Cake is a sweet, light, and tender baked food. Skilled bakers can create cakes with complex structures and delicate textures. Cakes are often covered with frosting (also called icing) or glaze and decorated. They can be baked into a variety of shapes, including miniature cakes called cupcakes. People often serve decorated cakes to celebrate festive occasions. Such occasions include birthdays, weddings, graduations, and holidays.
Types.
Cakes typically contain wheat flour, eggs, sugar, and butter. Other fats are sometimes used. They include shortening or oil. A leavening agent, such as baking soda or baking powder, gives cakes an airy texture. Vanilla, chocolate, fruits, and nuts lend cakes distinctive flavors. Angel food cake is an airy cake leavened with whipped egg whites. It typically has no fat. Devil’s food cake is made with cocoa powder. The cocoa reacts with baking soda to give a reddish color. Traditional pound cake contains 1 pound (0.45 kilogram) each of butter or shortening, sugar, eggs, and flour. Chiffon cake is made with vegetable oil.
History.
Early cakes were a variation on bread. They were sweetened with honey and contained fruits and nuts. Ancient Roman bakers added eggs and butter. European bakers in the Middle Ages (A.D. 400’s through the 1400’s) made fruitcakes and gingerbread that lasted for months.
During the 1600’s, European bakers made ring-shaped cakes baked in hoops. The cakes were thought to symbolize the sun and moon. During the mid-1800’s, after baking soda and baking powder were introduced, cakes became lighter and more similar to modern cakes. After World War II (1939-1945), boxed cake mixes became widely available.
