Five Popular Cakes Around the World
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Cakes can look and taste very different. They all begin with simple ingredients and careful steps.
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Introduction
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Text to type: Cakes can look and taste very different. They all begin with simple ingredients and careful steps.
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Before you begin
Warm-up
What cake do you think looks delicious?
When would you give someone a cake?
What fruit would you put on a cake?
Part 1: How to Make a CakeReading
Part 1: How to Make a Cake
Typing practice
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Text to type: First, mix flour, sugar, eggs, and butter in a bowl. Baking powder can help the cake rise, or get bigger. Put the mixture in a cake pan and bake it in an oven. After baking, let the cake cool, so it is not hot. Then you can add cream, fruit, jam, or icing. People often eat cake at birthdays and weddings.
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Check your understanding
Check: Part 1: How to Make a Cake
1. What do you do before you add cream or fruit?
Sample answer
You bake the cake and let it cool before you add cream or fruit.
Reading
Part 2: Victoria Sponge from Britain
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Text to type: Victoria sponge comes from Britain, or the United Kingdom. It was named after Queen Victoria. The cake has two soft sponge layers. Jam goes between them, like a sandwich. Many modern cakes also have cream inside. The top is usually simple, with a little powdered sugar. Baking powder helps this buttery cake rise and become light.
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Check: Part 2: Victoria Sponge from Britain
1. What is usually between the two sponge layers?
Sample answer
Jam is usually between the two sponge layers, and modern cakes often have cream too.
Part 3: Black Forest Cake from GermanyReading
Part 3: Black Forest Cake from Germany
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Text to type: Black Forest cake is a German layer cake. Its cake layers contain cocoa, so they are dark and taste of chocolate. Cherries and whipped cream go between the layers. More cream, cherries, and chocolate can decorate the top. A written recipe from 1927 is kept in Radolfzell, Germany. Today, people can find this cake in cafes around the world.
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Check: Part 3: Black Forest Cake from Germany
1. Which fruit is important in Black Forest cake?
Sample answer
Cherries are the important fruit in Black Forest cake.
Reading
Part 4: Strawberry Shortcake in Two Countries
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Text to type: In the United States, strawberry shortcake has strawberries and cream with a biscuit-like shortcake or sponge cake. It is often a summer dessert. In Japan, the cake usually has light sponge layers, whipped cream, and fresh strawberries. Fujiya introduced this style there in 1922. It later became a popular Christmas cake. The two styles share strawberries and cream, but their cake bases can be different.
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Check: Part 4: Strawberry Shortcake in Two Countries
1. What do the American and Japanese styles both have?
Sample answer
Both styles have strawberries and cream.
Think one step further
Which style would you make, and what would you put on it?
Part 5: Tres Leches Cake in MexicoReading
Part 5: Tres Leches Cake in Mexico
Typing practice
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Text to type: Tres leches is a Latin American cake that is very popular in Mexico. Its name means “three milks.” Bakers soak a light sponge cake in evaporated milk, condensed milk, and whole milk. Small air bubbles in the sponge hold the milk, so the cake stays soft without becoming a wet mess. Whipped cream often goes on top, with fruit or cinnamon.
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Check: Part 5: Tres Leches Cake in Mexico
1. Why can tres leches cake hold a lot of milk?
Sample answer
It can hold a lot of milk because its light sponge has many small air bubbles.
What you can do now
Final Reflection
What do you think makes one of these cakes special, and when would you eat it?
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Five Popular Cakes Around the World
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Reading
Part 1: How to Make a Cake
Reading
Part 2: Victoria Sponge from Britain
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Part 3: Black Forest Cake from Germany
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Part 4: Strawberry Shortcake in Two Countries
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Part 5: Tres Leches Cake in Mexico
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