It’s the festive season, and Christmas means lots of cakes bringing joy! When it comes to the good old fruitcake, it was the British who introduced India to this powerful mix of dried fruit, nuts, mashed barley, honey, and wine.

Check out these seven bakeries to get your hands on some of the best Christmas cakes in India.

1. Mattanchere Spice Matured Plum Cake, Kochi

In Mattancherry, a bustling spice trade centre with a vibrant Jewish community, Christmas is a grand affair. Their iconic plum cake, infused with honey-soaked fruits and aged for months, is a culinary masterpiece. One of the spots to find this renowned cake is Pandhal Cafe in Kochi.

2. Walnut Cake, Kolkata

Saldanha Bakery, a Goan-operated gem in Kolkata since 1930, is renowned for its irresistible walnut cake topped with rich fudge frosting. Founded by Ubelina and Ignatius Saldanha, this cherished bakery offers a variety of treats, including British tea time cake, almond iced Christmas log, lemon drops, and blueberry muffins.

3. Rich Plum Cake – Kannur

The Mambally family from Kannur baked one of the first plum cakes in India. Legend has it that in 1882, a British visitor asked Mambally Bapu of the Royal Biscuit Factory in Kannur to recreate an English cake. Bapu substituted local brew for French Brandy, creating India’s first plum cake, a resounding success.

4. Vivikam Cake – Puducherry

The Pondicherry Christmas cake, also called the Auroville Bakery cake, is made with roasted semolina and pure ghee. This delightful treat, enriched with rum or brandy-soaked cashews, raisins, candied fruits, and citrus peels, matures beautifully over time, much like fine wine.

5. Allahabadi Cake – Allahabad

This cake, born in the Anglo-Indian kitchens of Allahabad’s railway colony, combines petha, local marmalade, pure ghee, and a blend of spices like nutmeg, cinnamon, fennel, mace, and ginger for a unique and flavourful creation.

6. Bebinca cake – Goa

This Goan confectionery masterpiece, made with coconut milk, ghee, and jaggery, is a layered cake baked slowly over a gentle flame. Originating from the era of clay ovens, it’s a delightful treat savoured at Mr Cafe, an establishment that has stood since 1922.

7. Karmacha – Kolkata

This cake, named after the tangy karmacha (Calcutta cherries), combines these cherries with black raisins, sun-dried mixed fruit peels, cashews, almonds, walnuts, petha, and ginger. Nahoum and Sons Pvt Ltd Confectioners, established in 1902, is a renowned place to experience this authentic delight.