Cake is a dessert everyone loves to eat, because it's both delicious and beautiful, and it's one of the first sweets that comes to mind. Let's explore the story and history of cake.
The Story and History of Cake
Everyone loves cake because it's tasty and sweet, and there are so many kinds to choose from. Cake is easy to find, and you can even make it at home, since it doesn't need many ingredients. Cake is popular with people of all ages, from children to the elderly. Even people on a diet or avoiding sweets tend to give in when they see a cake, because its delicious flavour and beauty make so many people fall in love with it.
The word "cake" comes from the Viking word "kaka". In the Viking language this was a sweet food made mainly from flour and sugar, with other ingredients such as eggs, butter, cheese and milk depending on the flavour or type of cake. Cakes with fruit or various grains could also be made into different flavours.
Cake is said to have been discovered around the 13th century, with evidence of cake baking by the ancient Egyptians; the cakes found were fruit cakes and gingerbread. Round cakes are said to have appeared around the mid-17th century, when ovens and cake moulds were being developed, and they were still fruit-flavoured. Europeans mostly ate cake with wine or tea. Europe and North America were the centres of cake culture. Most people made cakes as offerings to God, and cake was also an important food for the family. Today cake is used for all kinds of important occasions.
Cake in Thailand
Thais, especially in Bangkok, became more familiar with baking after World War II ended. Thailand became known to many countries and traded more with the outside world, and more foreigners came to the country. Hotels needed to produce food for foreign guests, so they began baking bread, cakes and other treats to serve customers from abroad who were not yet used to Thai food.
Cake for Special Occasions
Cake isn't just a dessert or a snack. It's used for ceremonies and special occasions, such as seminars and conferences, weddings, birthdays and parties, which is why cake has become ever more widely known.
Types of Cake
Cakes come in many types depending on the ingredients, and can be adapted into countless flavours and styles. Some examples everyone should know are butter cake, foam cake, chiffon cake, angel food cake and cheesecake. Each type has its own method and ingredients depending on the recipe, but the essential ingredients every cake needs are flour, milk and eggs. These are the first ingredients to prepare when making a cake.
