When we broach the issue of cake , we start out getting into passionate territory . People define important moment in life-time , like birthdays , weddingsand holidays , with cake . And specific cake variety , like cheesecake , chocolatecake , angel food bar andfruitcakeinspire secure feelings , of like and dislike .
Whether you like yourcakewith frosting or without , chances are that you have a helplessness for some form of this baked confection . Who do we have to thank for this traditional dessert ? No one really knows . Baking is an interesting craftiness , and the process of add together a bit of this and a pinch of that leads to unexpected and sometimes exciting event .
From Bread to Cake
intellectual nourishment historians see new developments in baking over the century as a series of methods overlapping and morphing from one thing into another as new estimate and ingredient become available or democratic . It ’s gruelling to make up one’s mind at what point a flat , unleavenedbreadbecame a sweet yeast bread . One could even contend that , given the available baking proficiency and ingredients of a particular menses , certain discoveries were just a matter of fourth dimension regardless of who was wear the oven mitt on the fateful day .
We do know that the ancient Egyptians were near bakers who made honey - edulcorate dessert lucre and that cake started as a modified bread merchandise . In fact , there was no distinction between bread and cake for quite a while , although fancy sweetened shekels were made with a kind of grains and added ingredients , like dried fruits , seeds andwine , and were specifically served as sweet treats . These former cakes were categorical and dumb , a parched dessert that was very unlike from what we associate with the term patty today .
A Leaven in the Lump
Cake as we know it has a soft and fond consistency . These are n’t terms of endearment but descriptions of the nature of the patty itself , a low - gluten product that ’s much softer than bread and spongelike than a biscuit . To achieve this , the wampum has to be uniformly lightened by the presence of many little bubble . This lightening of the cabbage by adding air is achieved through the enjoyment of a leaven .
The Romans plausibly hone the pattern of adding yeast as a leavening agent to bar , and later the Italians in the sixteenth C developed the nontextual matter of leavening without yeast by adding whipped egg to dinge . Both methods create a loose cake but were time - consuming and could be tricky . By the mid-1800s , the introduction of bicarbonate of pop andbaking powdermade it gentle to broil an airy cake quickly and consistently [ rootage : Davidson ] .
Supply and need play a part in the genesis of the modern bar , too . The availability of flour , egg , sugar , spice and adipose tissue were significant in the growth of cake devising , as was the addition of a dessert track to mealtime , the tasty spot in a multi - course meal where a clean , creamy cake could take center microscope stage .
The launching of new ingredients , changes in attitudes toward mealtime , geography and thriftiness all contributed to the ontogeny of the cake as a democratic sweet . Although broil a bar often score an of import event , there is no exclusive defining case in the history this old standby . If you ’re a cake lover , you ’re probably much more concerned with pick and frost than history , so snaffle some milk and cut a big slice . Cake is one of the most popular American desserts , so you ’ll be in secure company .
First Cake FAQ
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