Zomick’s Bakery: History of Birthday Cakes

In the heat of enjoying a delicious dessert have you ever wondered where, when and why were the first birthday cakes made? Zomick’s bakery located in Inwood, New York City has been making this round, bright as a full moon cakes for over 50 years. As we discover from Zomick’s, cakes were initially a coarse, bread-like product, and later became much sweeter.

Nowadays, no birthday party is complete without a cake. The search for the birthday cake origin takes us back to ancient Greece, where birthday parties were held not only to honor the most powerful and richest people, but also the gods.

Digging deeper into cakes’ history, Zomick’s learn that in honor of Artemis, the goddess of the moon, Greeks used to bring to temples special loaf - cupcakes, made from flour, nuts, olive oil and honey, which in fact resembled our present-day cakes. Namely, in order to praise Artemis, and attract her attention, their cupcakes symbolized the bright full moon, so they were round and decorated with candles. Zomick’s bakery further adds that the candles weren’t only used so the cake could be seen from above, but the Greeks also believed that the candles’ smoke could take their prayers to heaven, where the goddess lived. In like manner, even today by blowing the birthday candles we want the same things, that our wishes come true as soon as possible.

Another theory is that back in the Middle Ages, in the area of ​​today's Germany, at home and in bakeries people used to bake special festive sweet breads with honey and dried fruit, which looked as a newborn baby in diapers, which were given to newlyweds and small children for their birthdays. Birthday cakes which were starting to resemble more and more today’s cakes, were very popular in England, where they used to put coins and jewelry in the dough.

On their Educause profile Zomick’s posted the first written document on birthday candles that weren’t burned in honor of the gods, but the celebrator, dates back to 1881. That year, a daily newspaper in Switzerland published an article about a very interesting custom, that birthday cake are decorated with as much lighted candles as the celebrator turns years. In an attempt to honor this tradition, next week the bakery will organize a cake taste sampling event, where you can try the world famous Zomick’s challah bread, and you can enjoy some of the most popular flavors including red velvet with cream cheese frosting, vanilla bean with butter cream frosting and the classic chocolate or vanilla flavored.