In 1880s Kerala, a plum cake baked for a homesick British planter is said to be India’s first. Plantation families adapted European plum cake recipes using local spices and ingredients. “Women baked at home, learning through butlers, social clubs, and European missionaries,” says historian Deepa Gopalakrishnan. This blend of European technique and Kerala’s produce shaped the signature Christmas fruit cake. Nimmy Paul, 65, remembers waking to her mother’s baking during Christmas holidays. Starting in 1991, Nimmy ran one of the first home-baking enterprises, selling up to 1,001 kilos of cakes before stopping in 2001. Sheela Tomy’s Kallivayalil Bakes has grown from making 30 cakes for relatives to 3,500 this year. Using recipes passed down from her mother and mother-in-law, she bakes at home with evolving ingredients and tools. The baking culture faded as younger generations left plantations but is now reviving. Fifth-generation planter Mathew Vallikkapan and his wife Silu Joseph launch a limited edition of 300 Planter’s Fruit Cakes from their homestay bakery in Vagamon. The recipe, from Mathew’s grandmother and her missionary aunt, is a tribute to family tradition. Nimmy highlights that only rum and black raisins were bought outside; fruits and spices like cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, and cashew nuts came from their plantation. Preserving fruits in August and baking from October, the planter’s cake was made entirely at home. Mathew’s cakes soak fruits in rum for up to one-and-a-half months before baking. All spices come from their farm with real vanilla extract for rich flavor. He bakes early mornings in cool hills to keep eggs fresh, blending tradition with his culinary training. Sheela uses a long soaking process for 13 fruits, including local and exotic varieties. Her cakes are baked in a traditional borma oven, which adds distinct flavor despite the messy process. She sells different varieties priced from ₹1,500 to ₹3,800. Kerala’s Christmas plum cake remains a delicious symbol of cultural fusion and community heritage, delighting taste buds with every bite.