Everyday, the truth behind cake continues to elude me. On the outside, a cake is a cylindrical or cubic dessert coated in frosting. On the outside, it appears to be one solid object, sweet, spongy cake through and through. But upon cutting into a cake, one will find it actually composed of multiple layers. Why is this?
One possible reason for the structure of cakes would be the convenience in baking them. When completing any kind of project, including baking a cake, it’s easier to approach the task in parts rather than doing it all at once. However, this answer is much too practical so I think it’s kind of a cop-out. I need to dig deeper.
To explore the meaning of a cake’s layers, I think we have to know what it means to have layers. If something has layers, it is often more elaborate than most people realize. If a person is layered, then the personality they show to the world is different than what’s on the inside. Without a doubt, this logic can be applied to cakes as well as people. I think cakes are more complicated beings than most people realize
This raises the question of why cupcakes don’t also have layers. Are cupcakes simply not real cakes? Does a cupcake’s simpler structure devalue it in some way? I don’t think so. I like to believe cupcakes are just a less mature version of regular-sized cakes. Cupcakes don’t have the life experience and wisdom of normal cakes, so they don’t have more than one layer. The same can be said about trees or onions. So the next time you wonder about a cake’s layers, it might be beneficial to think about the cake’s life experience and what we can learn as a result.
Your editor in over-analyzing everything,
Will Cohan