Celebrate National Cake Day
What is the one consumable that is a part of our lives and a must-have at every memorable celebratory occasion? The cake! From birthdays to weddings and from christenings and anniversaries to all sorts of festive holidays (think Easter, Christmas, Diwali etc), cakes are almost always the centrepiece of the table. So it's no wonder that this popular confectionary should have a day all to itself - and this year National Cake Day is celebrated around the world on Thursday, November 26.
The history of cake dates back to ancient times with the first cakes being very different from what we eat today. They were more bread-like and sweetened with honey and nuts and dried fruits were also often added. According to food historians, the precursors of modern cakes were first baked in Europe sometime in the mid-17th century but it was not until the middle of the 19th century that cake, as we know it today - made with refined white flour and baking powder instead of yeast and covered in icing - arrived on the scene.
“Qu’ils mangent de la brioche!” or “Let them eat cake!” Perhaps the most famous quote about cake ever, were the words of the 18th century French Queen Marie Antoinette, upon being informed that the peasants were so poor that they had no bread to eat during one of the famines that occurred in France during the reign of her husband, Louis XVI.
Needless to say, the ignorance and arrogance of that disdainful statement did not win either Marie Antoinette or her husband any respect or sympathy from their people, who then proceeded to behead both of them during the French Revolution.
However, none of this changes the fact that cake is arguably one of the most delicious things humans have ever made to eat, and its numerous varieties continue to astound and delight. Television shows like The Great British Bake Off and Cake Boss, are hugely popular and have given rise to celebrities such as Paul Hollywood, Mary Berry and Buddy Valastro.
The world's largest wedding cake weighed 6,800kgs and was made by chefs at the Mohegan Sun Hotel and Casino in Connecticut, USA, while the most expensive wedding cake ever created was the R800 million worth of wedding cake that featured more than 4000 diamonds to decorate its eight-tiers of confection.
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