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Cakes began in
ancient Egypt as
round, flat,
unleavened breads that
were cooked on a hot stone. Their evolution from crude cakes to what
we enjoy today was possible, over many centuries, through the introduction of
new ingredients and technology. The Egyptian's discovery and
subsequent skill at using natural yeast helped leaven those once flat cakes. When butter and eggs made their way into the cake dough, their consistency
became the precursor for today's cakes.
Cake making continued to improve especially with the new ingredients such as
chocolate and vanilla, and eventually sugar, that came to Europe with the
discovery of the New World.
By the 18th century cakes were beginning to
be made without yeast. Some yeast risen cakes survived, such as the
Alsatian Kugelhopf, but the new cakes got their lightness from beaten eggs. But not only did some recipes call for an astounding number of eggs (upwards of
30) but they required long hours of beating. Unfortunately, this
went on until technology caught up with the invention of baking soda (1840s)
followed closely by baking powder (1860s).The quality of baked
goods would continue to improve over time as
ingredients became more refined and of a consistent quality. .......
Continued below
Many centuries would pass from the baking of
a cake on a hot stone to baking in a hot electric/gas oven. One step along
the way to the modern oven was the placement of an oven (box) inside the
fireplace that sometimes had a door. Obviously it was quite an art to
control the temperature and items were placed in the oven according to their
baking times. Even the early replicas of modern ovens we have today did
not have temperature controls. Some women as late as the early 1900s were
still measuring an oven's temperature by sticking a piece of paper into the oven
and waiting to see how long it took to brown. Or worse yet, they stuck
their hand in the hot oven judging the temperature by how long they could leave
their hand in the oven.
The lines between a bread and a cake
were once almost indistinguishable. The main difference was their shape
and that cakes had a sweetener, usually honey. But over time their
differences grew to the point where bread remains a staple food and cakes are
now considered desserts .........More on Cake Making
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