Thaindian News

New Delhi, Dec 21 (IANS) They are soft, spongy and so yummy that you are left with no option but to experience the goodness of these homemade cakes that are becoming popular this Christmas due to their freshness and quality.”Homemade cakes are a relief from the cakes available in the pastry shops as they are fresh, hot and of better quality. You know the people who make it, so you can trust them and the quality of these cakes,” homemaker Clara Lakra said.

“This is the right time to move beyond pastry shops and indulge in some good homemade cakes that are very tasty, fresh but loaded with calories too,” she added.

The capital has its share of these home-bakeries that offer a wide variety of cakes starting from plum to fruit cake, from cheese to chocolate cake and from strawberry to carrot cake.

Arshi Dhupia has been in this business for more than six years and, according to her, traditional plum cakes and chocolate cakes are the best selling items on her label Cravings.

“I specialise in the traditional plum cakes and chocolate cakes but it is the chocolate cakes that sell the most because children like it more,” Dhupia told IANS.

“For Christmas cakes I use decorations like snow man, Santa Claus and Christmas trees as they appeal to the kids. I also cover the cake with marzipan (paste of almonds and sugar), but only on the request of the client,” she added.

Another home-baker Radhika Sehgal bakes three categories of cakes - chocolate, liquor and fruit-based cakes.

“All my fresh fruit cakes have been sold out. I have to soak the ingredients of the cake in water a month before starting the actual preparations,” Sehgal explained. She has been in this business since 1998.

Sehgal does not sell these cakes under any label but believes that it is the word of mouth that does the trick.

“I do not need a label to expand my business. People know me by name and they know how to get in touch with me, as my work speaks for me,” she added.

These bakers work throughout the year and are the most sought after for their theme-based cakes for occasions such as birthdays, anniversaries and weddings. But during Christmas their sales are high.

“I specialise in chocolate praline cakes and chocolate rum cakes. I do not make anything special for Christmas, but my sales pick up during this period,” said Neeru Sahini of the label Mad about Chocolates.

Talk about Belgian, whole-wheat cakes, cheese cakes, walnut cakes, chocolate truffle cakes or the Christmas special fruit cake and Jyoti Aggarwal makes sure that you do not leave her place without ordering.

“I have something for everyone and apart from regular cakes like rum and fruit cakes, I have a wide variety of cakes like apple, oranges and carrot cakes that surely are a relief from the regular stuff.

“Fruit cakes can last for almost four months if kept in the refrigerator,” Aggarwal said.

Elaborating on the making of fruit cakes, she said that one has to soak the fruits in rum for 15 days before starting actual preparations.

Aggarwal has been in this business for more than nine years. She said that for her baking cakes gives satisfaction and the appreciation she gets for her cakes is the reward for her work.

Most of these cakes are priced at Rs.500 per kg and plum cakes are priced at Rs.600.