Birthday Cake History

The birthday cake has been an integral part of the birthday tradition in Western cultures. The cake is served to a man on his or her birthday, and is often decorated with small novelty candles, with the person's name and/or a message of congratulations inscribed with icing. The phrase "Happy Birthday" did not appear on birthday cakes until the song Happy Birthday to You was popularized in the early 1900s.

Tradition holds that the man with the birthday may make a wish, which will come true if all the candles can be blown out in one breath. Us patent 6319530 relates to a "method of photocopying an image onto an edible web for decorating iced baked goods." This invention enables one to ink jet print a food-grade color photo on the cake surface.

Birthday Cakes

History of Birthday Cake can be traced back to the antique Greeks who made round or moon shaped honey cakes or bread and took it to the temple of Artemis -the Goddess of Moon. Some scholars, however, believe that the tradition of Birthday cake started in Germany in middle Ages. This extra birthday cake later reemerged in Germany as a Kinderfest or the birthday celebrations of a young child. Germans also baked another extra kind of a cake called Geburtstagorten as it was baked in layers. This was sweeter that the tasteless and bread like cake that were commonly made at that time.

In earlier times, Birthday cakes were mostly round in shape. Scholars connect religious beliefs and technical compulsions for the same. Greeks offered round shape cake to the Goddess of Moon - Artemis as it signified moon. They even located candles on the cake to make the cake glow like the moon.

Technical guess given for the roundness of the cake is that most cakes we know off developed from the bread. In antique times breads and cakes were made by hand. Typically, these were fashioned into round balls and baked on hearthstones or in low, shallow pans. Hence, these plainly relaxed into round shapes. With the advance of times baking pans of assorted shapes were developed and today we see cakes in imaginative shapes and sizes.

In medieval times people of England used to place symbolic objects like coins, rings and thimbles in the batter of the cake. It was believed that those who found coin in the cake would be wealthy while the unlucky finder of the thimble would never marry. If the cake fell while baking it was determined to be a bad omen and signified bad luck for the man in the coming year.
Thus in the midst of many superstitions and beliefs, merged the tradition of Birthday cakes which is so beloved all over the world today.

Birthday Cake History

Cheesecake - A Brief History of the Worlds Greatest Dessert

It is said that the Greeks served it to the athletes after the first Olympic Games. So, it's a good choice for your Olympic and even your Super Bowl parties. You can entertain your guests with everything that you know about the history of cheesecake and why it's appropriate for athletes.

Although the nutritional content varies, it is not unusual to see six grams of protein per slice. By comparison, a slice of Boston cream pie contains only two grams of protein per serving. If you're worried about sugar or carbohydrates, cheesecakes can be delicious without adding sugar or using flour.

Cakes Delivered

Of course, it's really difficult to make them at home, even if you're an excellent chef. It's easier and actually more economical to order one and have it delivered in time for the party.

Do you find the different varieties confusing? Here's a quick rundown. The most popular cheesecakes in America are New York style. This recipe combines heavy cream, cream cheese, eggs and egg yolks for added richness and a smooth consistency. Cottage cheese is sometimes added and lemon is often used for flavoring. True NY style has no crust. The outer edges are baked to a light golden brown, the interior is light and creamy. Only a hint of lemon is added for flavoring.

British and Australian
They don't bake or cook their cheesecake. It's made by mixing soft cheese, sugar cream and gelatin. The mixture is chilled till it sets and served cold. Sometimes, chocolate, Irish cream or raspberry is added for flavoring.

Italian
Italian style is based on the old Roman cheesecakes, which called for the use of honey, ricotta, flour and bay leaves. The modern recipes uses sugar instead of honey, omit the bay leaves and add vanilla extract for flavoring.

French
Neufchatel cheese provides the flavoring for the French style. It's appealing to some, but not to others, as the taste is stronger and vaguely reminiscent of mushrooms.

In the US, the equivalent of Neufchatel is known as "Farmer's cheese". You are likely to see some varieties, such as Pennsylvania Dutch, that list this ingredient, instead of cream cheese.

Added Flavors
Fruits, nuts and chocolate slivers are often used as toppings, as well as the more traditional sour cream topping that many of us are used to. Other flavorings, such as pumpkin and spice can be added to the cake itself.

Cheesecake - A Brief History of the Worlds Greatest Dessert

You can get crust or no crust varieties. It's a very flexible dessert that can be tailored to suit anyone's taste buds. One popular choice, particularly for parties, is the "sampler" cake. At http://www.cheesecakedelivered.com, for example, you can order a sampler with two slices of nine differently flavored cheesecakes. What more could anyone ask for?

This article was written by Ted Goldberg- Owner of CheesecakeDelivered.Com

This article may not be reproduced, copied or changed in any way without the written consent of the author.