Up until the 1830s or 1840s, chocolate was primarily consumed as a drink in the United States. Most forms of what we now think of as chocolate cakes did not appear until much later.
One doctor and one chocolate maker got together in a converted mill in 1765 and came up with the idea for the chocolate cake, so the story goes in the Dover Post.
Between massive millstones, they pulverised cocoa beans into a syrup. The cakes-turned-beverages were made by pouring the liquid into cake-shaped moulds.
Eliza Leslie, a well-known Philadelphia cookbook author, published the first known recipe for chocolate cake in 1847 in her book The Lady’s Receipt Book. In contrast to modern chocolate cakes, this one called for chocolate to be chopped.
Sarah Tyson Rorer, Maria Parloa, and other early 20th-century cooks all contributed to the evolution of the chocolate cake and wrote extensively about it in their cookbooks.
Back in the Roaring Twenties, a company by the name of O. Duff and Sons invented the first commercially available cake mix in a box. In 1947, Betty Crocker introduced the world to its first ever dry cake mix.
National Chocolate Cake Day: A Bit of History
Chocolate cake has been around for a little over 150 years, ever since it was discovered that cocoa powder could be made by grinding cocoa beans between heavy stones in 1764.
Cacao butter wasn’t made for another 60 years, after Conrad Van Houten figured out how to mechanically extract the fat from cacao liquor. To cut a long story short, we owe our current chocolate affordability to this one man.
From there, the variety of cakes and methods used to prepare them exploded, and today there are dozens of varieties beyond the initial “traditional” chocolate cake.
New varieties of chocolate cake are constantly being developed, from the cherry-studded Black Forest cake to the coconut- and pecan-studded German chocolate cake, but one thing remains constant: chocolate is undisputedly the best.
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People in the past didn’t eat chocolate the way we do now, in the form of bars and cakes. During the 1830s and 1840s, it was primarily consumed as a watered-down beverage.
In addition, it lacked any sort of sweetness. Drinkers of chocolate in its earliest forms often prepared a savoury, almost bitter beverage that they consumed first thing in the morning.
Eliza Leslie’s 1847
Cookbook contains the first known chocolate cake recipe. However, the recipe wasn’t quite what we’d consider a chocolate cake in the modern era. In place of cocoa powder, Leslie’s recipe called for chopped pieces of chocolate to be inserted into a plain sponge.
Still, the thought of how good this must have tasted makes your mouth water. Throughout its centre would have been tiny chunks of melted chocolate, creating a melt-in-your-mouth sensation that people still enjoy today.
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Novelists And Chefs Alike
Like Maria Parloa, have put their own spins on the classic chocolate cake over the years. At this point, they started using all the hallmarks of the contemporary version.
The frosting came first, followed by the use of fat-reduced cocoa powder in the cake’s dough. To make an already delicious dessert even more so, a variety of chocolate fillings were added afterwards.
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The ubiquitous chocolate cake recipe was eventually packaged and sold by manufacturers in the 1920s. In 1939, O. Duff and Sons introduced the world to the first pre-baked, ready-to-eat chocolate cake in a box. Also, Betty Crocker introduced a packaged chocolate cake mix in 1947.
Making a chocolate cake became easier in the end. It was simple enough that even someone with no cooking skills could manage it.
Planning A Party: What To Do!
- Naturally accompanied by a large quantity of chocolate cake.
- Consume only chocolate cake throughout the day.
- Substitute a slice of chocolate cake for the bread in a traditional French toast recipe.
- Make a chocolate cake and share it with your coworkers and friends at the office by bringing one in on a special occasion.
TRUTH BURSTS
- 19%
- Almost 20 of people always celebrate their birthday with chocolate cake.
- 32%
- Chocolate is the preferred flavour for nearly a third of those polled.
- 4%
- 25 people need to be surveyed before you find one who “won’t eat cake unless it’s chocolate.”
Five Reasons To Celebrate National Chocolate Cake Day
- It’s the Best-Remembered Dessert Ever
Each of us has fond memories of a truly magnificent cake at a past birthday party. Americans have long associated cake and chocolate with joy and affection. A chocolate cake, in any form, may be the party’s most talked-about visitor. - There Is Perfect Chemistry Between Us
Leavened breads were sweetened with honey, fruit, and nuts in the beginning, and eventually vanilla and chocolate were added to the mix. These ingredients eventually gave way to the refined sugars we know today as cake. Its few, simple ingredients—chief among them, chocolate—work in harmony to stimulate the brain’s endogenous production of opiates, which reduce pain and boost mood. It’s the ideal harmony of ease and sweetness. - We’re Completely Besotted After Reading It
Happiness and pleasure-inducing neurotransmitters serotonin and endorphin are released in response to eating chocolate. Phenylethylamine, which is present when we’re feeling happy or in love, also helps lift our spirits. Who knew it was so normal to feel sentimental about chocolate?
Just in case you were wondering, chocolate cake is the ideal treat to enjoy on this special occasion. You can have a big slice with dinner, or eat it for every meal today if you want.
If you’re feeling particularly daring, you can make chocolate cake French toast by switching out the bread in your standard French toast recipe for a slice of chocolate cake.
