fudges would be made, he explained.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Vijayawada / by Staff Reporter / Vijayawada – November 10th, 2014