Birthday cakes

A birthday is incomplete without the birthday cake. And hence it forms the first item on a birthday list. The ancient Greeks used to make round cakes to honor the Goddess of Moon, Artemis. They even used candles on the cakes to symbolize the light of the moon. However, birthday cakes are known to have originated in Germany during the middle ages. The Germans celebrated Kinderfest , which was simply the celebration of birthdays of young children. The cakes were layered and the Germans called them Geburtstagorten. They also used candles and to them it meant ‘light of life’.

Beautiful cakes started appearing in the seventeenth century. Icing and decorations became popular.  The cakes were still expensive and only the very affluent could afford them. And much change happened during the time of the Industrial Revolution. Mass production happened at this point and easy access with the help of the railroads made cakes available to everyone. And ever since, cakes have been nothing but a worldwide phenomenon.

So, either the Greek or the German, or the bread or the biscuit, cakes are indispensable.