It is beginning to look a lot like Christmas at Crowne Plaza New Delhi Okhla, as the hotel hosted the timeliness traditional of Cake Mixing Ceremony to usher into the X-Mas festivities.
The event also marked the launch of ‘Soulful Suppers’- the musical evenings at ChaoBella for the guests to enjoy the power-packed performances by popular music artists in the Delhi circuit. With winter being the best time for socializing, the melodies will add charm to your romantic dates, barbeque evenings with friends, wine dinners, and corporate get-togethers.
Pradipt Sinha, Director of Food and Beverage kick-started the spectacular show of Cake Mixing by narrating fables and history around the Cake Mixing ceremony. He informed me that the activity marks the arrival of the harvest season and the onset of Christmas festivities.
“In olden times, a lot of dry fruits and nuts were harvested during the autumn season and were used in the preparation of traditional Christmas fruit cakes. They used to store the mix for the coming year with the hope of another fulfilling and abundant year. Later, this ceremony became a family affair where everyone got together and soaked the harvested fruits in wine or rum which are further dried and stored.” he shared.
Now it was time for the most awaited moment of the evening – The Cake Mixing ceremony. Amidst the refreshing autumn breeze, the alfresco area of ChaoBella was decked up with twinkling lights, Santa’s hut, and shining props, ushering the spirit of festivities. However, the star of the show was the mesmerizing assortment of dry fruits such as cashews, prunes, pistachios, almonds, figs, apricots, raisins, nuts, black current, etc. in a boat-shaped cauldron. The hotel patrons and team members rolled on their sleeves and wore the aprons to participate in a hearty mixing of dry fruits with spices and spirits. The live music, varieties of Christmas bakes, Sangrias and Mulled Wine added to the charm of the ceremony.
Post the ceremony, the mixture was put into an airtight container so that it soaks up the spirits and spices. The same mix would be used by the Chefs to bake an array of goodies such as Plum Pudding, Plum Cake Dandee cake, Mince pie, Christollen, and Christmas cookies which will be available at French Heart – patisserie of the hotel. Guests will also have the option to customize delectable Christmas hampers for gifting and indulgence.
Shuvendu Banerjee, General Manager, Crowne Plaza New Delhi Okhla said, “Although the cake mixing ceremony is a warm-up to the festive holiday season, it has far more significant in the current times. The underlying essence of the ceremony is also a reminder of the cross-cultural impact of celebrations. The festivities come wrapped with hopes and revival for a happier tomorrow.”
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