INTRODUCTION

There are many understandings of what constitutes “junk” food. Generally, it is

food that lacks nutrients but is high in calories made up of fat and sugar. Or, as

one researcher says, it’s food that isn’t represented in the healthy eating

pyramid.

But cake is so much more than junk food. I’m not talking about the airy

confection-infused types with chemical concoctions to preserve, flavor, colour

and aerate. I mean cake as a symbol of joy and celebration; the conveyor of

history, culture and tradition; as a token of love, belonging and social occasion.

HISTORICAL CAKE

The cake of today has a long history that speaks of traders, travellers and

invaders. The boundary between cake and bread is blurred: the precursor of

cake is probably hard bread made from oats, barley, salt and water. The

Romans added eggs and honey to the mix, beating the eggs to add air – a recipe

that is not dissimilar to an old-fashioned sponge cake (three eggs and three

ounces each of plain flour and sugar, with a pinch of salt).

The ancient Egyptians are credited for discovering the properties of yeast – the

raising agent used until baking powder was invented in the mid-nineteenth

century. The word cake appeared in the English language in the Middle Ages –

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when they were made of dried fruit, nuts, ginger and suet – and is thought to

have derived from the Old Norse word “kaka”.

Christmas pudding recipes date back hundreds of years.

By the seventeenth century, the influence of historical traders and invaders is

evident in English recipes. Recipes call for mace, nutmeg and cloves from

Indonesia, cinnamon from Sri Lanka, saffron and coriander from Greece, ginger

from southern China, caraway from central Europe, almonds from Asia, and

rosemary from the Mediterranean. These historical recipes are still used to make

Christmas fruit cakes and puddings, and hot cross buns.

CONNECTING OVER CAKE

Cake has traditionally been a food of celebration, friendship, sharing, joy and

grieving. Cake is served at birthdays, weddings, funerals, with friends or simply

as a conduit to bring the “team” together in the workplace.

Cake signifies place and connection. A semolina cake with almonds, fruit

syrups and yoghurt can be found in Egypt, Greece and Turkey, with regional

variations. Here in Australia, we recognise lamingtons as our own and, rightly

or wrongly, claim the pavlova as true blue.

In his 1982 book, Middle Eastern Cookery, Arto Der Haroutunian offers us

recipes for doughnuts and sesame biscuits with Muslim, Jewish and Christian

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traditions. Der Haroutunian famously said, “I would like to think that St Paul,

Muhammad and the infamous Genghis Khan all ate these sesame-coated

biscuits with their milk or tea”. Today’s versions are still popular in Turkey,

Greece, Egypt, Syria, Lebanon and Iran.

There is too much history and tradition bound up in cakes to eliminate them

from our diet. Eat cake, not as a substitute for real food, but as a normal part of

life and living. And perhaps as a bridge over conflict, discrimination and

ignorance.

Cake is a popular dessert and also serve as as afternoon snacks. Cake varies in

taste and texture according to the proportion of ingredients used and method of

preparation. A different materials used in making such as flour, sugar, egg, salt,

baking powder, butter, spices etc. these materials are in different proportion

which contribute in giving a good quality cake.

SUGAR: including syrup this impact sweetness to the cake and contribute to

the tenderness and smoth flowing of the butter. It improves palatability and

contribute to the food value of the diet and caramelization of sugar from heat of

the oven and produce the crush colour and this preparation of sugar combine

with either ingredient helps in producing a tender and appetizing cake.

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FLOUR: In cake making, flour helps in stabilizing i.e adding body into the

mixture. Flour should have a pure white color, strength, tolerance, uniform,

granulation and high absorption. In caking making, soft and weak flour i.e. one

with a high starch content gives cake a good texture.

Milk: as a function of regulating the consistency of cake, it adds moisture to

prolong the freshness of a cake add crust colour and contribute to the richness

and flavor of the cake. It also supplies food value.

EGG: In conjunction with gluten of the flour, egg plays an important role in

providing a good texture. Egg also has stabilizing effect in that as the cake is

rising in the oven, egg gluten are cooked and this help the flour to hold the

volume so that the cake will not fall after being baked. In summary, egg

contribute to quality, texture of cake, flavor and add food value. Its impact color

into the cake.

BUTTER: This improves the heating quality of the cake, it aids in producing

volumes, enhances the freshness of cake and its food value.

Baking powder: this is a rising and leaving agent. It helps in making the cake

mixture light and smooth and also contribute to the floppyness and softness of

the cake.

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SALT: It is important because of its effect on the taste and flavour of cake, it

improve the palatability of the cake. It has the ability to bringout an intensify

the natural flavor of other ingredient.

SPECIES: They are roots, seeds, buds or back of specific plant whose essential

oils possesses definite and desire flavor for general baking, these are grinded

into fine powder and added product.

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VARIETIES OF CAKE

CHRISTMAS CAKE

ICE CREAM CAKE

RED VELVET CAKE

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 BUTTER CAKE

CARROT CAKE

CHOCOLATE CAKE

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NUTRITIONAL BENEFITS OF CAKE

 Provide Strength to your Body

Apart from Strength, Cakes are the quality source of getting protein. Body

Builders or Athletes should consume cakes atleast once a week. It Contains

Milk, dryfruits etc. all are good in protein value.

 Enough Energy Source

Energy means Carbohydrates, The crabs we eat; our body use them into energy.

And maximum cakes are prepared by adding flour and sugar, both are rich in

carbohydrates. Eating cake provides energy to our brain and body.

 Provide energy

Carbohydrates are one of the major sources of energy in plenty of foods. And

cakes & cupcakes are generally made by mixing flour and sugar together, which

are excellent sources of carbohydrates. They can provide the entire body,

including muscles, brain and nervous system, with a sufficient amount of

energy. In addition to that, the fats present in cakes are also good sources of

energy.

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  Are body building and give strength

Apart from providing energy to your body, these sweet confections can also

supply your body with a quality amount of protein. Cakes contain milk and eggs

which are known to be some of the major sources of protein. And milk contains

calcium which improves the functionality of bones and teeth. Also, cakes that

are baked with dry fruits such as almond, cashew nuts, etc can serve the body

with a good quantity of vitamins, and thereby strengthen the immune system.

 Improves digestion

Cakes containing fruits such as berries, pineapples and apples are a good source

of fibre too. Fibre-rich foods can help our body to have a better digestive

system. Some cakes and cupcakes are even made with carrot, and carrots

contain a lot of fibres as well. Thus, consuming cupcakes and cakes containing

all the aforementioned fruits can help to increase the fibre levels in our body,

improve digestion and minimize the risk of heart diseases.

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Weight Watchers Points Plus: 5 points per double-layer slice

Above calories and nutrition information are for two layers of cake, or 1/8th of

the entire recipe. Calorie Count gave it an A- nutrition grade. Pretty good for a

cake!

The recipe can be sugar-free if you use the options for xylitol and stevia both of

which are all-natural (non-chemical) sweeteners. But even if you use ALL sugar

instead of either stevia or xylitol in this recipe, it will STILL have half the sugar

of Pillsbury cake in an equal-sized serving. (Unfrosted, Pillsbury has 20g sugar

for 43g. Even without using any sugar substitutes, this healthier cake has just

half that amount for 43g.)

Thus, eating cakes and cupcakes can provide you with numerous health benefits

and help your body stay fit.

However, it is always important to maintain a balanced diet in order to live a

healthy life, and having too much of something can be bad, even if it has health

benefits. Therefore, cakes should be eaten in limited quantities as a part of a

balanced diet.

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REFERENCES

The history of cakes. Devlaming.co.za. Retrieved 23 December 2011.

"whatscookingamerica.net".

Castella, Krystina (2010). A World of Cake: 150 Recipes for Sweet Traditions
From Cultures Around the World, pp. 3–4. ISBN 978-1-60342-576-6.

Ayto, John (2002). An A–Z of food and drink. Oxford [Oxfordshire]: Oxford
University Press. ISBN 0-19-280352-2.

Ov. Tris. IV. X:12.

Castella, Krystina (2010). A World of Cake: 150 Recipes for Sweet Traditions
From Cultures Around the World, pp. 6–7. ISBN 978-1-60342-576-6.

Park, Michael (2013). "A History of the Cake Mix, the Invention That Redefined
'Baking'". bonappetit.com. Bon Appétit.

Catalano, Christina (2002). "Shaping the American Woman: Feminism and

"Something Eggstra". Snopes.com. Retrieved 25 May 2014.

Robbins, Mary Jane. "Creaming butter and sugar". King Arthur Flour.
Retrieved 6 December 2015.

Cloake, Felicity (16 May 2013). "How to make the perfect Victoria sponge
cake". Guardian. Retrieved 6 December 2015. [Victoria sponge] is a
misnomer, because a true sponge, of the kind used in Swiss rolls, is made
from a whisked mixture of eggs, sugar and flour.

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