¿What you know about Cakes?

Who doesn't love a good old celebration?, birthdays, weddings, graduations, quinceañeras, we humans love to celebrate and no celebration is complete without some delicious cake, that sweet, spongy, frosting covered marvel of cooking science that both children and adults alike go crazy about. Ranging from simple ones without too many embelishments, to far more majestic and incredible ones, cakes are a must in all celebrations. Today dear readers, let's take a moment to learn more about this delicious companion to celebrations, the more traditional recipes, and a little bit of history of our sweet frosty friend.

Cakes?

Although a daily sight nowadays, the most common ones being birthday cakes, they are actually much older than we think, dating back to the Middles Ages. The first birthday cake is believed to have been made in Germany, yet a totally different version of what today's cakes are, being, coarse and bread-like, thanks God we live in the 21st century right?

There is an almost infinite supply of recipes for cake making, ranging from the traditional egg,milk,butter,sugar one, to recipes that even use bacon or chili, wedding cakes, graduation cakes and at the beginning we must follow step by step the rules written on the recipe, we don't want to end up with a dessert that's tood hard to chew on, or so sweet that makes out teeth hurt.

All things balanced, as they should be

After all we've said, you must be raring to go prepare your own original cake mix, yet remember that everything in this world has a beginning, stick to the basics and then evolve your technique. Too little sugar will make the cake bland, too much and it may be too sweet for most, too much butter will make it greasy, too little will make it dry, too much flour will make it hard to chew, and too little will end in a limbo between liquid and solid. You must learn what the basic measures for each ingredient on a cake are, and then by trial and error eventually develop your own unique style, always taking into account that everything needs to be in the right amount.

Improving the balance

Now that you have your very own cake recipe, it's time to evolve Pokemon-style! We must always strive for improvement, and one surefire way of improving is listening to feedback. Be it clients, friends or family, feeback from those that taste your dish is essential in the process of evolving your technique and recipe. Ask for opinios on the taste, texture,sweetness,moisture, every little detail counts, check your recipe and technique and improve upon it by applying the necesary corrections.

Another way of improving is taking notes from the best, both in flavor, technique and presentation. A delicious cake will always make people happy, but a delicious and amazingly decorated or presented cake will please both the tongues and eyes of those present. Learn to make art on your cakes, many different designs exist on internet, dinosaur cakes, blackjack cakes, Game of Thrones cakes, the list goes on and on, there's no shortage of ideas, put your abilities to the test and become a Picasso of pastry.

New balance

As technology evolves, so does the way we prepare food and desserts, and currently there's a branch of science bent on developing new and better ways to cook and prepare food. Molecular gastronomy is the name of the cooking movement that studies the way in which different factors affect food properties, it's taste, texture, and more are the focal point of this study. This new scientific approach to cooking is slowly but steadily yielding fascinating results, such as the spehrification of juices and other liquids. Going back to cakeland, this could eventually mean that cake recipes and cooking methods will evolve, paving the way to new flavors and styles that may change the face of cooking and pastries forever, with more extravagant flavors, and the most beautiful cake designs becoming possible day by day.

Closing the oven 

Cakes are a tradition that has passed the test of time, and much like us humans, they have evolved from being a bland bread substitute, to a veritable form of art, with bakers from all over the world creating new pieces for those that want and can afford them. Programs such as "Cake Boss", give us a taste of what this dessert based artists are capable of creating, and scientific advances in the field of cooking are allowing new, more efficient and creative ways of presenting and preparing dishes. With bakers being capable of creating almost anything they can imagine on their cakes, it is really easy to wonder what will the future bring. A piece of cake to the future of cooking and desserts.