Last Updated on March 20, 2024 by Share My Kitchen
For centuries, people have enjoyed cakes at special events and occasions. However, there is more to these tasty treats than you might realize! These are eight fun facts about cakes, including anything from how the original cakes looked and where the history of tiered cakes originated.
1. What did the first cake look like?
The earliest forms of cake were flat, compact discs made of dried and pressed grains. It wasn’t until the 18th century that cakes resembling the ones you love today first appeared. Before that, cakes were made with yeast, closer to bread than cakes.
2. When did Christmas cake originate?
The Christmas cake is a relatively new addition to the festive dessert table. This fruity, iced Christmas cake you now eat had replaced the traditional “Twelfth Cake” from the late 19th century, consumed at the Epiphany feast when the Christmas season came close.
3. History of the Fruit cake
The older a fruit cake gets, the better the flavor is. In fact, Roman crusaders ate these fruit cakes to keep them fuller and more energetic. Later, they were filled with fruit soaked in rum or brandy to preserve them longer. This is one of the reasons why fruitcake is a traditional wedding cake choice since it lasted well even when refrigeration was not an option. Actually, to dream about the person they were going to marry, girls would put a piece of fruitcake under their pillows!
4. When was the first tiered wedding cake made?
In 1858, Queen Victoria’s oldest daughter (also named Victoria) was presented with the first tiered wedding cake. Queen Victoria’s own wedding cake measured three yards wide and weighed in at 300 lbs. However, it only had one tier. Her wedding cake was also the first to be made with pure white frosting. Hence why it is now called royal icing.
5. How much does the United Kingdom spend on care each year?
People spend more than £368 million annually on cakes in the UK. And the world’s population consumes between 50 to 100 million birthday cakes each day.
6. What is the most popular cake flavor?
For most people, chocolate is the best flavor when it comes to birthday cakes. But, vanilla is a close second. Although German chocolate cake is a well-known dessert worldwide, it wasn’t made in Germany. It was actually created by Samuel German, an American who invented dark baking chocolate in 1852. More than 100 years after its creation, in 1957, it was first used in a recipe called German’s Chocolate Cake.
7. Most number of candles on a cake
In 2016, Ashrita Furman and Sri Chinmoy Centre in New York set the world record for most candles in a birthday cake when they lit 72,585 candles. This cake was made to commemorate the 85th birthday of Sri Chinmoy, a meditation teacher, and 100 members of the center worked together to create the world record.
8. Origin of the Birthday Cake
Birthday cakes were becoming more popular in celebrations around the 17th century and looked more like the cakes you enjoy today. However, the ingredients for these decadent treats were extremely expensive, like sugar, so only the wealthy could afford them. It was not until the 18th century when the prices of ingredients started to fall, and many more people could enjoy them.
It doesn’t matter what shape, size, or flavor of cake you choose for your celebration, you just won’t get enough of this delicious dessert. There are many choices when it comes choosing a mouth-watering and visually appealing cake to delight your guests, from cupcakes and cake pops to big tiered cakes.
