What is Birthday cake?
[[File:Mixed fruit cake in restaurant.jpg|alt=|thumb|Heart shaped birthday cake]] The '''birthday cake''' is part of [[birthday]] celebrations in [[Europe|European]] countries since 19th century.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.newenglandrecipes.org/htm/birthday-cake.html|title=Birthday Cakes: History & Recipes - Online article with an extensive bibliography}}{{Dead link|date=January 2021 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> The tradition of adding candles to the top of a birthday cake spread widely among rich people in [[Germany]] during the 15th century. Ηowever, the actual concept of a round cake and 'making a wish' that we now associate to birthdays goes back to [[Ancient Greece]]. These ancient predecessors of the modern birthday cakes served as offerings to [[Artemis]], Greek goddess of the moon and of hunting, Artemis. They were meant to carry the wishes of the people into the temple. The roundness of the cakes symbolized the shape of the moon itself. It is suggested that the cakes were decorated with lit candles in order to make them glow like the moon. This was later adapted and took different forms and formed as the basis for our birthday cakes tradition today. There have also been reports of some forms of birthday cakes and such celebrating linked to the [[ancient Rome]]. Often good wishes are written on the cake using [[sugar]] or [[chocolate]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://happy-wishes.net/birthday/birthday-cakes-images/|title=21 Beautiful Birthday Cakes Images|date=20 May 2017|publisher=|access-date=26 June 2017|archive-date=23 October 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171023203543/https://happy-wishes.net/birthday/birthday-cakes-images/|url-status=deviated|archivedate=23 October 2017|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20171023203543/https://happy-wishes.net/birthday/birthday-cakes-images/}}</ref> Since long times birthday cakes were a sign of wealth, but in the 20th century they became easily accessible to most people. Around the world many types of the birthday ca