Cakes

Cakes were primarily English and French in origin. Historic cookbooks feature pound cake, sponge cake, angel food cake, and other cakes that remain popular. See angel food cake; pound cake; and sponge cake. Lady Baltimore cake, described in the 1906 Owen Wister novel Lady Baltimore, is a favorite. Batter cakes became popular as soon as baking soda was developed, offering a much faster and easier way to utilize fruits, and their popularity increased during the mid-twentieth century. Peach cobbler is more likely to be a batter cake than a pie in the warmest areas of the Deep South, particularly for church suppers and community gatherings, although the further north one goes in the Southern states, the more prominent crisps and peach pies are. See fruit desserts, baked. Few cookies were made until the twentieth century.