National Dessert Day – October 14, 2022, history, significance
Let them eat cake!” This popular french saying holds true especially on October 14, aka National Dessert Day! Calories don’t count today, so make sure to pick up that box of donuts you’ve been thinking about all week. Cash in those kale salad points and reward yourself with the a warm sugary glaze. You’ve earned it!
NATIONAL DESSERT DAY RELATED HOLIDAYS
National Cinnamon Roll Day
Ooey and gooey and melts in your mouth! National Cinnamon Roll Day comes around on October 4th every year. It’s the perfect day to get your hands on one of those brown sugar & cinnamon concoctions and perhaps profess your undying love for the glorious cream cheese frosting. No matter what, these batch baked beauties will brighten your day.
National Cake Day
Everyone loves a good sponge, and cake day is the best day to enjoy one. It’s a dessert that’s been there for you since the very beginning, National Cake Day is celebrated November 26! So it’s batter up (get it?) for this granddaddy of desserts. And don’t forget the buttercream icing!
National Cupcake Day
Compact and flavorful, we celebrate these tasty sweets annually on December 15. They are everything you love in cakes, just smaller. And we would argue they offer the perfect proportion of cake and icing. Bake a batch or buy a few and teach your friends the proper way to eat one (hint: break off the bottom of the cake part and put it on top to me make an icing sandwich. You’re welcome).
HISTORY OF NATIONAL DESSERT DAY
The term “dessert” originates from the French word desservir, which translates to the action “to clear the table.” This is because dessert is served after a main meal’s dishes have been cleared. However, the sweetness of dessert has existed long before there was a proper title for it.
As an act of worship, ancient civilizations would offer dried fruits and honey to their gods. In Ancient Greece, a special sweet bread was made with nuts and honey to make an almost cake-like dish called plakous. It is believed the Ancient Greeks may have also invented pie, as Aristophanes mentions sweetmeats and pastries filled with fruit in his plays.
NATIONAL DESSERT DAY TIMELINE
776 BCE
Energy boosters
The Ancient Greeks are believed to have invented cheesecake as a sort of energy booster served to athletes during the Olympic games. Brides of the time would also cook and serve the sweet treat to their wedding guests.
1381
As American as apple pie
Though the common metaphor is used to describe the highlights of American culture, the first written recipe for apple pie came from England.
1645
A sweet mistake
French pastry apprentice Claudius Gele accidentally invented puff pastries after adding too much butter to his bread dough.
1700s
Sugary goodness
Protestant settlers in Pennsylvania created the sugar cookies we know and love today.
DESSERTS BY THE NUMBERS
2,520 square feet — the length of the world’s largest gingerbread house.
35.8 million — the number of calories in the length of the world’s largest gingerbread house.
9,000 pounds — the weight of the world’s biggest chocolate bar made in Armenia.
150,000 gallons — the amount of water mixed with chocolate and cream to create the chocolate river in the movie “Willy Wonka And The Chocolate Factory.”
2001 — the year when Jell-O was declared Utah’s official snack.
$700 million — the worth of the pies sold every year.
18 pounds — the amount of chocolate eaten by the average Swiss citizen.
2 hours 45 minutes — the waiting time for buying a cronut in 2013.
87,000 — the number of drink possibilities at Starbucks.
NATIONAL DESSERT DAY ACTIVITIES
Go ahead, order the dessert
Usually when we go to a restaurant, we restrain ourselves from picking up the dessert menu. But today is a national holiday! Don’t be afraid to conquer that chocolate lava cake a la mode style!
Bake your favorite cake
Whether from scratch or from a box, cakes always taste better when they rise in your own oven. That is, if you don’t accidentally eat all the cake batter beforehand. Save us the spoon!
Throw a pastry party
Warm, flaky, baked goods are best enjoyed with friends. Have everyone bring their favorite pastry, sit around the table, and strike a harmonious “yum!”
5 FACTS ABOUT YOUR FAVORITE DESSERTS
Made with love
Girl Scout cookies were originally homemade.
A common misconception
Boston cream pie is actually a cake.
The origins of the word ‘dessert’
‘Dessert’ originates from the French word desservir, meaning “to clear the table.”
McDonald’s serves at weddings
In Hong Kong, McDonald’s creates customized wedding cakes made from their Apple Pie.
A fruit like no other
Black sapote is a fruit that tastes like chocolate pudding.
WHY WE LOVE NATIONAL DESSERT DAY
Endless flavors
Chocolate, vanilla, strawberry, and cream cheese frosting! No matter what you like, there’s a special type of dessert dedicated to your tastebuds!
It’s happiness in every bite
Sugar is scientifically proven to aid you through breakups, heartaches, and any case of the blues. When your mouth is happy, you’re happy too!
A treat for all seasons
During summertime, you can cool off with a delicious ice cream or frozen yoghurt. In the winter, pour that hot fudge on your crepe to make the ultimate warm and filling dessert!
