Few things perk up Yuletide spirits like a moist, lavishly stuffed, boozy plum cake. After all, the best cakes are the ones where the fruits are macerated in alcohol for months! If you don’t have the time to make one at home, don’t fret. There are many places across Mumbai that sell plum cakes and other Christmas goodies, each delicious to the last bit. By Nivedita Jayaram Pawar
1. Theobroma
The fluffy, fruit-filled Christmas cake at Theobroma is made with macerated fruits, dates, almonds, spices and rum, with an eggless variation too. But if you’re not a cake plum cake fan, indulge in their dense German Christmas cake that is fragranced with spices, and heavily laden with candied citrus peels and nuts. P.S — the loaves are brushed with butter and dusted with powdered sugar.
Price: INR 475 for 350 grams
To order: Directly from stores across the city or via Zomato, Swiggy, or Dunzo.
2. Bombay Baking Company – JW Marriott Mumbai Juhu
The patisserie at the JW Marriott Mumbai Juhu has been dishing out the yummiest plum cakes for the last 18 years. Rich with dried fruits and steeped in intoxicating spirits, it’s no surprise, then, that the cake is one of the best in the city. Pick yours from the hotel or have it home delivered through Marriott On Wheels.
Price: INR 1,050 for 100 grams; INR 1,550 for 500 grams
To order: Call +91 9004616506
3. The Blue Mango
If you are conscious about what goes into your plum cakes, then these made using organic jaggery and a hint of orange will appeal to you. The cakes are exactly like the ones we would get as kids during Christmas fêtes in school: full of delicious dried fruits, plums, figs, raisins, cranberries, apricots, almonds, cashew nuts and pistachios. They offer it in two versions—with rum, and without—so there’s something for everyone!
Price: INR 400 for 130 grams (box of three mini bundt cakes)
To order: Call +91 9136256950 or via their Instagram page.
4. Brownie Point
Preparations for this decadently rich plum cake starts in August when all the dry fruits are soaked in a mixture of rum and brandy. They are then battered and baked in a slow oven for 90 to 120 minutes, resulting in a richly moist cake with a tender bite. That’s not all! The cake is then again soaked in rum for a heady rummy flavour. The eggless and alcohol-free cakes are soaked for a month in orange juice instead.
Price: INR 700 a kilogram of plain plum cake; INR 1,200 with marzipan and fondant coating.
To order: Call +91 9820504444 or order via Swiggy, Zomato
5. The Baker’s Dozen
If you like your plum cake loaded with walnuts, almonds, cherries and dates, then this is for you. Chef Aditi Handa soaks the fruits in alcohol and spices for almost five months. This lends the cake an intense boozy, fruity flavour that is the hallmark of a great Christmas cake. Enjoy it with a cup of hot cocoa or indulge after dinner.
Price: INR 450 for 300 grams (with egg); INR 250 for 150 grams (eggless)
To order: Order from their official website.
6. The St. Regis Mumbai
The plum cake here is a decadent treat loaded with dry fruits, nuts and aromatic spices. But what makes their cakes truly spectacular is the fact that the chefs use some of the previous year’s mixed fruits and nuts like a culture to enhance flavours and textures. The cake is then decorated with marzipan, sugar-coated Christmas trees, and mini Santas. Quite a treat for the eyes and the tongue!
Price: INR 2,500 per kilogram
To order: Pick up from the Barista Bar on the hotels’ level 9, or contact 022 61628422
7. Baked by Sanika
The right blend of dark rum with spices like dry ginger, cinnamon, cardamom, nutmeg and cloves makes this Le Cordon bleu patisserie chef’s plum cakes irresistible. She uses almond flour for that extra nutty flavour and month-long rum-soaked dried fruits and nuts for a Christmas-y aroma and flavours.
Price: INR 1,800 for 650 grams
To order: Order from their Instagram page.
8. Candies
The legendary plum cake at Candies has remained unchanged since 1985 when the café first launched in the now-defunct Lokhandwala outlet. Their non-alcoholic cake with dried plums, candied peels and nuts is topped with a thick layer of marzipan. When here, try the Reindeer Plum Ball and Apple Crumble as well, along with a roast chicken paired with sweet and tangy apple sauce.
Price: INR 300 (with marzipan), and INR 220 (without marzipan)
To order: Call 022 26430728 / +91 9820426296, or via Swiggy and in-house deliveries.
9. American Express Bakery
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This iconic bakery at the Hill Road in Bandra makes some of the best plum puddings, guava cheeses and fruit mince pies during Christmas eve. They also make a mean chocolate hazelnut babka, a sweet polish dessert bread. But you’ll need to hurry since these cakes disappear fast!
Price: INR 230 for ½ kilograms, and INR 460 for 1 kilogram
To order: Call 022 2308 4441
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Written By
Bayar Jain
Senior Content ManagerEquipped with a degree in Sociology (Honours) from the University of Delhi and a postgraduate diploma in English Journalism and Mass Communication from Xavier Institute of Communications, Mumbai, Bayar enjoys sharing stories of people, places, and different cultures. When not typing her travel tales, you can catch the hobbyist photographer capturing ..Read More
