27 Aug 2020

Fair Trade Twin Towns, Puducherry and Auroville, bake Gratitude Cakes for Frontline Workers

In the midst of Covid-19, citizens and businesses have come together to bake cakes with Fairtrade ingredients to thank frontline workers

Cooking can be a way to travel from home, connect with our friends and family, and show gratitude to our broader community. It can be a source of comfort in times of uncertainty.

During August, we have been sharing recipes from Fairtrade offices around the world - a way to travel from our own kitchens. We would like to now celebrate a story from two fair trade twin towns in India: Puducherry and Auroville. For the past months, their citizens and businesses have come together to bake cakes for frontline workers in the midst of Covid-19.

Kids and grownups across both towns have been baking Fairtrade chocolate cupcakes for frontline workers

“It was amazing to see the enthusiasm and the willingness of the citizens and local businesses to participate in this movement of baking Fairtrade gratitude cupcakes. It was also a way of creating awareness among the citizens of Pondicherry and introduce them to Fairtrade Cocoa and the importance of a fair and sustainable livelihood creation for the farmers. “ says Anjali Schiavina, who is leading the Fair Trade Towns movement in India.

Initiated by the members of the steering committee in both towns, so far the cakes have reached the doctors and nurses at eight primary health centres and hospitals, two municipalities, the workers at Swachh Bharat and the policemen of the town. “Acts of kindness are known to be infectious and motivating and just so happened with these cakes. The act that started from Auroville gained momentum in Puducherry and they grew from 400 to 5020 cakes over a week.” adds Anjali.

Gratitude cakes distributed at Ayushman Bharat

Local restaurants and bakeries such as Baker’s Street, iPondy, Palais de Mahe, Villa Shanti, Smackalicious, and Meraki also decided to join in by baking the gratitude cakes.

In addition, children of both towns joined in by making handmade ‘Thank You’ cards, a sweet touch involving the next generation.

Kids prepare thank you notes to be distributed alongside the cakes

For more photos and videos, please visit https://www.instagram.com/fairtradetwintowns/
Would you also like to learn bake the gratitude cakes? Find the recipe below!

Fairtrade Gratitude Cakes

Ingredients:

1 and 1/3 cups of all-purpose flour
1/2 cup of fairtrade cocoa powder
3/4 tea spoons of baking soda
1/2 cup of butter
1 cup of sugar
1 Large eggs
1 tea spoon of vanilla essence
1/2 cup of milk
1/2 cup of hot water

Instructions:

Step 1: Mix together the dry ingredients: the all-purpose flour, cocoa powder and baking soda
Step 2: Mix separately the butter, sugar and eggs. Whisk until you have a little foam Work up a
Step 3: add the vanilla essence to this mix
Step 4: Add the mix to the dry ingredients, slowly
Step 5: Add the milk and hot water to the batter. Mix.
Step 6: Butter or grease a cake tray to use as a mould.
Step 7: Pre heat the oven to 180 C for 10 mins
Step 8: Bake for 10 to 12 minutes
Step 9: Decorate the cakes if you want, or add a little note when giving them away

Fair trade twin town Gratitude Cakes ready to be distributed

The activities were funded with the assistance of the European Union under the Switch-Asia project