Students bake the cakes as part of UG’s four-year Food, Literature and Culture programme

First year students of FYUGP Food, Literature and Culture at Govt Arts College, Thiruvananthapuram with their supervisor Chribuna Viswas PS | Photo credit: Special arrangement

Christmas is still more than a month away, but students at Government Arts College in the city have already started trying their hand at baking cakes. Students in the Department of English’s Food, Literature and Culture as part of a four-year undergraduate program (FYUGP) baked cakes as part of their practicum, an innovative part of the undergraduate curriculum.

This activity replaced conventional written assignments with a creative, experiential approach and combined culinary practice and cultural learning, offering students an engaging opportunity to explore the relationship between food, literature and culture beyond the classroom. The assignment challenged students to select a cake recipe from the famous baking tome, The Cake Bible by Rose Levy Beranbaum, and bring it to life through their culinary skills.

The initiative also seeks to cultivate patience, perseverance and resilience among Gen Z, says Chribuna Viswas PS, Head of the Department of English. The painstaking process of baking—from preparing multiple layers and mastering complex techniques to slowly baking cakes to perfection—requires precision, discipline and time. Through this hands-on experience, students will gain first-hand experience of the challenges of baking and learn to appreciate the effort that goes into each creation.

Valuable lessons

The exercise thus goes beyond culinary practice, offering valuable lessons in patience, problem-solving and rewards for sustained effort, while allowing students to share their experiences and recognize the often-overlooked complexities of the craft,” he said. The cake festival was coordinated by Anagha SA from the Department of Commerce.

Students chose from an enticing range of recipes, each offering an opportunity to explore different flavours, textures and baking techniques.

Published – 01 Nov 2026 06:30 IST