Every trauma has its origin story. When I was but a wee child — young, naive, oblivious to the cruelties of this world — I remember attending a friend’s birthday party, as a normal child would. My favorite part of any birthday party arrived, which was serving cake, and I didn’t bother admiring the cake’s appearance before taking a large bite out of my slice. As I began chewing, my happiness soon faltered when the texture of something chewy with a supple inside broke loose. Looking at the whole cake that was still being cut, I realized there were bits of raisins sticking out from between the layers.
This moment was a crucial turning point in my life. The cake crumb was soft with a scrumptious vanilla flavor, and the frosting patterns were intricately decorated with swirls and outlines of flowers. I was deceived by its beauty when I realized something as unfitting as raisins were chosen to be placed inside. Ever since that day, I have been extremely cautious when selecting cakes at the store, especially those that contain fruits.
Not everyone likes cakes, and that’s understandable. But cakes are used and eaten for many reasons: displays, birthdays, weddings, anniversaries, 3 a.m. cravings and even songs. They are more integrated into our lives and culture than we think. Fruitcakes, for instance, were commonplace in ancient Egypt and Rome, and in China, where my parents are from, cakes often contain unique fruits like goji berries and dates.
Despite my distressing past experience, I still enjoy eating cake. But to put it plainly, some fruits should not be placed in cakes, whether it’s because they are too juicy, too dry or simply better off alone.
To start off, raisins are a massive ‘no’ in cakes. As a raisin-hater (unless they’re in Trail-Mix), I dislike raisins simply due to their taste. They have a sweet taste that is fermented and funky, something I will never get used to. Even putting them in salads, yogurt or bagels don’t help reduce their taste. In fact, it actually makes the food worse. The texture especially feels very slippery and slimy. I don’t see how you can make raisins taste better by putting them into cakes.
Going off of raisins, I am also against grapes being placed in cakes. They are too juicy, and the feeling of the grape juice combined with the frosting and cake dough creates a strange, unfamiliar, mushy and overall uncomfortable feeling in the mouth. Fruits that are typically very juicy should not be placed in cakes.
Papayas are the second biggest ‘no.’ From the beginning of my childhood, I have always found disgust in papayas. They smell like feet, and while they are soft like mangoes, which I enjoy, their taste has a heavy stench that clogs my throat and makes me want to vomit. And even if I do spit it out, the taste still remains in my mouth, and I have to clean up the piece of papaya I just spit out, which does not look any more appetizing than it did before I placed it in my mouth. The moment I eat papaya, I put myself in a lose-lose situation. Therefore, no one could pay me to eat cake with papayas.
Another type of fruit that should not be placed in cakes is a kiwi — golden kiwis, to be more specific. Golden kiwis are extremely juicy, which will soak up the cake crumb. Not to mention, they are one of my all-time my favorite fruits, and I believe they should be enjoyed on their own. They shouldn’t be applied to cakes, not because they will ruin the cake flavor, but because the cake will ruin the flavor of them.
Lastly, I believe bananas should not be placed in cakes. Although I don’t enjoy bananas, like golden kiwis, I prefer eating them alone. Plus, I can only take mushy texture to a certain limit. I typically eat bananas one bite at a time. If I eat it all at once, the texture will become too overbearing, which will cause me to gag. Because I’m already careful with bananas’ texture alone, I can’t imagine how they will taste when combined with frosting and cake crumb.
With all the fruits listed, a few might believe that I am just a fruit-in-cake hater. But one fruit that I feel absolutely can never go wrong when applied to cakes is the classic go-to choice: strawberries. You can eat them with chocolate, whipped cream and even caramel. Yes, it’s juicy, but its texture is neither too soft nor too hard, which perfectly balances the texture and the amount of juice it carries. It is not too mushy like papayas and not too hard like apples. When you eat cake with strawberries, you can taste both the fruit and cake itself, allowing you to savor both flavors at once.
Cakes, especially fruit cakes, are meant to be enjoyed — texture and flavor play an important role in our enjoyment of these delicacies. I hope that now, you have better understanding of what fruits do not belong in cakes, so the next time you have some, you can enjoy it too.
Contact Weiran Li at vli2@oxy.edu
