TODAY we celebrate one National Cake Day. This day is observed annually on November 26th.
Every birthday is celebrated with a cake. At every party celebration, there are cakes. As the saying goes, a party without a cake is just a meeting, not a celebration. Whatever the celebration is, from showers, weddings, retirement parties, anniversaries, graduation parties, and birthdays, there will always be a cake.
A cake is a dessert made from flour, sugar, eggs, butter or oil, and any type of liquid of your desire like water or milk, or if you’re vegan you go for almond milk or soy milk then mixed with a leavening agent like the baking powder and baking soda. The oldest forms of cakes were modifications of bread, but cakes now cover a wide range of preparations that can be simple to the most elaborate design. There are countless cake recipes; from break-like cakes to ice cream cakes.
The term “cake has a long history. The word itself is of Viking origin, from the Old Norse word “kaka”. During the Roman period, the name cake was called “placenta” which was derived from the Greek term. A placenta was baked on a pastry base or inside a pastry case. Early cake in England was also essentially bread: the most obvious differences between a “cake” and “bread” were the round, flat shape of the cakes, and the cooking method, which turned cakes over once while cooking, while bread was left upright throughout the baking process.
Nowadays, aside from the regular flour cakes, there are also cheesecakes made from cream cheese, and there is an ice cream cake made from ice cream. During the holidays, the bakeshop is busy preparing and baking a variety of cakes and pies. If you have the talent and patience, you can bake your own cake at home and serve it not only for holidays but for any type of celebration.
So, today, celebrate this day by baking a special cake for you to enjoy as a dessert this Thanksgiving celebration with your family. Share on social media a photo of your creation using #NationalCakeDay.
History Throwback!
1942 “Casablanca” opens in theaters
On November 26, 1942, Casablanca, a World War II-era drama starring Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman, premieres in New York City; it will go on to become one of the most beloved Hollywood movies in history.
In the film, Bogart plays Rick Blaine, a former freedom fighter and the owner of a swanky North African nightclub, who is reunited with the beautiful, enigmatic Ilsa Lund (Bergman), the woman who loved and left him. Directed by Michael Curtiz, Casablanca opened in theaters across America on January 23, 1943, and was nominated for eight Academy Awards, including Best Actor for Bogart. It took home three Oscars, for Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Adapted Screenplay. The film featured a number of now-iconic quotes, including Rick’s line to Ilsa: “Here’s looking at you, kid,” as well as “Round up the usual suspects,” “Louis, I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship” and “Of all the gin joints in all the towns in all the world, she walks into mine.”
Bogart was born on December 25, 1899, in New York City, and during the 1930s established his movie career playing tough-guy roles. He gained fame as Detective Sam Spade in The Maltese Falcon (1941), which marked John Huston’s directorial debut. Bogart and Huston later collaborated on such films as The Treasure of the Sierra Madre (1948) and The African Queen (1951) with Katharine Hepburn, which earned Bogart a Best Actor Oscar.
(excerpted from https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/casablanca-premieres-in-nyc)
