Sweet surrender

Le Meridien
Le Meridien has a Christmas treat in store, with their Ginger Bread House festival, which will be on between December 23 and 25. On offer will be almond cakes, assorted cookies, date and nut breads, plum puddings, chocolate fudges and more mouthwatering goodies. T K G Pannikar, food and beverages manager, Le Meridien says, 8220;We have a wide variety of Christmas delicacies on offer, with more than 20 different cakes and other goodies. Our customers can take their pick from the many products on offer, but our plum cake remains the overall favourite.8221;

Hotel Aurora Towers
Hotel Aurora Towers too has plans for celebrating Christmas in style. As Amardeep Singh Thind, assistant general manager informs, 8220;We recognise the likes and dislikes of our clientele. We have a range of mouth-watering cakes and pies to offer them this time round. Our plum cakes and chocolate cakes are favourites among customers.8221; He informs that the hotel is planning a Thai Food Festival to coincide with preparations for Christmas and to add zing to the festivities.

Baker8217;s Basket
Baker8217;s Basket, another popular bakery stop in the city has a range of cakes and cookies for gourmands to choose from. As Varsha Verma, manager of the Camp outlet says, 8220;We have a whole new menu for Christmas. There8217;s the swirly-whirly Christmas cake, a rich butter almond cake, fresh strawberry cheesecake; the list just goes on.8221; She says many items are made by the bakery specially for this season. 8220;The colourful Santa8217;s Favourite Mousse is one such delicacy. It has flavours of strawberry, mango and vanilla, combined together in a scrumptious whole. But the plum cake and black forest cake remain our specialties,8221; adds Verma.

Pasteur Bakery
Pasteur Bakery, situated in the heart of Camp bakes exclusive rich plum cakes for the season and specialises in Christmas pies and puddings. Owner Hassan Yaveri says, 8220;We have not received many orders this time. Looking at the drop in the number of customers during Diwali and Eid, we have not prepared a lot for Christmas. The recession and terror attacks seem to have left their impact.8221;

Marz-o-rin
Marz-o-rin, the favourite hangout of young and old alike, has also prepared its share of Christmas goodies. As proprietor Vijay Sheriyarji says, 8220;We have a very cosmopolitan clientele and our objective is to cater to their needs.8221; The joint has laid out a platter stocked with traditional delicacies like mince pies, Christmas fruit pies and marzipan. But here too, the plum cakes are crowd pullers. 8220;We also have a range of eggless, fat-free and sugar-free cakes for the calorie conscious. There8217;s a treat for everyone here,8221; Sheriyarji adds.

Monginis
The famous cake shop is an integral part of Christmas and New Year celebrations in the city. Sudhir Ranade of the FC Road outlet says, 8220;Our plum cakes and black forest cakes are favourite among Puneites. Block orders from corporates have been cancelled this year and due to recession, everyone is trying to cut costs. But orders from individuals and families continue.8221;

Royal Bakery
Located near Fatimanagar, Royal Bakery is famous for its butter sponge cakes. As owner Sheriar Irani says, 8220;Our customers can pick from a range of items like plum cakes, date and walnut cakes and fruit cakes. Though the celebrations have sobered down this year, they may pick up as Christmas and New Year nears.8221;