Journalism of Courage
’Tis the season again for joy, celebration, togetherness, carols, gifts, and most importantly, Christmas-special plum cakes and delicacies. While Christmas celebrations have remained subdued the last two years due to the pandemic, this year, Bengalureans are all set to usher in the festive season with much joy, optimism, and of course, their favourite Christmas delicacies.
While Bengaluru is the gateway to a wide variety of cuisines, ranging from south Indian to inter-continental, it is also home to a few nostalgic bakeries that have geared up to serve a diverse range of offerings for Christmas and New Year. If you are looking to usher in this Christmas and New Year with some sweet, spicy and crunchy spread of culinary delights, here are some landmark bakeries you should be visiting in Bengaluru.
Thom’s Bakery
A cafe turned into a bakery and a supermarket store – the journey of Thom’s Bakery dates back to 1970 and so do their plum cakes. Cut to December 2022, the bakery located on Wheeler Road easily manages to convince you that the festive Christmas season is here. With a Santa Claus mannequin oscillating in one corner to the brightly lit stars hanging from the ceiling, the bakery is all decked up, reflecting a festive vibe.
What completes the picture is the wide spread of Thom’s Bakery’s signature plum cakes which are waiting to be cherished by cake lovers. Soaked in rum and wine for three-four months, the bakery’s plum cake is one of its signature dishes that contains dry fruits and different grades of plum, specially sourced from outside India. The bakery is also serving its popular rich plum cake with icing.
In addition, the bakery is also famous for its Christmas cookies including red velvet, salt, nan cuttai, and the seasonal gingerbread. The famous ‘kalkals’ (a deep-fried cookie flavoured with a spice mix) in the bakery are served in two varieties – the regular salted ones along with their sweeter versions.
Some of the other savouries in the bakery include blueberry muffins, chocolate donuts, fruit and nut muffins, among others. However, with the growing demand for eggless products, the bakery is also dishing out many savouries in this category.
In addition, customers also prefer to make their own plum cakes wherein they choose from a wide range of non-alcoholic wines and regular cake mixes for their own DIY plum cakes!
All Saints Bakery
With Christmas here, bakers at All Saints Bakery on Brigade Road have got their hands full with their famous rich plum cake, a 50-year tradition. Although the bakery has been selling the rich plum cake for decades now, this Christmas, they have introduced the all-new Mature Plum cakes. Rich in fruits and dry fruits like apricots, figs, plums, raisins, almonds, cashews and walnuts, the cake is made with premium ingredients soaked in rum and wine for six months. The mixture is then folded into a rich batter made with butter. This seasonal cake is also packed in a distinctive Christmas-themed tin.
The bakery is also offering plum cakes without icing, with icing, and eggless varieties made with a blend of spice mix and fruits. The bakery is also serving its famous kalkal. It is also known for its marzipan – colourful little candies made with cashew paste and sugar.
The bakers have also sensed that a lot of customers like ginger during this cosy winter season in Bengaluru. Accordingly, they have introduced a wide range of ginger savouries, including ginger biscuits. Other Christmas savouries include chicken pie, tandoori chicken sandwich, chocolate rum tart, vanilla/chocolate swiss roll, chicken hot dog and almond leaf. In addition, the bakery is also serving roasted cookies, almond biscuits, butter cookies, murukkus and laddoos, among other delicacies.
Albert Bakery
Albert Bakery located in Frazer Town started to rule people’s hearts while the British were still ruling over the city. They are known for their savoury and fried snack items but around the Christmas season, they have special items added to their menu, including plum cakes, ribbon cakes, marble cakes, cookies, and much more.
What makes their cakes different from their competitors is that they are alcohol-free. The dry fruits used in the plum cake are not soaked in alcohol prior to mixing it in the batter; instead, they add a ‘special ingredient’ to enhance the taste—a recipe that has been passed down four generations.
In fact, the bakery also allows one to design their own personalised plum cakes. Customers can mix the ingredients (fruits, plums and dry fruits) and soak them in alcohol and give it to the bakery to bake the cake.
(With inputs from Dona Sunny)
