Birthday cakes have been around for centuries, although not as elaborate as in the past century or so. Today, there are many types of birthday cakes to suit everyone's tastes, from devil's food to ice cream cakes. The tradition of decorating the birthday cake using frosting and candles may be modified from its ancient beginnings, but is still the most common way to celebrate another of life's milestones. Add this to my Recipe Box.
History
The history of the birthday cake dates back to ancient Greeks. They had a tradition of making round honey cakes that they took back to their temple to worship Artemis, goddess of the moon, and the round cake resembled the moon. Some believed the tradition of decorated birthday cakes began in Germany in the Middle Ages, when people made a special cake for a celebration known as the Kinderfest. This cake was for young children's birthday celebrations. Later a special German cake baked in layers called Geburstagorten was designed This cake was sweeter than the usual coarse heavy cakes baked at that time. In the U.S. during Colonial times, birthdays were enjoyed by the wealthy who shared a glass of wine and a small piece of fruit cake or yeast cake. In the 1800s, due to the invention of the cast iron stove, layered cakes with frosting became the norm for many birthdays. In the nineteenth century, colored lighted candles on cakes became popular for birthdays and celebrations. In medieval England, tokens or coin were often baked inside the cake. Most decorated cakes are made to celebrate a birthday or special occasion. Before 1948, the cakes types were classified as butter or sponge.
Significance
In Western culture, the birthday cake is a pastry or dessert served to someone on their birthday. It is often decorated with a message or the person's name. Lighted candles on top of the birthday cake often represent the person's age. The person celebrating the birthday often gets the first piece of cake when it is cut. The words" Happy Birthday" did not appear written on cakes until the song was popularized in the early 1900s. In New Zealand, Happy Birthday is sung out of tune and clapping follows for each year of a person's age. Birthday cakes are often served to represent other birthdays, like a company anniversary or special commemorative occasions.
Function
Cakes became round for different reasons. Some were associated with the cycles of nature. In early days, cakes were shaped by hand into rounded balls, then baked in shallow round baking pans on hearthstones. Cake hoops that were round wood or metal molds were used in pans to shape the cake properly. In early days, cake was more like bread than cake. The first icing used was made of sugar, egg whites and flavors boiled together. The icing was poured onto the cake then put back to bake in the oven for a short time. Molded cakes and fancy icing reached their peak during the Victorian times. Icing in medieval times was often a sprinkling of sugar put on sweet and savory foods. Butter creme is another type of frosting that often uses cream and butter.
Types
There are many types of cakes that people make as birthday cakes. Angel food cake is a light fluffy cake made with many egg whites and no yeast. It requires a special round tube pan for baking. Chiffon cakes became popular in the late 1920s. It is a light cake made with salad oil instead of butter. They were promoted from 1940s to 1960s and made great birthday cakes. There are many flavors of chiffon cakes; chocolate is a popular choice. In the later nineteenth century, the devil's food cake debuted. It was a rich chocolate cake that became a popular birthday cake for kids and adults. Red devil's food cake is made with the combination of cocoa and baking soda to give it the red color. Opera cakes are cakes layered with nuts and liquor that lead to many variations of birthday cakes. The earliest ice cream cakes were only enjoyed by the wealthy, but today they come in many flavors and shapes for everyone to enjoy.
Features
One of the most prominent features of decorated birthday cakes is the frosting and decorations on the cake. Frosting can be traced to ancient times when sugar paste and marzipan (a paste made of almonds and sugar) were used as frosting. Icing in early times was a sprinkling of sugar on cakes and even other dishes. Butter creme frosting has butter and does not require use of eggs or cooking. It is popular because of how rich it is. Royal icing is the type used for birthday cakes that hardens and will preserve the cake for a long time. The ingredients used in the frosting often distinguishes the composition of the frosting and flavor. Candles were put on birthday cakes to make them glow like the moon. This goes back to the Greek tradition of making round cakes to worship the goddess of the moon. Many cultures believe that smoke carries messages heavenward. Candles were put on cakes because people believed the smoke from the candles carried the wishes and prayers of the birthday person to the gods. Today, people still make wishes before blowing out the candles.
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