Cake is a dessert that almost everyone has enjoyed at some point in their life. As a child, receiving a piece of chocolate cake from parents was more like a gift from the gods. Cake recipes have changed quite a bit over time, but the pleasure they give has remained the same over the years. Some might say that making a great cake is all about having a great cake recipe, however it’s also important to understand the history and where the cake actually came from. The story doesn’t taste as good as a freshly baked chocolate cake, but it’s still very interesting to find out where cake recipes actually come from.
The actual word for cake dates back many centuries, to the year 1200, when European bakers mixed fruit and bread together. These “cakes” could remain intact for several months, thus providing food for the people that could be saved without the need for any modern refrigeration. It was not until much later in the 17th century that the more modern form of cake emerged.
Still in Europe, technological advances made it possible to produce the first cake with icing. This happened when the key ingredient of sugar became more and more refined. Also, ovens became more reliable, giving bakers more control over what they were actually doing. The frosting itself was created using sugar and egg whites that were poured over the cake as it baked. Once removed from the oven, it would quickly harden, giving the appearance of what we know today as a frosting or frosting.
At the time, bread and cake recipes were still used almost interchangeably, as early cakes were more simply flour-based sweets. On the other hand, the bread was also made from flour, but it lacked the sweetening element of the cake. The ancients often baked this sweetened flour on a hot stone. In the modern world this could take form more in the form of what we call a biscuit or even a cracker.
Even so, many years ago, the first cakes began to take shape. The cakes themselves were often baked for special occasions, as the ingredients needed were much more expensive than for baking plain bread. In turn, wealthy people in society were more likely to use it frequently than poor people. This is where Marie Antoinette’s famous line of “let them eat cake” is believed to have originated, as the princess had no idea of the actual living conditions of her people.
During the 19th century, ingredients became cheaper, allowing the poor the opportunity to experience the cake at a higher price. It also gave rise to experience with new ingredients as people looked for cheaper ways to produce a cake.
In modern society, a cake recipe can be found on thousands of websites on the Internet, as well as on the box of cake mix itself. Ancient people would surely never have imagined that nowadays anyone could make a cake with simple ingredients that mostly come in a single box. It is true that cake recipes have changed for the better, and fortunately, almost everyone can enjoy them today.
