Prompt Cast
The History and Science of Cake: From Ancient Egypt to Modern Innovations
TLDR Cakes have a long history, originating in ancient Egypt and possibly China, but the cake as we know it today is a 19th century American invention. Baking a cake is a chemical process that involves leavening agents, fats, sugar, and eggs, and advancements such as the invention of the enclosed oven and baking powder have revolutionized cake baking.
Timestamped Summary
00:00
Arizona State University offers the most online bachelor's degree programs and is ranked number one in innovation for nine consecutive years.
05:48
The hosts discuss their favorite types of cake, including carrot cake with cream cheese frosting, red velvet cake, and yellow sheet cake with buttercream frosting, and mention that Japanese cheesecake is also a favorite.
11:16
Cakes have been around for a long time, with origins in ancient Egypt and possibly China, but the cake that we know and love today is a 19th century American invention that came out of the Industrial Revolution.
17:06
Baking a cake is a chemical process that involves leavening agents, such as yeast or introducing air, to make the cake rise.
22:57
Fats, such as butter, improve the texture and moistness of a cake, and butter also serves as a leavening agent by incorporating air into the batter. Sugar helps with moisture and structure, and eggs provide structure and act as a binding agent in the cake.
28:36
The invention of the enclosed oven in the 18th century allowed for consistent and reliable temperature control, which was a monumental moment in cake history and enabled people to bake at home with more success.
34:25
When baking a cake, it's important to avoid slamming the oven door, as the change in temperature and air pressure can cause the cake to fall in the middle, and it's also crucial to let the cake cool in the pan before removing it to prevent wire indentations.
39:39
Baking powder was a huge advancement for cakes, as it eliminated the need for an additional acid ingredient and allowed for easier cake baking, but it came towards the end of cake advancement; pre-packaged cake mix became popular in the 1930s, starting with gingerbread mixes, and the myth that cake mix came from a surplus of flour from World War II is not true.
45:33
Cake mixes became successful when dried egg ingredients were removed and consumers were instructed to add their own eggs, and the cake mix industry was saved by promoting cake baking as a way to make elaborate decorated cakes.
51:18
The creaming method is important in cake baking because it is a chemical reaction that affects the outcome of the cake, and pound cakes got their name because the recipe called for a pound of each ingredient.
56:38
The all-in-one method is a cake baking technique where all the ingredients are mixed together at once, and the earliest versions of frosting were made from almond and sugar paste.
01:01:57
Hummingbird cake is a southern cake with nuts, fruit, and lots of frosting, and it's called that because it's so sweet it could attract hummingbirds.
01:07:45
Cakes are great and there's a cake out there for everyone, and the hosts receive a special gift from a listener named Nick Pagan.
Categories:
Society & Culture
