CORE Metadata, citation and similar papers at core.ac.uk Provided by Digital Commons @ Butler University Butler University Digital Commons @ Butler University Undergraduate Honors Thesis Collection Undergraduate Scholarship 2018 A Cakewalk Through History: The Evolution of Cake and its Identity in America Rachel Overby Butler University Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.butler.edu/ugtheses Part of the History Commons Recommended Citation Overby, Rachel, "A Cakewalk Through History: The Evolution of Cake and its Identity in America" (2018). Undergraduate Honors Thesis Collection. 455. https://digitalcommons.butler.edu/ugtheses/455 This Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by the Undergraduate Scholarship at Digital Commons @ Butler University. It has been accepted for inclusion in Undergraduate Honors Thesis Collection by an authorized administrator of Digital Commons @ Butler University. For more information, please contact
[email protected]. A Cakewalk Through History: The Evolution of Cake and its Identity in America A Thesis Presented to the Department of History College of Liberal Arts and Sciences and The Honors Program of Butler University In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for Graduation Honors Rachel Claire Overby May 9, 2018 2 There is truly nothing quite like a delectable slice of cake. No matter the occasion, the place, or the time of year, cake has withstood the test of time as one of the world’s most beloved desserts. Coming in every shape, size, color, and flavor, cake has developed into an immensely varied dessert. Cake’s identity in America is surprisingly complex. The conception of cake as a fluffy, three-layered, treat that has been around forever has actually undergone many changes over the centuries to reach that point.