Coo Coo for Cocoa

Cake

Where would we be without cake? There are other elements to celebrations besides cake, like friends and loved ones gathered around and usually gifts of some sort. But when did cake become integrated into our celebrations?

The History of Cake

Cake as we know it (as a dessert) only dates back to the 19th century. At first, it was served with sweet wine (like madeira cake). Then big, beautiful cakes were made for banquet displays, but those were hardly ever eaten. (Why not?!) But in the middle of the 19th century, meals were served in a similar fashion as restaurants serve today. However, this was only a luxury for the rich. This type of meal service is where desserts like cake originated. It's also where edible decorated cakes became popular.

Through the years, advancements in baking have made cake much, much easier to make, and now you can find literally thousands of cake recipes in cookbooks and on the Internet. And different countries and regions have different favorites. For example, King Cake is a New Orleans tradition around Mardi Gras time. And German chocolate cake is an American favorite--it did not originate in Germany as you might think. It actually came from a housewife in Dallas, Texas. (That story is on a different page of this site.) Speaking of Texas, have you ever heard of Texas sheet cake? You have now!

Nowadays, you can make cake easily from scratch or from a mix. Some people even "doctor up" cake mixes to make their own unique recipes. Frosting types vary depending on what kind of cake is being made and what the occasion is for the cake. Wedding cakes are traditionally white cakes with a buttercream frosting, but now you can get them in any flavor. Birthday cakes can have buttercream frosting or whipped cream frosting, and of course specialty cakes like German chocolate cake or carrot cake have their own unique frosting. It's not unusual to see a ganache frosting on a chocolate cake either.

We're lucky to be living in a time where so many delicious cake options exist. Just don't eat too much cake!