The original origins of Cakes started back over 2000 years ago.The exact date is unknown because it undetermined what ingredients would make up a real cake.Some of the earliest cakes were made from combinations of flour, honey, nuts, eggs, milk, and others flavorings.Soon after these early cakes were baked, fruit was added. Four is the main ingredient that first made cakes possible.
The earliest word for cake was "plakous" which came for the Greeks. The word came from the Greek word "flat". Next when the Greeks would make a larger heavy cake they named it "satura". These are the earliest names used in describing cakes. Archaeologists have discovered in Neolithic villages simple cakes were made from crushed grains, then moistened and cooked. These early cakes were likely oat or corn cakes.
In later times 1900s, cakes began to be much more complicated. More forms of flour and processed flours, along with leavening agents (for rise) made cakes what they are today. Of course there are now easier methods of baking or not baking cakes, all made possible by box cake mix. Thanks to box cake mix, everyone can now easily conjure up extravagant cake recipes. Even cake making utensils have come far and make baking a cake as easy and baking a cake.
Now back to Roman time. During this time the name for cake was "placenta". Another name they used was "Libum" and these cakes were used in religious ways. The Placenta cake was much like a cheesecake on top of a pastry base
For some time the words, bread and cake, were close in meaning and interchangeable in their use. The words, bread and cake come from the Greek and English influence. When people of wealth would make us bread with all the finest ingredients, then they would call it a cake.
Early cakes were made with yeast as a rising agent. Later eggs were used as a primary leavening or rising agent. Early cake pans were simply a ring of a pan put on top of wax paper and cooked. Later pans would have the same round shape and also now have a bottom. And so the modern round cake pan was born. The next big improvement is cake recipes came when baking soda and baking powder were invented.
