As the Christmas vibes have started highlighting the aroma of baked treats in the air, numerous festive delicacies are sure to please every palate. The cake is always the showstopper of the Christmas table and people love enjoying a delicious plum cake and yule logs for the holiday season.Also Read: For someone who is the biggest fan of the cake, have you ever thought about where the first Christmas cake came from? Legends have it that over 140 years ago, India got its first Christmas cake. In December 1883, the history of cakes can be traced back to Kerala’s Thalassery where Mambally Bapu reportedly baked the first cake of India. History says that during the British reign, Thalassery became Tellicherry and at that time, ships used to get spices from Wayanad and sailed westward from the port in Thalassery. In 1983, during the Christmas season, a merchant named Murdock Brown came to Mambally Bapu’s Royal Biscuit Factory and handed him a parcel that he had bought from England.

Once Bapu opened the parcel, he understood that the kept in it was a delicacy. Brown, the manager of the world’s largest cinnamon plantation, requested Bapu to bake a similar cake. He provided some ingredients like cocoa, dates and raisins along with a recipe for baking.Mambally Bapu had a knack for baking that he actually learned in Burma (old Myanmar). The shelves of Bapu’s bakery were packed with more than forty types of biscuits and rusks. Mambally Bapu who never actually baked a cake took this opportunity to expand his skillset and agreed to Brown’s request to prepare a replica of the cake with some changes.Also Read: Soon after Brown shared the recipe for the cake, he told Bapu to incorporate a French brandy which was primarily available 14 km away. Bapu decided to use locally sourced ingredients and substituted the French Brandy with locally brewed liquor prepared with cashews, apples and varieties of bananas. According to some sources, the mould to prepare the cake was prepared by a blacksmith based on the description given by Bapu. The blacksmith was located in Dharmadam situated on the outskirts of Thalassery.The Indian Plum Cake

After Bapu created a replica of the cake, Brown tasted the first plum cake in India and liked the improvisations made by the Bapu. Brown liked this cake more than the one he had savoured in his hometown. After nostalgia started hitting Brown, he instantly ordered a dozen cakes. History says that this is how the first plum cake was created in India. Bapu’s successor Mambally Gopalan took the bakery to great heights and it is believed that soldiers who went for World war carried biscuits from the Royal biscuit factory. About the bakeryTo date, Mambally’s royal bakery stands as a testament to the state. Considered one of the famous plum cake joints in the country, Kerala is believed to be India’s largest plum cake market and the Mambally family holds a major share in this business. Family members operate the top bakeries in Kerala and natives enjoy the dishes to the core.