The hobby of baking has soared over the years - especially since the lockdowns of 2020 and 2021.  It has been a favourite past time over many years.  The spectacular rise of The Great British Bake Off is certainly no coincidence.  But where did cakes and other sweet treats originate?

There is evidence that cakes were first created in Ancient Egypt.  They were round, flattened bread type food baked on a hot stone. The Ancient Greeks also followed this tradition and placed candles on their cakes to please Artemis, the Moon Goddess.  It was only until 15th century Germany that the cake with candles to celebrate a birthday originated.  The word 'cake' originated from the Norse word 'kaka' and medieval bakers sweetened their bakes with honey and dried fruit.  These cakes were created as they lasted for months and sustained the people during the fallow, winter months.

Desserts came much later.  Sugar did not come into existence until the Middle Ages.  Before then, nuts were rolled in honey.  However, sugar was very expensive and only the very wealthy were able to use this in cooking - and then only for very special occasions.

The word 'dessert' itself was derived from the French word 'desservir'.  This emerged from the 17th Century when the French chefs created something sweet to be enjoyed after a main, savoury meal to clear the tongue.  Over the years, chefs changed the ingredients as these became available - including using chocolate and cream and other flavourings, such as vanilla.

Her Majesty, The Queen is known to have a sweet tooth and especially enjoys dark chocolate.  The Royal Chef said that one of her favourite bakes is a chocolate, biscuit cake - rather like ones we pictured and enjoyed during the Jubilee weekend.  Another of the Queen's favourites is the lemon drizzle cake.  Lemon flavouring featured in her wedding cake as well.  

At Abbeyfield Wessex, we pride ourselves in creating freshly baked treats for our residents every day.  It can be a simple cup cake to a more complicated recipe.  We know our residents look forward to a sweet treat with their cup of tea (or coffee) and we make sure we find out what they enjoy.  We were so proud of our chefs and cooks who created some simply magnificent bakes for everyone to enjoy during this very special Bank Holiday weekend and created some wonderful memories along the way.

We hope you enjoyed our history on cakes and desserts.  If you are passing an Abbeyfield Wessex House, you can pop in and taste a freshly baked treat for yourself!  Get in touch today and find out more about Abbeyfield Living.