Date:31/10/2008 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2008/10/31/stories/2008103158650200.htm

Tamil Nadu - Chennai

Cake mix for Christmas flavour

Staff Reporter

— Photo: S.S. Kumar

Holiday delight: GRT Grand staff collecting cake mixers for storage after the cake mixing ceremony at the hotel in T.Nagar on Thursday.

CHENNAI: With the remains of Deepavali firework still covering the streets, it might be hard to think of the next holiday around the corner. Yet, Hotel GRT Grand’s preparations for Christmas started on Thursday, with the mixing of ingredients for its Christmas cake and to bring in the holiday mood, the mixing was done in a festive style.

A five-meter long pile of dry fruits such as walnuts, apricots and figs and orange peels was the centre of the event, spreading a sweet scent through the hotel’s ballroom.

With the sounds of a festive Spanish band and colourful mood lightning, General Manager of GRT Grand U. Sasikumar led the participants around the table to pour the contents of seventy bottles of rum, cognac and brandy over the fruit medley and mix it thoroughly with their plastic gloved hands. As a finishing touch, freshly powdered cinnamon was added.

“Cake mixing is an activity that makes people happy. By making it a big event like this we want to contribute to a happy mood. Especially in the current uncertain situation we hope to create a festive mood,” Mr. Sasikumar said.

The mix of fruit and liquor was packed in metal boxes to be stored until Christmas.

“It needs to be stored in a cool place for forty days for the flavours to come together,” executive Mediterranean chef of GRT Grand Joseph A. Chahine explained. When the mix is finalised with cake batter and baked after these forty days, a nothing less than a 430 kg Christmas cake will be ready for the holiday guests.