Cake

For other uses, see Cake (disambiguation).

A cake is a form of food, usually sweet, often baked. Cakes normally combine some kind of flour, a sweetening agent (commonly sugar), a binding agent (generally egg, though gluten or starch are often used by vegetarians and vegans), shortening (usually butter or margarine, although a fruit puree can be substituted to avoid fats), a liquid (milk, water or fruit juice), flavours and some form of leavening agent (such as yeast or baking powder).

Cake is often the dessert of choice for meals at ceremonial occasions, particularly weddings or birthday parties. In some traditions the bride and bridegroom are the first to eat their wedding cake, often serving each other a piece in their fingers. For birthdays, a frosted (iced) cake, often with inscriptions in frosting and figural decorations, is covered with candles, which are blown out after the celebrant makes a wish.

Cakes have a long history. They have been around since ancient times, but early cakes were different from what we eat today. They were hard and often sweetened with honey, and often included nuts and dried fruits. Medieval bakers made fruitcakes and gingerbread.

The precursor of modern cakes were developed in Europe in the mid-17th century. This was due mainly to advances in technology, such as reliable ovens and cake hoops. Refined sugar was also available. Many of these cakes still contained dried fruits.

In the mid-19th century, modern cakes were developed. Refined white flour and baking powder made this development possible. A recipe for layer cake first appeared in The Cassell's New Universal Cookery Book in London, in the year 1894.

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Techniques

Cakes can be made using several different basic techniques:

Creaming method - butter and sugar are creamed together before the rest of the ingredients are gradually added.
Melt-and-mix - dry ingredients are mixed together and then melted butter and other liquids are added to complete the cake.
Rubbing method - butter is rubbed into the dry ingredients before the liquid is added.
'All-in-together' - the dry ingredients and shortening are placed in the food processer and liquid is gradually added.
Sponge-making - eggs and sugar are whipped to a froth and flour is carefully mixed in. No raising agent or fat is used in this method and it takes great skill to make a light sponge.

A finished cake is often enhanced by frosting (icing) and/or toppings such as sprinkles.

Image:Birthday cake.jpg

Birthday Cake

Delia Smith's ingredients for a simple cake are 6:6:6:3, i.e. six ounces of butter, sugar and flour and three eggs. To make it into a chocolate cake add a heaped cereal-spoon of cocoa. Six ounces is 170 grams.

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Varieties

Image:Chocolate cake.jpg

Chocolate cake.

Image:Salee au sucre.jpg

Cream tart

Different varieties of cake include:

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