“Let Them Eat Cake”: A History

Oh chocolate cake, a celebrator of life, a catalyst of parties and an irresistible temptation. Chocolate cake in our family has not only been a way to celebrate birthdays, but also a way to bribe other family members (you find out early in this family). The ooey gooey cakes are enjoyed in all varieties. It makes one think who and where the first cake entered a home.

First, before we have a short history of chocolate cake, the origin of cake itself must of course be treaded upon. The word “cake” actually has Viking origins. Cake back in the day (at least all the way back to frontier times) was like any other bread, it was just sweetened in addition to everything else.

The history of cakes goes a long way back. In remains of Swiss villages were crude cakes compacted on hot stones. Ancient Egypt had the first true skills at baking and there was some evidence of sweetening with the ingredient hone. The Greeks invented cheesecake along the way and the Romans were famous for creating the holiday favorite fruit cake.

In the mid 17th century cake hoops and pans were introduced. Cake was usually eaten with tea or wine at first. The French in the mid 19th century added a sweet course at the end of their meal. In the 19th century, cake baking became easier by the introduction of baking powder and baking soda. Leavening agents abounded. Also there was the delight of the invention of the temperature controlled ovens.

Now as you can see, cake has been available in many countries and to vast amounts of people, but none can hold a candle to the chocolate cake. The invention of chocolate cake was actually begun as a catalyst for eating chocolate in 1674.

Chocolate cake was a turning point in the history of cake. It is probably one of the most widely eaten flavors of cake today. From German Chocolate cake, to lava cake, to many others, it has been enjoyed many countries around. Not to mention that chocolate itself has been known to have uplifting qualities, and benefits that other flavors do not.

It is known that dishes which have been around for long periods of time are the best ones. That’s because time has given the gift of evolution. Chocolate cake of the 17^th century has given way to the chocolate cakes of today which through time and effort, many incredible chefs have made it a world class treat. May many more years make it become ten times more incredible. Then suddenly it won’t be about gifts at birthday parties, but who made the cake.

” Traditional, Ooey Gooey Chocolate Cake”*

Ingredients: 1 and 1/8 cup of all-purpose flour, 1 and 1/8 cup of whole wheat flour, a frosting of your choice, ¾ and 1/3 cup of sugar, ¾ and 1/3 cup of Splenda, 2 eggs, ¼ tsp of baking powder, ¾ cup of margarine softened, 1 tsp of vanilla, 2/3 cup of unsweetened baking cocoa, 1 tsp of salt, 1 and ¼ cups of water, and 1 and ¼ tsp of baking soda.

1) Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease the bottom and sides of 3 8 inch round pans with shortening, and lightly flour.

2) in a bowl, beat all the ingredients except the frosting with an electric mixer on low speed for 30 seconds, scraping the bowl constantly. Beat on high speed for 3 minutes, scraping the bowl also. Pour into the pans.

3) Bake for 30 to 35 minutes. Cool for 10 minutes and then remove from pans to wire racks to cool. Cool completely (usually about an hour).

4) Frost each layer with frosting, put them together and then frost all over the top and sides.

5) Enjoy the delicious evolution of cake.

* Base of recipe from Betty Crocker and then I molded it from there.

Note: Sources for this article are www.grandchocolatier.com and www.foodmuseum.com