Meet Mumbai’s OG Christmas bakers

In a city filled with foodie influencers and armchair chefs, we present the original and favoured bakers and patisserie chefs who continue to rule the roost during Christmastime

Bandra’s boss lady

Desiree Attari began her baking journey from home in 1991, moving to a bakery storefront at Bandra Reclamation in 1997. For Attari, a staple rum plum cake is essential in every household. “I developed the recipe myself, and believe what sets our cakes apart is the signature sugarcraft; the cake tastes homemade but has a professional finish,” she explains. Beyond traditional plum cakes, she creates Christmas-themed cakes.

Desiree Attari

“We serve plum, cream cakes in festive and regular themes to cater to all palates,” she shares. Fruits, nuts and peels are soaked in rum three months prior. Preferring orders via the phone, Attari advises against couriering cakes with sugarcraft. “We stick to manual methods, and prepare everything in-house, from scratch including marzipan, fondant,” she says. Known for marzipan fruit baskets and chocolates, her bakes are favourites, and available till February. “A customer once said, ‘Place a piece of this cake in my mouth before I’m buried.’ That kind of love keeps me going,” she smiles.

Last Date Until stocks last
AT Desiree, 19 Santhal, ONGC Colony, beside Candies, Nityanand Nagar, Reclamation, Bandra West. 
Call 9820086932 
Cost Revealed upon request

Mummy and me

Vashi-based mother-daughter duo of Martha and Belinda Lewis are known for their festive treats that include jujubes, marzipan, kulkuls and more. Baking together for over 25 years, their signature rum fruit cake remains a favourite. Fruits, nuts, and peels have been soaking in pure rum since October, and the batter is baked a few hours before delivery to ensure freshness and moisture. “Christmas is about coming together. As a child, I helped my mum peel and mix, and now, with support from friends and family, we keep the tradition alive,” shares Belinda.

Marzipan

Their household also cherishes a wine tradition. “My father made grape wine at the start of every year, and as kids, we eagerly waited for a taste during festivities,” she reCalls. For 91-year-old Martha, Christmas remains a grand affair. “We would participate in church competitions and cook in large quantities for the church feast,” she reminisces.

Belinda Lewis and Martha Lewis

Last Date December 12 
Call 7666659690 
Cost R1,000 onwards (delivery across Mumbai via courier)

Early Christmas

At Naomi Pais’s home in Vakola, Christmas arrives early, with the aroma of rich fruit cakes wafting through her kitchen nearly 15 days before the festivities. Pais, who began her sweet-making journey 15 years ago, has been conducting workshops for the past decade. “I specialise in customised Christmas-themed rich fruit cakes, topped with marzipan and fondant decorations,” the sugar craft connoisseur explains.

Christmas-patterned mini fruit cakes topped with marzipan and fondant

She adds rum post-baking to give the cakes a boozy essence without overpowering the flavours. Sticking to her East Indian roots, Pais continues to use copper vessels that are re-tinned annually and wooden spoons alongside a stand mixer for larger batches. Her festive offerings also include guava cheese, jujubes, fudge, and date rolls. “As kids, we’d lick the batter bowl clean. Now, I bake at such a large scale, the memories are mostly the burns!” she laughs.

Naomi Pais

Last Date December 15
Call 9967652731 
Cost Rs 1,700 onwards

A slice of tradition 

For Goretti Ann Rosario, continuing her family’s legacy and keeping traditions alive has always felt natural, “My family has been baking Christmas cakes for about 50 years now. My grandmother ran a small neighbourhood bakery catering mainly to friends and family. Soon, my mother took over and included East Indian sweets to the menu,” she reCalls. Rosario, now 58, took over the rolling pin and has been working from her Prabhadevi home kitchen since 1999.The seasonal cake of the Rosario family has been the Christmas rum fruit cake which is a 70-year-old family recipe.

Rum-soaked fruit cake

“The candied mixed peel, cashew nuts, plums, dry fruits and nuts are soaked in pure rum for a minimum of 15 days, allowing the flavours to mature and deepen, before the cake is baked and then topped with an optional layer of rich marzipan,” she explains. Each cake is baked to order, with ingredients sourced and prepared based on the delivery date. Although Rosario has seen the transition from mud pots to box ovens, and now, a cooking range oven, she still uses hand-mixing for the final knead and treasures the traditional wooden stick with a ball at the end.

Christmas treats plate

She reCalls her childhood Christmases, “I remember celebrating Christmas in our cottage with the whole family where carollers would drop by.” Despite setting a clear last order date, she is flooded with Calls and messages until Christmas Day. “It’s amusing and sad when people order at the last minute — some even reach out during midnight mass! But it’s heartwarming that they return year after year,” she smiles. 

Last Date December 10  Call 9820501655  Cost R900 
onwards (delivery across Mumbai via courier)

A family affair 

The Mascarenhas family in Orlem, Malad, has turned their love for Christmas baking into a family affair, transforming Lloyd Mascarenhas’ passion into a thriving home-baking business eight years ago. Among their bestsellers is a date and walnut cake, a treasured family recipe. “It’s a bar cake packed and garnished with tutti-frutti, chopped dates and walnuts. The honey and maple syrup glaze adds sweetness, while warm spices like nutmeg, cinnamon complement the flavours,” he shares.

Slices of date and walnut cake

Mascarenhas also whips up Goan treats like bebinca and date rolls, recipes he’s learnt from friends. He is a traditionalist, “I know the taste of my customers, and they love this menu, so I stick to it, without following trends. Finding cakes with the same taste is rare. I still remember my grandmother giving us R2 for pastries from the local bakery, which was better than most today.”

R Mascarenhas

Last Date December 14
Call 7021453356 
Cost Rs 500 onwards (delivery across Mumbai via courier)

Goan goodness

Since 1987, Josephine Fernandes has brought treasured Goan recipes to Dadar, with her signature baath taking centre stage. Made with coconut and rava, her baath is renowned for its soft, moist texture. “We use only the white flesh of coconuts that is usually sourced from our family trees in Arambol, Goa,” reveals Josephine’s daughter-in-law, Genevieve. Passed down from Josephine’s mother, the family recipe remains a cherished tradition.

A batch of Goan sannas

The batter is prepared a day in advance, resting overnight before being freshly baked just hours before delivery. “Our Goan sannas are the best in the area, made with fresh toddy from Manori,” Genevieve adds. Alongside Goan classics, Josephine also bakes a special chocolate cake adorned with Christmas-themed meringue decorations. “At 70, she never says no to an order unless absolutely necessary. She’s happiest when her regulars get their favourite sweets,” Genevieve says with pride.

Josephine  Fernandes

Last Date December 15
Call 9930964533 
Cost R1,100 (pick-up only) 

Sweet slice of history 

St Anthony’s Bakery has seen pre-Independence times, but its customers have rarely seen an empty carousel during the festive season. Located in the heart of 
Thane, the bakery is now managed by four brothers: Ajit, Nilesh, Pravin, and Dilip D’Souza. Renowned for its rich plum and Dundee cakes, orders for these festive favourites begin on December 15.

Rich plum cake

“The fruit peels and nuts are soaked in pure rum for one and a half months. Our plum cake is packed with fruits, offering a rich bitter-sweet flavour,” explains Dilip D’Souza. Developed by their mother 45 years ago, the recipe has been updated by the brothers for the ideal balance of rum-soaked fruits.

A plate of kulkuls

Their Dundee cake, made with dry fruits, semolina, and pure Amul butter, is another crowd-pleaser. The bakery also provides savoury Christmas specials like stuffed turkey and sorpotel. “We’ve introduced more seasonal sweets, snacks, and gifting hampers to meet modern demands,” 
Dilip shares.

Dilip D’Souza

Last Date Until stocks last AT St Anthony’s Bakery, Shop no 1, Anthony Annex, Kolbad, Uthalsar, Thane West.
Call 9167045526
Cost Rs 230 onwards (delivery across Mumbai via courier)

Also Check out

Banana date and walnut cake

>> Old favourite: Run by the third generation of the Ramakrishnan family, this bakery is a gem. Their egg and eggless plum cakes, alongside the banana date and walnut cake, are beloved favourites.
Last Date December 18
At Vienna Bakery, 125, Vakola Pipe Lane, behind Saint Anthony Road, Siddharath Nagar, Santacruz East. 
Call 8369459055
Cost Rs 1,100 (pick-up only)

A loaf of Battenberg cake

>> We loave it: Based in Mulund, Fay Almeida is known for her Battenberg cake, a pink-and-white ribbon cake with a marzipan-covered checkerboard loaf, as well as her fruit cake which is topped with marzipan and fondant. 
Last Date December 16 at Indulge Custom Bakes, Udyog Premises, MM Malaviya Marg, opposite Park Royale, Nahur, Mulund West. 
Call 8422993535
Cost Rs 125 onwards 

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