Fairy lights are glowing, stockings are ready to go up, and secret Santa gifts are being thought through as the Christmas spirit is beginning to takeover Delhi. But the sweetest part of the festival i.e. food is stealing the limelight as it’s arriving warm, personalised, and beautifully packaged from home kitchens of bakers in Delhi-NCR. From DIY cookie kits and strawberry-loaded treats to Santa cupcakes, these bakers are busy crafting the Xmas treats that have become a talking point for foodies.
Home bakers in Delhi-NCR are serving a wide array of trendy Christmas-themed goodies this season.
“I happened to see a Reel on social media of DIY cookie kits, and thought this could be a great option for my son’s friends at our annual Christmas party,” shares Simran Khurana, a Lajpat Nagar-based homemaker, adding, “Every year we get plum cakes and my son keeps telling me that he wants something different. I’m sure this surprise will make his party a hit.”
DIY baking kits meet tradition
Christmas in the Capital is now becoming less about buying desserts off the shelves. “This festival is about warmth and togetherness and our DIY cookie kit taps right into that spirit,” shares Mahima Waasan, from Greater Kailash-based Home Bakers Delhi (+91-8076473789). “The kit comes with Christmas-shaped cookies, sprinkles, frosting etc. Kids adore putting it all together and then indulging in it and parents love that it’s interactive and festive… Those who have ordered call us to give feedback saying, ‘We didn’t know we needed this until our kids saw it and now it’s part of our Christmas tradition, too.’ That’s a really sweet thing to hear.”
Red hot: Strawberry mania
When it’s Christmas, strawberries make quite a statement as the flavour of the season. “I love strawberries and wait all year for winters to relish these,” says Grace, a Noida-based marketing professional, adding, “This year, the theme of the Christmas party at my house is strawberries and am planning to order a big strawberry cake and cookies.”
Interest in this flavour have inspired some home chefs to create winter-perfect desserts with this fruit. “This year’s Christmas feels will be all about strawberries as it has completely taken over! People are ordering fresh strawberry cakes, strawberry shortbreads, and even the all-time favourite chocolate-dipped strawberries,” says Shreya from Paschim Vihar-based Shreya’s Bae-kry (+91-9611160681), adding, “It’s winter, it’s red, and I guess people just associate strawberries with the season… There’s also a cosy winter rhythm as people pick dessert and then almost always add a hot chocolate. It’s like the standard Christmas combo: strawberries and warm chocolate. We’re already sending out around 20 hampers a day right now, and on top of that preparing nine to10 dessert orders daily. My kitchen has officially turned into Christmas headquarters!”
Frosted classics & cakesicles
Nothing screams Christmas like Santa cupcakes, snow-white frosting Santa cakes, and edible candy canes. These are exactly what’s ruling the orders at Kitchen Stories (+91-9818160681). It’s chief baker Swati Gupta Jain informs: “Christmas is indeed one of the busiest and most joyful baking seasons and this year the Santa-themed treats have started ruling the orders right from the start of December. Many want Santa cakes, Santa cookies and cupcakes with frosted holiday designs. Parents of young ones are calling to share mood boards, and the young are loving the festive cakesicles! So though the Yule Log used to be a must-have, it’s now the rich, chocolat-y and nostalgia driven themes in new forms that’s forming desserts, which everyone insists to bring to the dining table.”
For more, follow HT City Delhi Junction
Dining and Cooking