Let’s talk about cake babe!!!!

 

 A brief baking/pastry industry history lesson.......

 

What do you think of when you hear the word “cake”?….well, typically one congers up visions of moist, tender crumbs compiled into layers of sweet delectable bliss.  Rarely, do we see things from their “raw” state…..flour, sugar, butter, eggs, etc. Cake baking has evolved tremendously over time.  Europeans, Egyptians and Greeks were very instrumental in the development and growth of the baking industry.  In early Egyptian times cakes were round, flat unleavened discs of bread sweetened with honey baked on hot stones.  During that time there was one secret ingredient that helped to leaven the flat tasteless cakes along with the addition of eggs and butter. 

 

We have the Europeans to thank for the introduction of round cakes with icing.  Metal hoops were created to form cake rounds for baking purposes.  Initially, icing was a boiled combination of fine sugar, egg whites and flavorings.  It was poured on cakes and returned to the oven to form a glossy hard layer on top.  Fortunately for us we are now able to enjoy buttercream, royal and cream cheese icings to name a few.