The legends of Christmas cakes

It’s the time of the year when the trees got all bundled up with glitters, lights, decorations and gifts, the markets around you are lighted up once again after Diwali and you can hear carols wherever you go. We are talking about Christmas, folks! Christmas is almost around the corner and certainly it is the occasion of eating delicious plum cakes or the Christmas cakes. Christmas cakes are the rich sponge cakes loaded with fruits and nuts and best soaked in rum. You can find plum cakes everywhere in the bakeries near you.

Did this question ever crossed your mind that why Christmas are nothing without Plum Cakes? Well, we know the answer and the legends of Christmas cake will lead you to the bakery for sure. One of the fascinating facts about plum cakes is that it doesn’t have plum in it. Initially, it used to be the plum Porridge. People used to eat this porridge to break their fast on Christmas. Later, with lots of innovations in the field and art of baking, the plum was eliminated with the dried plum and fruits. It got famous in the medieval period and people around the globe started having dried fruits in the porridges. With the constant experimentation in flavors the plum was replaced by dried raisins and the porridge became the cake. In sixteenth and seventeenth century, the Christmas cakes got popular by the name of plum cakes. Despite of no plums it is called as plum cakes across the countries. During all this period, the oats were also replaced by the flour, eggs and butter was introduced to the cakes.

Christmas cakes are of majorly two kinds- ‘Rum-Plum Cake’ and ‘Virgin Plum Cake’. Rum-plum cakes are very interesting cakes as they are prepared month ago Christmas and they are also the traditional ones. In this process, the cakes are kept upside down, air tight. A small amount of brandy or rum is poured into the holes of the rum cake every week to make them rum-soaked cakes. This process is popularly known as feeding the cake period. You really need to hold onto your horses to make this rich-plum cake. People like us who can’t wait to grub the delicacy, can have the virgin version of the cake. It is the no-alcoholic version of the Christmas cake. People who scour the weekend parties and the cocktail menu, it is the best you can have.

Plum cakes make the best choice for gifting and after dinner desert. Serve, plum cakes with whipping cream and creamed cheese with a cherry on top to make the Christmas merry merry!