There is a right way and a wrong way to cut a cake. Chances are you, and most everyone you know, have been doing it the wrong way your entire life. This video from YouTube user Numberphile explains and demonstrates the proper way to cut up a delicious slice of cake so that when you store the leftover pieces for later they stay moist. No one wants to eat leftover cake that has become crusty, hardened, and dried out, so check it out!
The method was first described in a December 20th 1906 issue of Nature Magazine. British mathematician, Sir Francis Galton, eloquently wrote in a letter to the editor “The ordinary method of cutting out a wedge is very faulty.” He then went on to describe the ideal way to cut up a round cake based on mathematical and scientific principles. Starting in the center of the cake, with a long knife, cut two parallel lines completely through it.
Remove the rectangular segment from the middle as that piece is for eating. You should end up with two halves that can be pushed together. This closes the cake into a smaller version of its former shape, thus allowing the inside edges of the cut parts to stay fresh longer. For the second slice, cut another central cross-section at a right angle, or 90 degrees, to the original cut.
Now you should have 4 cake segments that can be pushed back together into an even smaller round cake. All edges should be sealed in and will remain deliciously moist for much longer. The technique is not what you’d expect but when it’s all said and done it makes perfect sense.
When it comes time to store it in the refrigerator the probability of exposed edges drying out is dramatically decreased since they are sealed in. Now the next time you are at a party where cake is being served you can impress everyone with your scientifically tested cake cutting skills!
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