Birthday cake - wikipedia Birthday cake This article is about the tradition. For other uses, see Birthday cake ( disambiguation ). This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. ( June 2017 ) Birthday cake Specialty birthday cake Type Cake Cookbook : Birthday cake Media : Birthday cake A birthday cake is a cake eaten as part of a birthday celebration in many world traditions. Variations of the typical birthday cake include birthday cupcakes, cake pops, pastries, and tarts. While there is not a universal standard regarding taste, birthday cakes are often vanilla -, chocolate -, or strawberry - flavored. They are also baked in a variety of shapes and decorated in one color or multiple colors with icing or fondant. Contents 1 History 2 Contemporary rites 3 Candles and theories of origin 3.1 Greek origin story 3.2 Pagan origin story 3.3 German origin story 3.4 Swiss origin story 4 Birthday cakes in different cultures 5 The ritual of blowing out birthday candles 6 Gallery 7 See also 8 References History The Birthday Cake by 19th - century German genre painter Pancraz Körle ( de ). Birthday cakes have been a part of birthday celebrations in Western European countries since the middle of the 19th century. However, the link between cakes and birthday celebrations may date back to ancient Roman times. In classical Roman culture, ' cakes ' were occasionally served at special birthdays and at weddings. These were flat circles made from flour and nuts, leavened with yeast, and sweetened with honey. In the 15th century, bakeries in Germany began to market one - layer cakes for customers ' birthdays as opposed to only marketing cakes for weddings, and thus the modern birthday cake was born. During the 17th century, the birthday cake took on its contemporary form. These elaborate 17th century cakes had many aspects of the contemporary birthday cake, like multiple layers, icing, and decorations. However, these cakes were only available to the very wealthy. Birthday cakes became accessible to the lower class as a result of the industrial revolution and the spread of more materials and goods. Contemporary rites Child with Snow White Cake, circa 1930 -- 1940 Elaborate birthday cake Birthday cake featuring edible miniature birthday party. The cake, pastry, or dessert is served to a person on their birthday. In contemporary Western cultures, the one individual being celebrated will blow out a number of candles on the cake. There is no standard for birthday cakes, though the `` Happy Birthday '' song is often sung while the cake is served in English - speaking countries, or an equivalent birthday song in the appropriate language of the country. The phrase `` Happy Birthday '' did not appear on birthday cakes until the song `` Happy Birthday to You '' was popularized in the early 1900s. Variations of birthday songs and rituals exist in different parts of the world. In Uruguay, party guests touch the person 's shoulder or head following the singing of `` Happy Birthday to You ''. In Ecuador, the person whose birthday it is will take a large bite of the birthday cake before it is served. In Peru, guests use to sing `` Happy Birthday to You '' first in English with the name of the individual whose birthday it is, then in Spanish, later they sing any other song in Spanish regarding cake or date, finally blowing candles and serving the cake. The birthday cake is often decorated with small candles, secured with special holders or simply pressed down into the cake. The cake can also be served with other sweets such as ice cream. In the UK, North America and Australia, the number of candles is equal to the age of the individual whose birthday it is, sometimes with one extra for luck. Traditionally, the person whose birthday it is makes a wish, which is thought to come true if all the candles are extinguished in a single breath. To represent a sharing of joy and a sense of togetherness, the cake is shared amongst all the guests attending the party. Candles and theories of origin See also : History of candle making Modern Celebration Candles. Though the exact origin and significance of the candle blowing ritual is unknown, there are multiple theories which try to explain this tradition. Greek origin story One theory explaining the tradition of placing candles on birthday cakes is attributed to the early Greeks, who used candles to honor the goddess Artemis ' birth on the sixth day of every lunar month. The link between her oversight of fertility and the birthday tradition of candles on cakes, however, has not been established. Pagan origin story Kinder Fest. The use of fire in certain rites dates back to the creation of altars. Birthday candles hold symbolic power. In the past it was believed that evil spirits visited people on their birthdays and that, to protect the person whose birthday it was from evil, people must surround the individual and make them merry. Party - goers made noise to scare away evil spirits. German origin story German celebration cake for the 100th anniversary Girls with birthday cake. Postcard from 1920. In 18th century Germany, the history of candles on cakes can be traced back to Kinderfest, a birthday celebration for children. This tradition also makes use of candles and cakes. German children were taken to an auditorium - like space. There, they were free to celebrate another year in a place where Germans believed that adults protected children from the evil spirits attempting to steal their souls. In those times there was no tradition of bringing gifts to a birthday ; guests would merely bring good wishes for the birthday person. However, if a guest did bring gifts it was considered to be a good sign for the person whose birthday it was. Later, flowers became quite popular as a birthday gift. In 1746, a large birthday festival was held for Count Ludwig von Zinzendorf at Marienborn near Büdingen. Andrew Frey described the party in detail and mentions, `` there was a Cake as large as any Oven could be found to bake it, and Holes made in the Cake according to the Years of the Person 's Age, every one having a Candle stuck into it, and one in the Middle. '' - Gotha - Altenburg ) ), recounts of his 52nd birthday on 28 August : ``... when it was time for dessert, the prince 's entire livery in full regalia entered, led by the majordomo. He carried a generous - size torte with colorful flaming candles - amounting to some fifty candles - that began to melt and threatened to burn down, instead of there being enough room for candles indicating upcoming years, as is the case with children 's festivities of this kind. '' As the excerpt indicates, the tradition at the time was to place one candle on the cake for each year of the individual 's life, so that the number of candles on top of the cake would represent the age which someone had reached ; sometimes a birthday cake would have some candles ' indicating upcoming years. ' Swiss origin story A reference to the tradition of blowing out the candles was documented in Switzerland in 1881. Researchers for the Folk - Lore Journal recorded various `` superstitions '' among the Swiss middle class. One statement depicted a birthday cake as having lighted candles which correspond to each year of life. These candles were required to be blown out, individually, by the person who is being celebrated. Birthday cakes in different cultures There are many variations of sweets which are eaten around the world on birthdays. The Chinese birthday pastry is the shòu bāo ( 壽 包, simp. 寿 包 ) or shòu táo bāo ( 壽桃 包, simp. 寿桃 包 ), a lotus - paste - filled bun made of wheat flour and shaped and colored to resemble a peach. Rather than serving one large pastry, each guest is served their own small shou bao. In Korea, the traditional birthday dish is seaweed soup. In Western Russia, birthday children are served fruit pies with a birthday greeting carved into the crusts. The Swedish birthday cake is made like a pound cake that is often topped with marzipan and decorated with the national flag. Dutch birthday pastries are fruit tarts topped with whipped cream. In India there are very few people who use birth celebration in villages, but in cities and towns, birthday cakes are used similarly as in western countries, especially among people with higher education. The ritual of blowing out birthday candles In many cultures the person whose birthday is being celebrated is invited to make a wish, and blow out candles. In June 2017 researchers at Clemson University reported that some individuals deposit a large number of bacteria on the cake. Gallery 1st Anniversary Birthday cake 21st anniversary birthday cake Birthday cake for someone 's birthday Birthday Cake 18th anniversary birthday cake Chocolate with mixed fruit birthday cake Tteok - cake ( birthday cake made of rice cakes ) Creamy rapsberry birthday cake Football player birthday cake Creamy fruit birthday cake Homemade designed birthday cake See also Food portal Wedding cake List of desserts Birthday Rite of passage References Jump up ^ `` Birthday Cakes : History & Recipes - Online article with an extensive bibliography ''. Jump up ^ ( The Lore of Birthdays ( New York, 1952 ), Ralph and Adelin Linton, pp. 8, 18 - 20. ) Jump up ^ `` Keeping the Legacy ''. German Hausbarn. Jump up ^ `` History of Birthdays ''. Jump up ^ Frey, Andreas ( 1753 - 01 - 01 ). A true and authentic account of Andrew Frey. Containing the occasion of his coming among the... Moravians ( &c. ). Transl. Jump up ^ Shirley Cherkasky : Birthday Cakes and Candles, p. 220 books. google. `` Meinen eintretenden Geburtstag wollte man mit gnädiger Aufmerksamkeit bei einem solchen geschlossenen Mahle feiern ; schon an den gewöhnlichen Gängen sah man einigen Unterschied ; beim Nachtisch aber trat nun die sämtliche Livree des Prinzen in stattlich gekleidetem Zug herein, voran der Haushofmeister ; dieser trug eine große, von bunten Wachsstöcken flammende Torte, deren ins Halbhundert sich belaufende Anzahl einander zu schmelzen und zu verzehren drohte, anstatt daß bei Kinderfeierlichkeiten der Art noch Raum genug für nächstfolgende Lebenskerzen übrigbleibt. '' Goethe 's Tag - und Jahreshefte 1801 http://www.zeno.org/nid/20004859979 Jump up ^ The Folk - lore Journal. Folk - lore Society. 1883 - 01 - 01. ^ Jump up to : Sarah Zhang ( 2017 - 07 - 27 ). `` Blowing Out Birthday Candles Increases Cake Bacteria by 1,400 Percent : But it 's okay, really ! ''. Atlantic magazine. Retrieved 2017 - 12 - 03. On average, blowing out the candles increased the amount of bacteria on the frosting by 14 times. But in one case, it increased the amount of bacteria by more than 120 times. `` Some people blow on the cake and they do n't transfer any bacteria. Whereas you have one or two people who really for whatever reason... transfer a lot of bacteria. '' says Dawson. '' ^ Jump up to : Sarah Young ( 2017 - 07 - 31 ). `` Blowing out birthday candles increases bacteria on cake by 1,400 %, study reveals ''. The Independent. Retrieved 2017 - 12 - 03. They then lit the candles and blew them out before diluting the frosting with sterilised water and spreading it out on agar plates for the bacteria to grow. ^ Jump up to : Elizabeth Sherman ( 2017 - 07 - 28 ). `` Blowing Out Birthday Candles Could Ruin the Cake ''. Food and wine magazine. Retrieved 2017 - 12 - 03. Jump up ^ Paul Dawson, Inyee Han, Danielle Lynn, Jenevieve Lackey, Johnson Baker, Rose Martinez - Dawson ( 2017 ). `` Bacterial Transfer Associated with Blowing Out Candles on a Birthday Cake ''. Journal of Food Research. 6 ( 4 ). Retrieved 2017 - 12 - 03. CS1 maint : Multiple names : authors list ( link ) Find more aboutBirthday cakeat Wikipedia 's sister projects Definitions from Wiktionary Media from Wikimedia Commons News from Wikinews Quotations from Wikiquote Texts from Wikisource Textbooks from Wikibooks Learning resources from Wikiversity Wikimedia Commons has media related to Birthday cakes. Listen to this article ( info / dl ) This audio file was created from a revision of the article `` Birthday cake '' dated 2006 - 04 - 16, and does not reflect subsequent edits to the article. ( Audio help ) More spoken articles Cake List of cakes Butter cakes Devil 's food cake Gooey butter cake Pound cake Cheesecakes Fiadone Ostkaka Chocolate cakes Batik cake Black Forest cake Blackout cake Chantilly cake Chocolate brownie Flourless chocolate cake Fudge cake Garash cake German chocolate cake Hedgehog slice Joffre cake Kladdkaka Molten chocolate cake Sachertorte Torta caprese Fruitcakes Apple cake Avocado cake Banana cake Bánh chuối Black bun Bolo rei Cherry cake Clementine cake Dundee cake Fig cake Genoa cake Jewish apple cake Panforte Plum cake Raisin cake Layer cakes Angel cake Buckwheat gateau Dobos torte Esterházy torte Hot milk cake Maria Luisa cake Mille - feuille Cremeschnitte Napoleonka Šampita Tompouce Princess cake Prinzregententorte Rainbow cake Sarawak cake Smith Island Cake Spekkoek Torte Vínarterta Spit cakes Baumkuchen Kürtőskalács ( Chimney cake ) Šakotis Spettekaka Trdelník Sponge cakes Bánh bò Battenberg cake Boston cream pie Bundt cake Castella Charlotte Donauwelle Frankfurter Kranz French Fancy Frog cake Génoise Gugelhupf Lady Baltimore cake Ladyfinger Lamington Madeira cake Madeleine Mantecadas Marble cake Misérable cake Opera cake Pandan cake Paper wrapped cake Red velvet cake Rum cake Shortcake Spice cake Swiss roll Tres leches cake Upside - down cake Walnut and coffee cake Foam cakes and meringue Angel food cake Chiffon cake Dacquoise Kiev cake Pavlova Sans rival Spanische Windtorte Zuger Kirschtorte Yeast cakes Babka Banana bread Banbury cake Cacavellu Campanile Canestru Chorley cake Date and walnut loaf Flies ' graveyard Inuliata Pandoro Rum baba Streuselkuchen Sweetheart cake Welsh cake Special occasions Birthday cake Buccellato Bûche de Noël Christmas cake Doberge cake Groom 's cake Halloween cake King cake Rosca de reyes Kransekake Lekach Marry girl cake Mooncake Pan de Pascua Pop out cake Simnel cake Soul cake Stack cake Stollen Strenna Wedding cake Other Beer cake Better than sex cake Biscuit Bizcocho Bulla cake Cake balls Cake pop Carrot cake Coconut cake Coffee cake Croquembouche Cupcake Cupcone Gingerbread house man Heavy cake Ice cream cake Kuih Lolly cake Muffin Ontbijtkoek Pain d'épices Pancake Parkin Petit four Pryanik Tula pryanik Punschkrapfen Ruske kape Teacake Tiramisu Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Birthday_cake&oldid=833702949 '' Categories : Cakes Birthdays Traditions Hidden categories : CS1 : Julian -- Gregorian uncertainty CS1 maint : Multiple names : authors list Articles needing additional references from June 2017 All articles needing additional references Interlanguage link template link number All articles with unsourced statements Articles with unsourced statements from April 2017 Articles with unsourced statements from January 2016 Spoken articles Articles with hAudio microformats Talk Contents About Wikipedia Deutsch فارسی Français 한국어 Bahasa Indonesia Italiano עברית Македонски Nederlands 日本 語 ਪੰਜਾਬੀ Simple English Tiếng Việt 粵語 中文 6 more Edit links This page was last edited on 2 April 2018, at 00 : 57. 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Question: when did we start putting candles on birthday cakes
Answer: 18th century