Dubai: Iced cakes, cookies and visions of gingerbread houses cram the stores and bakeries of the UAE as tis the season to be jolly.
Sharjah-based Sugarbox is amongst these stores. Having specialised in baked desserts, they have a Christmas collection.
Shaikha Mai Al Qasimi, the store owner, told Gulf News: "We have regular and special three dimensional cupcakes and cookies — all with Christmas decorations and sprinkles. We're also going to add small Christmas cakes for customers, too."
They have cupcakes with snowmen, Santa hats, candy canes, Christmas trees and stockings made from icing.
Another store catering to people's sweet tooth is Kitsch Cupcakes in Dubai.
Dalia Dogmoch, co-founder and chief baker, said: "This year we decided to add a wider selection of special Christmas bakes like the gingerbread house, bags of Christmas cookies, which include cinnamon stars and vanilla kipferl cookies and our special gingerbread cupcake."
The spirit of the season is also in full swing at Mister Baker, a chain of bakeries across the UAE that sell cakes and a variety of other baked items.
Julian Thilak, general manager, said: "Our Christmas cakes are specially designed and decorated based on current trends and customer feedback. Some of the cakes available are in the shape of a Christmas tree, Santa hat and even a snowman.
"We [can] also make Christmas cakes as per individual designs and special images can be re-created on such cakes."
The traditional plum cake, Yule logs, chocolates and pies are also available. There are also stores offering more traditional and equally popular fare.
Andrew Joyce, culinary director at Lafayette Gourmet in Dubai, told Gulf News: "We have a Christmas menu and customers can either purchase individual portions or the full Christmas cake."
A walk-in customer could purchase Yule logs, cookies, Christmas cakes, puddings and mince pies. "The pies are extremely popular amongst our customers," said Joyce.
Wide variety
Traditional Christmas desserts are also available at the café Brunetti.
Richard Mathias, operations manager, said: "We have a wide variety of cakes for Christmas and the traditional plum cake is always available." The desserts on offer include panettone (sweet bread loaf), pandoro (sweet yeast bread), stollen, plum pudding and cake, log cake, and mince pies.
Others are high cake, gingerbread cookies and houses, a Christmas tree (a combination of dark chocolate and roasted almonds) and also a chocolate Santa.
Mathias said: "The gingerbread house is the most popular purchase."
