Tales of the must-have slice of Christmas, The Plum cake

  •   Wed, Dec 17 2025
  •   By Lorraine Rosario

December 17, 2025

As December arrives, the air is filled with excitement. The merriment that comes with the Christmas season, a month of sharing and giving, Christmas cheer in the form of carols, Christmas-themed skits, cribs, trees, competitions lining up, the aroma of freshly baked cakes wafting from bakeries, the tempting taste and smell of the mouth-watering homemade kuswar. Children eagerly wait to meet Santa Claus, hoping to find their names on the ‘nice’ list. Christmas stars, wreaths, lights, ornaments, and so much more add up to the festive cheer

Christmas and the Plum Cake connection:

The famous plum cake is a must-have Christmas tradition.  But when I say Christmas Cake, I wonder, "Where have all the plums gone?" We can only find raisins, so why is it called plum cake?  It’s time for us to uncover and discover the history of the rich and decadent plum cake.

Plum cakes are believed to have originated in Medieval England. It was customary to fast and abstain in the weeks preceding Christmas. On Christmas Eve, a thick porridge was made with oats, dried fruits such as raisins and currants, honey, spices, and sometimes meat.

Back then in England, the term plum referred to raisins and currants, which is how the name for the plum cake came to be, and it was not called a raisin cake

In the 16th century, oats were replaced with flour, eggs and butter. In oven-equipped households, the mixture was baked rather than boiled. Around this time, families of men working in British colonies in Australia, America, Canada and other parts of the world began baking their cakes months in advance and sending them as a part of the Christmas hamper along with wine and presents. This is how the first plum cake made it out of England.

The Indian origin of plum cake:

Do you know where and how plum cake originated in India? It was in God’s own country, Kerala. Mudroch Brown, a British planter, introduced Mambally Bapu, owner of the Royal Biscuit Factory, to a rich plum cake in 1880. He asked the owner, Mambally Bapu, if he could bake him a cake for Christmas. Brown, who ran a massive cinnamon plantation in the coastal state's Malabar region (then a princely state in British-ruled India), had returned from Britain with a sample cake. He explained to Bapu how it was made.

Bapu knew how to bake bread and biscuits, which he learned at a biscuit factory in Burma (present-day Myanmar), but he had never made a cake. But he decided to give it a try with Brown's advice.

 Instead of the brandy Brown suggested from the nearby French colony of Mahe, Bapu mixed the cake batter with a local brew made of cashew apples and kadalipazham bananas.

The end result was a one-of-a-kind plum cake made entirely of locally sourced ingredients.

Brown was so impressed with Bapu’s cake and ordered a dozen more.

This was the origin of the legendary cake made by Bapu’s “Mambally's Royal Biscuit Factory”, now known as Mambally's Bakery in Thalassery. Don't miss out on this iconic bakery and the taste of India's first plum cake while visiting  Thalassery, Kerala. If you cannot visit, don’t worry, Amazon.com can come to your rescue.

The history of cake mixing:

The history of Christmas cake mixing is fascinating, much like the history of plum cake. This tradition dates back to medieval England, and has progressed into a festive and joyous precursor to the holiday season. In Medieval England, a custom known as Stir-up Sunday marked the last Sunday before Advent, which is five weeks before Christmas. Families came together to stir and combine the ingredients for Christmas fruitcakes, pudding, and mincemeat. As part of the cake-mixing tradition, family members and close friends would take turns stirring the mixture clockwise, making a wish with each stir. The ingredients included dried fruits, nuts, spices, and occasionally spirits such as brandy or rum. This communal activity represented unity, good fortune, and the festive spirit of the upcoming Christmas celebrations.

Over time, the traditions spread all over and are now celebrated worldwide.

Don’t forget to narrate the story of the rich plum cake when you have a slice this festive season.

Merry Christmas!

 

 

 
By Lorraine Rosario
Lorraine Rosario is an academician. She hails from Mangaluru and resides in Dubai. She loves to pen articles on topics which interest her. She is also a sustainability enthusiast and loves to imbibe it in her day-to-day living.
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Comment on this article

  • Daniel, Mangalore

    Wed, Dec 17 2025

    Nice article on plum cakes but Jesus, who is the true reason for the Christmas Season, wants spiritual cakes or extra prayers, praise and worship at Christmas? So says or implies referenced part of a recent message to Prophet John Leary dated Thursday, December 4, 2025 ... Jesus said: “My people, your Advent Season is only about three weeks long compared to forty days of Lent. This is your time to prepare for My coming at Christmas. You have some special novenas you do for this Advent Season. Take some extra prayer time and reading your Bible in preparation for Christmas. This season is not just about buying and giving gifts, but there is a spiritual preparation as well to celebrate My birth. Pray gifts of prayers for your families in addition to your physical gifts.” //// Jesus said: “My people, you are seeing some people who do not want us to wish them a Merry Christmas. These same people also are against us putting up Nativity scenes. I am the true reason for the Christmas Season, but you may see more persecution for promoting My Name and My birth. You have noticed that even your dates are either before or after Christ in B.C. or A.D. I am your Creator and you need to give praise and worship of Me, especially at Christmas.” Ref: https://johnleary.com/thursday-december-4-2025/


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