Good morning, welcome to the end of July and what better way to celebrate than with a Cake or Cotton Candy especially if your hosting a End of Summer Back to School bask like I would like to do.
Check out our series sharing Food Holidays: July 31, 2021 and let me know which Holiday you most would like to celebrate and why. For Charlie and I we think we will pass on having a slice of Raspberry Cake which neither of us have had. Have you?
We would like to have Cotton Candy and I only want pink just like I had as a child while Charlie says he would like any color you have. Did you know Charlie has a Cotton Candy Machine?
National Raspberry Cake Day
Raspberries are a Fruit that is undeniably unique among the wide variety of Fruits out in the world; with a sweet tartness and a seedy interior, Raspberries make desserts a different experience entirely.
Raspberry Cake Day celebrates just one example of the sweet concoctions that is delightful to experience. We’re celebrating the history of Raspberries, Cakes, and their sweet combination.
History of Raspberry Cake Day
Raspberries have been around since the Paleolithic age when our long-forgotten ancestors would pick Raspberries off the bushes and eat them. People didn’t cultivate Raspberries until the 4th century BC, where Raspberries were valued for their sweetness and were used in Herbal Teas and Medicinal Sachets.
During the 13th Century, it is believed that Edward I encouraged people to cultivate the Fruit the most throughout history, and soon after, Raspberries began to spread to the rest of the world.
How did Raspberries end up in cakes? Cakes can mean multiple things depending on the culture; for the Europeans and Americans, it involves a high amount of Wheat Flour, Eggs, and Milk to create more fluffy textures, while Central and Eastern Asia think of Moon Cakes or Rice Cakes which have more density to them, along with different flavors.
Who combined Raspberries and Cake together? Who knows, but the combination is delicious nevertheless. On Raspberry Cake Day, people make their preferred cake flavor and add Raspberries to the cake. This could be a Cheesecake, Fruitcake, a Yellow Cake, or acPound Cake, adding Raspberries make everything better.
Raspberries have a lot of nutritional benefits to them; and Raspberries contain lots of Vitamin C, Manganese and Dietary Fiber to help with digestion. With so many Vitamins and Minerals, Raspberries are one of the perfect Fruits to add to any concoction.
Recipe: Raspberry Cake
1 package White Cake Mix (regular size) 1 package (3 ounces) Raspberry Gelatin 4 large Eggs 1/2 cup Canola Oil 1/4 cup hot Water 1 package (10 ounces) frozen sweetened Raspberries, thawed, undrained
FROSTING: 1 carton (12 ounces) Frozen Whipped Topping, thawed 1 package (10 ounces) frozen Raspberries, thawed, undrained Fresh Raspberries
- In a large bowl, combine the Cake Mix, Gelatin, Eggs, Oil and Water; beat on low speed for 30 seconds. Beat on medium for 2 minutes. Stir in Raspberries.
- Pour into a greased 13×9-in. baking pan. Bake at 350° for 35-40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool.
- For the Frosting, in a large bowl, fold Whipped Topping into the Raspberries. Spread over Cake. Refrigerate for 2 hours before serving. Store in the refrigerator. Garnish with Fresh Raspberries if desired.
There exists in the world small clouds of utter delight, floating multicolored strands of spun-Sugar all wrapped around a stick or served in a bag. Everything from the machine that produces this treat, to the men and women who operate it, and the very flavor it leaves in your mouth is purely magical.
When a treat has gained notoriety around the world and utterly defines what it means to attend a Country Fair, you know that it deserves a Holiday of its very own. That’s where Cotton Candy Day comes in, celebrating this best of the bestest treats!
History of Cotton Candy Day
The History of Cotton Candy Day is, quite simply, the History of Cotton Candy itself, and to find that History we’re going to have to dig a bit deeper than you might imagine.
Unsurprising considering the number of names that the treat itself is known by, including Candy Cobwebs, Hawai Mithai, Candy Floss, and our personal favorite, Fairy Floss. What are the origins of Cotton Candy? Well, it all depends on who you ask.
Cotton Candy is often suggested to have come into existence as a form of spun Sugar in 19th Century Europe, and back then it would have been as precious as gold. While today’s technology allows us to produce Cotton Candy with a simple machine and a little time, the process would have been incredibly labor-intensive and no doubt expensive, leaving Cotton Candy as the treat of the financial elite. Unsurprising considering that it was hand-spun at the time… Yes, you heard that right, by hand.
In 1897 the world of Spun-Sugar came to the masses when John C. Wharton and a dentist friend of his William Morrison (we’ll let you take a moment to suck in that irony) created a machine to make Cotton Candy and presented it at the 1904 World’s Fair.
Since then Cotton Candy has exploded throughout the world and can be found in almost every Culture you can imagine, from America to the Far East.
How to celebrate Cotton Candy Day
Celebrate Cotton Candy Day by getting your favorite flavor and sharing it with friends. Okay, we’re kidding, don’t share it, just eat the Cotton Candy up until you can’t eat another bite, and write your dentist an apology note. Or, given that a dentist invented it, perhaps it’s you who deserves the apology note.
There are so many fun activities that you can try on Cotton Candy Day. Of course, the goal is to always eat Cotton Candy! But how about making your own? There are a lot of great recipes online that you can follow.
Typically, you are going to need Food Coloring, flavored Extract such as Raspberry Extract, Salt, Water, Corn Syrup, and Sugar. Recipes can differ, but these are sort of ingredients your going to need. You can have fun experimenting with your own Candy Floss recipes, and even more fun when you eat them.
There are lots of exciting dessert recipes that call for the use of Candy Floss as well. This includes everything from Cotton Candy sSmores to Cotton Candy Donuts and Cupcakes! Sounds delicious, right? The suggestions don’t end there either you could can Fairy Floss Whoopie Pies, Fairy Floss Ice Cream Sundaes, and much more!
Or, how about creating your own Candy Floss Cocktail? There are lots of delicious options here too! Including Cotton Candy Champagne Cocktails, Prosecco and Gin Candy Floss Cocktails, and Fairy Floss Martinis. There is something for everyone and if yourhaving friends around these sorts of drinks are certainly going to impress.
Learn more about Cotton Candy Day
I have a question for you. Do you have a Sweet Tooth? If so, you’re going to love Cotton Candy Day! You may think that the only type of people who don’t love Cotton Candy Day is the dentists of the world! However, you may be surprised to learn that dentists invented Cotton Candy, to begin with. Back in the day, Cotton Candy was known as Fairy Floss. Today, Cotton Candy is the go-to snack when going to a County Fair. For most people, their childhood memories would simply be incomplete without this Sugary treat.
There are a number of reasons why we can’t seem to get enough of Cotton Candy (Candy Floss! ) The main reason is that Candy Floss is essentially made from Sugar, with the dye simply transforming the appearance of it. Who doesn’t like Sugar?
Another reason why we love Candy Floss is because of the appearance of Cotton Candy has a fun and exciting image. Did you know, though, that a Cotton Candy thread is thinner than a strand of human hair? Just because Candy Floss is thin doesn’t mean it cannot be long. The longest Cotton Candy stretch over 1,400 meters. It was created back in July of 2009.
You may also be surprised to learn that Cotton Candy has different names all around the world. We love the name Cotton Candy has in France: barbe à papa. This means papa’s beard.
It is known as Suikerspin in the Netherlands, which means Sugar Spider. In Finland and Australia, Cotton Candy is still known as Fairy Floss. Moreover, in the UK, it is called Candy Floss, rather than Cotton Candy. If you are going to make your own Cotton Candy you may even want to come up with your own name for your recipe!
Five Food Finds about Cotton Candy:
- Cotton candy was originally called Fairy Floss.
- Cotton candy contains only one ingredient: Sugar.
- The process by which Cotton Candy is made has been around for over 100 years so chances are you could ask your grandparents about their first encounter with Cotton candy and they’ll tell you at great length how much it cost and how neat it was back in the day.
- It was forgotten for a while several decades ago, but Cotton Candy became an instant hit when suddenly Cotton Candy was mass produced and became readily accessible to everyone – not just the ones going to a Fair or Circus.
- Cotton Candy doesn’t contain all that much Sugar – merely as much Sugar as one would get drinking a can of an average Soft Drink.
Recipe for Cotton Candy:
5 cups granulated Sugar
1 1/3 cups Light Corn Syrup
1 cup plus 2 T. Water
Flavored Oil
Food Color Paste
Vegetable Baking Spray
- To make this recipe at home, you will need a pair of Wire Cutters and an old inexpensive Whisk. Cut the round ends off an inexpensive Whisk. Arrange the tines so they are evenly spaced. You will also need an open space to make the Cotton Candy. At home, slit open a garbage bag and cover the floor area. Wedge 2 long wooden spoons under something heavy so they extend off the edge of the counter.
- Place the Sugar, Corn Syrup, and Water in a 2-quart heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium-high heat. Insert a Candy Thermometer and cook the Sugar mixture until it reaches 320 degrees F, what is known as the hard crack stage (the Sugar becomes brittle when it comes in contact with a cooler surface). Remove from the heat and carefully pour into a medium-size microwaveable glass bowl. If you leave the Sugar in the pan, the Sugar will continue to cook and turn dark brown. A glass bowl will hold the temperature of the Sugar. Put a towel under the bowl to keep the bowl from tipping over and to protect your hands from the heat of the glass. (The Sugar will stay liquid enough to work with easily for about 10 minutes; after that it will start to thicken. If this happens before you are finished, just pop the bowl in the microwave for 3 to 5 minutes, or until the Sugar is liquid enough to work with once again.) If you are going to color and/or flavor the Sugar, add those drops now.
- Dip the tines of the Whisk into the hot Sugar. Allow the Sugar to drain off for 1 to 2 seconds until the draining Sugar strands are relatively the same consistency. Then wave the Whisk over the extended Wooden Spoons and allow the Sugar Strands to gently drift until they are resting on top of the Spoons. Make sure you are about 12 to 18 inches above the spoons. Use broad long strokes and work quickly. Gather the Cotton Candy and roll onto paper that you’ve rolled into a long, thin cone, like Cotton Candy is served in at the Carnival or serve as is. If you need to store the Cotton Candy for a few hours, place the Cotton Candy in an airtight container. The delicate Sugar will melt in a humid environment.
Thank you,
Glenda, Charlie and David Cates
