The Evolution and Significance of Birthday Cakes

Today it’s everybody’s birthday, because we’re talking about birthday cakes with two Southern baking superstars.  

We’re thrilled to have both Cheryl Day, award-winning cookbook author and former owner of Savannah’s famed Back in the Day Bakery, and Bronwen Wyatt, of Bayou Saint Cakes in New Orleans, join to share their top cake secrets and best tips for beginner birthday cake bakers. In Ask the Bakers, Jessica and David dig into your urgent cake questions, from demystifying the reverse-creaming method to what to do if your cakes keep sinking in the oven. And as always, they close out the episode with a big birthday cake hot take (featuring Jessica’s opiniated protege, our producer Rossi) and the best recipes they’re baking this week.   

Find Cheryl’s most recent book here: Cheryl Day’s Treasury of Southern Baking   
Follow Cheryl on Instagram 
Follow Bronwen on Instagram and Substack
Visit our Cake Made Easy shop page for our favorite tools and ingredients 
King Arthur’s 2019 Recipe of the Year: Classic Birthday Cake
Try the reverse-creaming method with Vanilla Birthday Cake and Tender White Cake
Bake Cheryl Day’s Southern Caramel Cake and Old-Fashioned Coconut Cake
Find Rossi’s pie book, Sweet Land of Liberty: A History of America in 11 Pies  
What David’s baking this week: Big and Bubbly Cinnamon Roll Focaccia recipe
What Jessica’s baking this week: Mini Pizzas (aka Snacking Pizzas) recipe 
Record your question for our Ask the Bakers segment here!