Birthday Cake
What’s a birthday party without a birthday cake? Not much. In fact, other than presents, the cake is often the centerpiece of most birthday parties.
An integral part of how we acknowledge that special person on their birthday is with a cake. We’ve been doing this since the mid-19th century and the importance of that cake is just as powerful today as it ever was.
A birthday party is what it is because of the tradition we have assigned it. We’ve defined what a birthday party is by the things that go into making the party possible: the songs we sing, the gifts we bring, and the cake we eat.
Cake has been around for centuries. Because of the time and effort as well as the ingredients that are necessary to make a cake it was usually reserved for special events, as well as special people. As it became easier to bake cakes they became more common, but were still reserved for special events. The birthday became one of those special events.
The development of the birthday cake has grown as we have gained additional knowledge about culinary and confectionery advancements. As this technology improved, decorations gained importance and the appearance of birthday cakes became as important as its taste.
Over the years we have added to the tradition of the birthday cake. What was once a simple one layer delight served plain to guests has become much more complex. Today’s cakes are literally fit for a king. We’ve added candles, decorations, scenes created out of frosting. In fact the only limitation on today’s birthday cake is ones imagination.
Themed cakes are important. Whether for a child or an adult the theme of the cake says a great deal about the care and attention that went into making the birthday party extra ordinary. There are boys and girls themes, woman or man themes. Again, what’s hot today makes for a good theme. Tractors and farm animals work for the farmer. Turning 40 themes are popular as are the latest in kid’s music and DVD’s a safe choice.
