History of Cakes

Cakes are made from various combinations of refined flour, some form of shortening, sweetening, eggs, milk, leavening agent, and flavoring. There are literally thousands of cakes recipes (some are bread-like and some rich and elaborate) and many are centuries old. Cake making is no longer a complicated procedure. Baking utensils and directions have been so perfected and simplified that even the amateur cook may easily become and expert baker. There are five basic types of cake, depending on the substance used for leavening. The most primitive peoples in the world began making cakes shortly after they discovered flour. In medieval England, the cakes that were described in writings were not cakes in the conventional sense. They were described as flour-based sweet foods as opposed to the description of breads, which were just flour-based foods without sweetening. Bread and cake were somewhat interchangeable words with the term "cake" being used for smaller breads. The earliest examples were found among the remains of Neolithic villages where archaeologists discovered simple cakes made from crushed grains, moistened, compacted and probably cooked on a hot stone. Today's version of this early cake would be oatcakes, though now we think of them more as a biscuit or cookie. Cakes were called "plakous" by the Greeks, from the word for "flat." These cakes were usually combinations of nuts and honey. They also had a cake called "satura," which was a flat heavy cake. During the Roman period, the name for cake (derived from the Greek term) became "placenta." They were also called "libum" by the Romans, and were primarily used as an offering to their gods. Placenta was more like a cheesecake, baked on a pastry base, or sometimes inside a pastry case. The terms "bread" and "cake" became interchangeable as years went by. The words themselves are of Anglo Saxon origin, and it's probable that the term cake was used for the smaller breads. Cakes were usually baked for special occasions because they were made with the finest and most expensive ingredients available to the cook. The wealthier you were, the more likely you might consume cake on a more frequent basis. By the middle of the 18th century, yeast had fallen into disuse as a raising agent for cakes in favor of beaten eggs. Once as much air as possible had been beaten in, the mixture would be poured into molds, often very elaborate creations, but sometimes as simple as two tin hoops, set on parchment paper on a cookie sheet. It is from these cake hoops that our modern cake pans developed. Cakes were considered a symbol of well being by early American cooks on the east coast, with each region of the country having their own favorites.

List of cakes
Name Angel food cake Image Origin United States Major ingredients Vanilla, and cream of tartar

Apple cake Aranygaluska

Unknown, probably Italy Hungary or Romania

Apple Yeasty dough; Vanilla Custard Almond, and raspberry jam Banana, sometimes nuts and chocolate Marzipan and apricot jam Varies Bananas, toffee, biscuits Coconut milk, clarified butter, sugar, and flour Almond, Honey, Custard Cream Varies, usually chocolate or sponge

Bakewell Tart

United Kingdom

Banana Cake/Bread

United states

Battenberg cake

United Kingdom

Baumkuchen Banoffee pie

Germany United Kingdom

Bebinca

India

Bienenstich (Bee Sting)

Germany

Birthday cake

Unknown

Black Forest cake

Germany

Buccellato

Sicily

Cherries, Kirsch, and chocolate Honey, marsala, aniseed, and raisins Varies, often chocolate Butter Varies

Bundt cake

United States

Butter cake Butterfly cake

United Kingdom United Kingdom

Carrot cake

Unknown, possibly United Kingdom Probably United Kingdom Unknown United Kingdom

Carrots

Cheesecake Chocolate cake Christmas cake

Cream cheese Chocolate Dried fruit, cinnamon, treacle, cherries, and almond Vegetable oil Cinnamon

Chiffon cake

United States

Coffee cake

Germany

Croquembouche

France

Caramel, almond, and chocolate

Cupcake

Unknown

Varies

Date and walnut loaf

United Kingdom

Dates, walnuts, treacle, and tea Almonds, hazelnut, and chocolate Made without milk, sugar, butter, or eggs Chocolate and/or cocoa, and baking soda Spongecake layered with chocolate buttercream and topped with thin caramel slices Currants chocolate buttercream, sponge cake Varies Dried fruit, peel, oats

Dacquoise

France

Depression cake

United States

Devil's food cake

United States

Dobos cake

Hungary

Eccles cake Esterhazy torte

United Kingdom Hungary, Austria

Fairy cake Fat Rascal

Unknown United Kingdom

Flourless chocolate cake

Unknown

Chocolate

French Fancy

United Kingdom

Fondant, cream

Fruitcake Frog cake

Probably United Kingdom Australia

Candied fruit Cream, icing

Gnoise Cake Gingerbread

Probably Genoa Probably United Kingdom

Whole egg Ginger

Gooey butter cake Whoopie pies Hot milk cake Ice cream cake Jaffa cakes Kendal Mint Cake Kladdkaka

United States Probably United States Probably United States Unknown United Kingdom United Kingdom Sweden

Butter Cocoa, vanilla Milk, and mocha Ice cream Orange juice Peppermint Chocolate

Kouign-amann

Brittany, France

Butter

Lamington

Australia

Lemon cake Madeira cake Mantecada

Unknown United Kingdom Northern Spain

chocolate icing, and desiccated coconut Lemon Butter, sugar Eggs, flour, sugar and butter (cow fat in the Mantecadas de Astorga;

Marble cake

Probably Germany

Melktert (Milk tart)

South Africa

Mooncake

China

Muffin Opera cake

Unknown France

corn flour in Colombia) Mixture of flavours including vanilla, coffee, and/or chocolate High volume of milk, with flour, sugar and eggs. Lotus seed paste, and salted duck egg Varies Ganache, sponge cake, and coffee syrup Oranges, polenta Raisins, orange peel, and lemon peel Treacle, oats Egg white, and sugar (meringue) Butter cream

Orange and polenta cake Panettone

Unknown Italy

Parkin Pavlova

United Kingdom New Zealand/Australia

Petits fours

France

Pineapple Upside Down Cake Pontefract Cakes Pound cake

United Kingdom United Kingdom United Kingdom

Pineapple Liquorice Butter, sugar

Pumpkin bread

United States

Prinsesstrta

Sweden

Prinzregententorte

Germany

Punschkrapfen

Austria

Queen Elisabeth cake Red bean cake

Unknown Japan

Red velvet cake

United States

Rum cake Ruske Kape Sachertorte Salzburger Nockerl

Caribbean Bosnia and Serbia Austria Austria

Pumpkin, sometimes chocolate Alternating layers of sponge cake and whipped cream, a layer of berry jam and a layer of custard, all topped with a layer of (green) marzipan. sponge cake, buttercream, dark chocolate glaze Cake crumbs, nougat chocolate, apricot jam, and rum Coconut, dates Azuki bean, and red bean paste red colouring, and cocoa Rum, dried fruit Chocolate, and coconut Apricot, and cream egg yolk, flour, and milk Caramel, and

St. Honor Cake

France

Simnel cake

United Kingdom

Souffl

France

Spice cake

United States

Chiboust cream Marzipan, and dried fruit Cream sauce or pure with beaten egg whites. Predominant flavorings include spices such as cinnamon, cloves, allspice, ginger and/or mace

Sponge cake Stack cake Streuselkuchen

United Kingdom United States Germany Varies Streusel (butter, flour, sugar) Sultanas and glace cherries Flaky pastry Jam

Sultana and cherry cake Suncake Swiss roll

United Kingdom

Tarte Tatin Tea loaf Tiramisu

Taiwan United Kingdom, not Switzerland as the name implies France United Kingdom Italy

Apple Currants, sultanas, tea Savoiardi, and espresso Currants, and sultanas Hazelnuts Chocolate, marzipan

Teacake Torta Tre Monti Tunis Cake

United Kingdom San Marino

Tompouce

Netherlands

Cream, icing Evaporated milk, condensed milk, and heavy cream or sour cream Varies Vanilla Varies

Tres Leches Cake

Costa Rica, Mexico or Nicaragua

Upside-down cake Vanilla slice Wedding cake

United Kingdom France Unknown

Welsh cake

United Kingdom (Wales)

Currants