National Cake Day Timeline

2019

Cannabis cake?

Police in Germany investigate an 18-year-old woman who baked a marijuana-laced cake that wound up being served to guests at a funeral. The woman's family claims it was an accident.

1950s

The Great Cake Depression

Boxed cake sales plunge during the decade as consumers grow rather bored with the simplicity of it all. Consumers turn their attention to decorating their cakes instead. Colorful magazine photos of cakes provide inspiration for homemakers.

1930s

Cake in a box

The Great Depression creates a need to provide easily made food to millions of economically depressed Americans. One company patents a cake-bread mix to deal with this economic situation, thereby establishing the first example of cake in a box. Cake quickly becomes a mass-produced good rather than a homemade specialty — or something consumers purchased at bakeries.

1750

Eggs replace yeast

Bakers turn away from using yeast as a raising agent for cakes — turning instead to beaten eggs. Once as much air as possible had been beaten in, the mixture would be poured into molds — either simple or elaborate.