What we know as cake has evolved over time. First there was bread, which not only was food, but currency as well. Crushed grains mixed with water and cooked were the first breads or cakes. Early cakes were more of a biscuit with no sweeteners or leavening.

The Ancient Egyptians were the first culture to practice advanced cooking methods. They introduced leavening (yeast or raising agent) into their breads and discovered a pleasant tasting lighter product. They began using yeast in the third millennium BC – 4000 BC.

They added honey and it is thought they made about 40 different kinds. The Egyptians were the first to mass-produce cake or bread. Using yeast they discovered how to brew a type of beer.

This is all logical given that crews of men building the pyramids needed to be fed. So came about the ‘flour mill’. Previous to this, grains were crushed with special stones.

As time has progressed and there are a range of flours and sugars available, cake baking has become an industry and art in itself, even extending to areas such as cake decorating. A multitude of ingredients have become accessible, and so has baking hardware in the form of baking utensils, tins and moulds.

We associate cake with celebration and occasion and something sweet to have when we snack or to have with a beverage.

BASIC CAKE RECIPE
1/2 c. butter
1 c. sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
2 eggs
1 1/4 c. flour
1 tsp. baking powder

Here are some cakes to sweeten up your pages. Right click and save to your machine.







Article and Images Copyright Mina Keenan