Know About Your Cakes!

Black Forest Cake

History

Black forest cake is originated in the late 16th century int he Black Forest Region (Der Schwarzwald in German) located in the stae of Baden-Wuttemberg. Black forest cake is also knows as Schwarzwalderkirshtorte in German, which means Black Forest Cherry Kirsch Torte (torte is the german word for cake).

The name, Schwarzwald, evokes darkness and mystery coming from the romantic German concept of Walkdeinsamkeit or forest-loneliness.

This region is known for its sour cherries and kirsch or Kirschwasser (a double distilled, clear cherry brandy made from sour Morello cherry). German also is a big consumer of chocolate therefore black forest cake must consist of shaved chocolate, cherries, kirsch and cream. However, in Australia, Black Forest Cake uses rum and in the USA, Black Forest Cake is most often prepared without alcohol.

The Black Forest in Germany

The black forest is a wooded mountain range in Baden-Wurttemberg, south-western Germany. It is bordered by the Rhine valley to the west and south. The highest peak is the Feldberg with an elevation of 1493 meters.

The Black Forest consists of a cover of sandstone on top of a core of gneiss. The forest is knows as BLACK FOREST due to the high grown trees which actually covers the sunlight and the whole forest is dark even during the day.

Carrot Cake

History/Origin

Carrots have been used to replace sugar due to the scarce and expensive price of sweeteners. During Second World War, carrot puddings often appeared in recipe books in Britain in the 18th and 19th centuries. The Ministry of Food disseminated recipes for carrot Christmas pudding, carrot cake and so on and survived in a small way to the present day. Carrot cakes have enjoyed a revival in Britain in the last quarter of 20th century.

They are also known as ‘healthy cakes’, a perception fortified by the use of brown sugar and wholemeal flour and the inclusion of chopped nuts, and only slightly compromised by the cream cheese and sugar icing on the top.

Molly O’Neil, author of New York Cookbook (1992) says that George Washington was served a carrot tea cake at Fraunces Tavern in lower Manhattan. The occasion: British Evacuation Day, she offers an adaptation of that early recipe, which was printed in The Thirteen Colonies Cookbook (1975) by Mary Donovan, Amy Hatrack, and Frances Schull. It isn’t so very different from the carrot cakes of today.

Carrot cakes are preferred by health conscious people, because they provide additional nutritional value. Low calorie carrot cakes can also be prepared by using low calorie sugar. The preparation of carrot cakes is just like any other cakes. The main ingredients like flour, sugar, raisins, grated carrots, eggs, essence, canned pineapples, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt must be kept ready. Any other ingredient required for added flavour must also be kept for ready usage. The ingredients used should be measured using measuring cups or spoons, and a batter must be made.

Baked Cheesecake

History/Origin

Greece is well known for their cheesecake in the ancient time. With Roman conquest of Greece, the secret fell into Roman hands. The roman name for this type of cake (derived from the Greek term,) became ‘placenta’. Placenta was more like a cheesecake, baked on pastry base or sometimes inside pastry case. They werea also called ‘libum’ by the Romans, and were often used as an offering at their temples.

1st Century A.D. Marcus Porcius Cato )234-149 B.C.) was a Roman politician. He wrote about farming, wine making, and cooking among other things. This is his recipe: Libum to be made as follows: 2 pounds cheese well crushed in a mortar; when it is well crushed, add in 1 pound bread-wheat flour or, if you want it to be lighter, just 1/2 a pound, to be mixed with the cheese. Add one egg and mix all together well. Make a loaf of this, with the leaves under it, and cook slowly in a hot fire under a brick.

Small Cheesecakes were served to athletes during the first Olympic games held in 776 B.C on the Isle of Delos. According to John J.Sergreto, author of ‘Cheesecake Madness’, the basic recipe and ingredients for the first cheesecake were recorded by Athenaeus, a Greek writer, in about A.D. 230
1000 A.D. Cheesecake were introduced to Great Britain and Western Europe by Roman conquering armies. By 1000 A.D., cheesecake was flourishing throughout Scandinavia, England, and north-western Europe.

Cream Cheese

1872 - American dairymen achieved a technological breakthrough that ushered in the Modern Age of cheesecakes. In attempting to duplicate the popular Neufchatel cheese of France, they hit upon a formula for an un-ripened cheese that was even richer and creamier (they named it cream cheese). William Lawrence of Chester, New York, accidentally developed a method of producing cream cheese while trying to duplicate the French Neufchatel.

1880 - The Kraft foods website states that the Empire Cheese Company of New York began producing PHILADELPHIA BRAND Cream Cheese for a New York distributor called Reynolds. In 1912, James Kraft developed a method to pasteurize cream cheese (Philadelphia cream cheese), and soon other manufacturers of dairy products offered this newer kind of cream cheese.

Cheesecake Styles

American – uses Philadelphia cream cheese, sour cream
British & Australian – Rich & creamy, biscuit base, contains gelatine, flavouring such as strawberry, cherry, black & blueberry
Italian – Contains bay leaf, honey. Uses ricotta or mascarpone cheese
French – Light Cheesecake, uses gelatine and flavour from Neufchatel cheese
Middle Europe – Uses quark cheese. Famous for cheesecake that ‘melt in your mouth’
Latin American – has a layer of goiabada (guava marmalade)
Asian – green tea and mango flavour

Japanese – uses emulsification of cornstarch and eggs