Baptism Cakes

Cakes, Cakes, Cakes! Cakes are used to celebrate any occasion. Be it Christmas, birthday party, wedding anniversary or anytime during the day just to celebrate let us have a cake

Why are cakes round?

Cakes are a symbol of the cyclical nature of life, more specifically the sun and the moon. Therefore round shaped cakes and bread were used in religious ceremonies.

Use of Cakes in Ancient Days

Cakes had a link to the annual cycle in ancient days. Our predecessors used them as an offering to the gods and spirits. Chinese used to honour the moon goddess at harvest time with cakes. As the moon paid an important role in the seasonal cycle, they used to make cakes shaped like moon to reward the goddess. The Russians are used to making pancakes for their goddess Maslenista. The pagan Slavs and Celts also used to celeberate the coming of spring with round cakes.

Unique tradition of the Celts

The Celts celebrate the Beltane festival or the coming of spring with cakes. They used to roll cakes down the hill to imitate solar movement, thus ensuring continual motion of the sun. It was a form of divination. In case the cake broke before it reached the bottom of the hill, the person who rolled it would die within a year. If the cake remained intact, the person would reap good fortune during that year. Therefore cakes were used by people of different cultures for the same purpose.

Baptism

After a child is born the proud parents invite their family and friends. This celebration is not without decorated cakes, pastries. Generally baptism is celebrated in the safety of home. Almost all the pastries and cakes used in baptism is home-made. In Italian tradition it is considered bad luck to buy a baptism cake from the bakers.

Why Celebrate during Baptism?

During Baptism the new born child becomes the center of attraction. Home is the best place to officially introduce the godparents of the child. Besides after the wedding feast, baptism is the next big event a family celebrates.

How to plan a baptism cake

Even before planning for a cake it should be made sure how many people would be invite for the feast. Specially designed cakes are always great, but in case you are inviting many guests then sheet cakes are the best option. These sheet cakes can be designed according to one's taste.

If one is planning to make a cake at home, the first best thing to do is to choose a cake pan. Cake pans are available in all shapes and sizes. Traditional Baptism design would ideally be a cross or an open book like a bible. For recipe one may use a boxed cake recipe or use home made recipes preparing them right from the scratch. Numerous recipes are available in the market and also on the web.

For decoration, special decoration tools are available, even videos are available for decorating. If one prefers the traditional look for the cake it is best to keep it frosted in white with decorations in various colours.

In case time is a constrain, it is best to give the order to a baker, who will guide one through the various options of decorating and choosing colours etc.

Therefore a cake is a cake whatever the occasion. Enjoy eating it.