About Birthday Cakes

What is Birthday Cake

The birthday cake has been an integral part of the birthday tradition in Western cultures since the 19th century. The original birthday cakes used to be similar to bread. They were sweetened with honey and enhanced with nuts and dry fruits.

The cake is served to a person on his or her birthday, and is often decorated with small candles, with the person's name and congratulations inscribed with frosting. First icing that was used in cakes was usually a boiled composition of finest available sugar, egg whites and flavors. Then icing used to be poured on the cake and then the cake was put back into the oven for a while. The phrase "Happy Birthday" did not appear on birthday cakes until the song “Happy Birthday to You” was popularized in the early 1900s.

Birthday cakes are usually bedecked with person’s name and carry a message of congratulations. The quantity of candles is equal to the number of years the birthday girl or boy has lived. There is also a good tradition to place one extra candle on the cake to bring a person good luck. Birthday cakes are usually porous and chocolate is considered to be the the most popular flavor in it. Taste and appearance of the cake was enhanced with extra-refined white flour and the use of baking powder instead of yeast.

A Short Historic Overview

The history of the birthday cake can be traced back to the ancient Greeks who made round or moon-shaped honey cakes or bread and took it to the temple of Artemis--the Goddess of Moon. Some scientists, however, suppose that the tradition of the birthday cake started in Germany in Middle Ages. Sweetened bread dough was given the shape of baby Jesus in a swaddling band and was used to celebrate his birthday. The Birthday Cake later re-emerged in Germany as a kinderfest or a birthday celebration for a young child.

In England, birthday cakes are baked with symbolic objects inside. In medieval times people indulged in hope that those who found such objects as coins would be wealthy and thimbles were mixed into the batter. People believed that the person who got the coin would really be rich, while the unlucky finder of the thimble would never marry. Today, small figures, fake coins and small candies are more common.

Birthday candles primarily were placed on cakes to bring birthday wishes up to God. In ancient times, people prayed over the flames of an open fire. They presumed that the smoke carried their thoughts up to the gods. Today, we believe, that if you blow out all your candles in one breath, your wish will come true.

Shape of the Birthday Cake

As we know, Birthday cakes are mostly round in shape. Scientists associate religious beliefs and technical compulsions for the same. As it was mentioned before, Greeks offered round shape cake to the Goddess of Moon (Artemis) as it signified moon. They even placed candles on the cake to make the cake blaze like the moon. Some scholars guess that the cake in the ancient world had the association with the annual cycles. Round shapes of cakes were preferred as these represented the cyclical nature of life. Most specifically, the sun and the moon. The technical reason given for the roundness of the cake is that most cakes we know of advanced from the bread.

Since time immemorial breads and cakes were made by hand. Typically, these were fashioned into round balls and baked on hearthstones or in low, shallow pans. Consequently, these naturally relaxed into round shapes. With the progress of time, baking pans of various shapes were developed and today we see cakes in creative shapes and sizes.

Some Traditions Connected With Birthday Cake

The tradition of placing candles on the birthday cake is attributed to early Greeks, who used place lit candles on cakes to make them shine like the moon. Some scholars say that candles were placed on the cake because people indulged in hope that the smoke of the candle carried their wishes and prayers to Gods who lived in the skies. Others debate that the custom originated in Germany where people used to place an oversized candle in the centre of the cake to symbolize ‘the light of life.’

At present, people also place candles on birthday cakes and a silent wish is made before blowing out the candle. All over the world people have faith in the fact that blowing out all candles in one breath means the wish will come true and the person will enjoy good luck in the coming year. Some also smear out the name of the person before slicing of the cake to bring good luck.