Simple Inventions That Changed The World

They say the simplest inventions are the cleverest. I agree. There is a recent story about a three-year old kid who invented a double-ended broom, one for a coarse brush and one for a fine brush. Its amazing that hes the first to patent that. Throughout history, such simple inventions changed the lives of people everywhere. What are these all-important devices?

1. The Wheel one of the early inventions that changed the way humans lived. We see it everywhere; on cars, trucks, planes, ships, inside machines, toys, and much much more. Life wouldnt be the same without the wheel. It was said to be invented by the Mesopotamians in 4th century BC, eventually helping usher about the Bronze Age. Starting from wooden carts and wagons, the simple yet so very useful device evolved over time. With so many uses and applications, it is forever part of the human race, and one of the first steps to civilization. Can you imagine being unable to take a taxi to your hotel, instead footing several miles with tons of bags? Or spending an hour walking to get to the mall?

2. Tools Yet another thing that set us on the path of civilization. Humans have opposable thumbs, which led to the creation of tools. Simple tools like sharp rocks used to cut turned into knives and spears. Large rock used as a hammer became actual hammers. We built our own houses, caught animals, made our own fields and improved our way of life with tools. Interestingly, some mammals and birds use tools too.

3. Sewers Sanitation is important to civilized people. A system where waste is gathered and disposed of in once place rather than everywhere is indeed helpful. Ancient people saw this, and were among the first to invent the system. Today, we rarely think of the network of pipes running under our feet, making sure that our waste stays out of our sight, and out of our noses! Im happy knowing that were not defecating on the ground. Well, most of the time.

4. Roads Along with the first wheeled inventions, roads came about. Dirt paths worn by hunters were common before vehicles, but it was only after the wheeled inventions were invented that there became a real need for better roads. Dirt-worn paths became wood, stone and brick roads. Because of the ease of transport roads offered, the world became prosperous. Today, they are the backbone of economy and society. Imagine life without roads now. We would be living in houses in a haphazard manner. Goods are transported slower. There would be more accidents.

There you have it! These are, for me, the ones that truly shaped the world. Well, I guess money did, too. What inventions do you think changed the world?

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Cakes like a bit of care and attention, just follow a few simple rules to improve your cakes...

General: Follow the cake recipe strictly as even a small deviation can alter the end result. Leave experimentation until you feel confident with the recipe... and then have some fun playing around with it! It is particularly important to be precise with raising agents. Don't be tempted to add a little extra for good luck. The extra may cause the cake to rise too much and then go flat.

Sieving: I have never done this, but heard it makes the cake extra-light if you sieve the flour twice. Not strictly necessary, but worth trying if you have time.

Mixing: When you are mixing the cake batter, do not overmix. Mix everything in well, but stop as soon as the mixture looks evenly combined. I like to whisk my batter and find this works well, but always keeping an eye on the batter. I use a spoon to stir my carrot cake and fruit cake mix because they are too thick to whisk.

Baking: Make sure the oven is pre-heated to the correct temperature before the cake goes in. Usually cakes needs turning halfway through baking time, but if your oven bakes super-evenly, there is no need. if you turn the cake, do it as quickly as possible so that the oven door isn't open for too long... and don't open the oven door any more than you need to (once to turn the cake) or the cake may go flat as they are sensitive to oven changes.

And finally... a simple recipe for lemon cake to try: Lemon Cake

350 ml soya milk

170 ml vegetable oil

200g caster sugar

tsp vanilla essence

2 tablespoons grated lemon zest

350g plain flour

3 teaspoons baking powder

1. Pre-heat oven to 175C/350F/Gas 4.

2. Grease a 7 inch round tin (or for a traybake use a tray about 10" x 8").

3. Place the soya milk, oil, sugar, vanilla and lemon zest in a large bowl and whisk thoroughly.

4. Measure out the flour and baking powder. Give a good stir to combine.

5. Sift the flour mixture into the wet ingredients and mix well to combine. Whisk if necessary).

6. Pour the mixture into your tin and bake for 50-60 minutes (7" cake) or 35 minutes (traybake) or until a cocktail stick comes out clean.

7. Top with icing and sprinkle grated lemon zest on top to decorate and also enhance the lemony flavour.

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READ MORE - Cakes like a bit of care and attention, just follow a few simple rules to improve your cakes...

Dairy and soy free recipes are not on most kids favorite list. However, for children who are lactose intolerant, it is important to make sure that you prepare a birthday cake that they can enjoy. Here is a simple and tempting 1st birthday cake recipe that is dairy and soy free that you can prepare at home using simple ingredients.

On your shopping list for the chocolate cake recipe and dairy free frosting:

Cake:

Rice flour - 2 cups

Cocoa powder - 1 cup

Baking powder - 1 tablespoon

A pinch of salt

Dairy and soy free shortening - 1 cups

Sugar - 2 cups

Eggs - 4

Almond or rice milk - 1 cups

Maple syrup or mixed fruit jam - cup

Vanilla essence - 1 teaspoon

Frosting:

Powdered sugar - 2 cups (you can use confectioner's sugar also)

Dairy free margarine - cup

Almond milk - cup

Cocoa powder - cup

Vanilla essence - teaspoon

Decoration:

Piping bag

Mixed fruit jam

Edible silver balls and colored chocolate gems

Edible sugar toppings

Cake recipe:

Preheat the oven to 350F.

Grease a 9 inch baking pan and set aside.

In a deep bowl, stir the eggs and add the sugar and shortening. To mix it well use an electric blender until all the ingredients are mixed and you get a fluffy, soft texture.

and then add the maple syrup, vanilla essence and almond milk, and blend well on moderate speed. You will get a slightly frothy mix.

In a separate bowl, mix the flour, baking powder and salt, and keep aside.

Now add the flour and baking powder mixture and blend on medium speed to get a cake batter consistent.

Pour the batter in the greased cake tin (you can add some roasted almonds on top if you like).

Bake in the preheated oven for 35-40 minutes.

Take the cake out of the pan and let it cool on the wire rack while you prepare the frosting.

For the frosting:

Over a double boiler, melt the chocolate chips with dairy free margarine.

Remove from the heat, add the icing sugar and let it dissolve.

Add almond milk, vanilla essence and cocoa powder and mix well. If the frosting is too thick then add a little more almond milk.

Decorating and assembling the cake:

Slice the cake in two even layers horizontally.

Spread the frosting on the bottom layer of the cake and put the top layer on it.

Cover the cake with the rest of the frosting.

Put the mixed fruit jam in the piping bag and decorate the cake.

Top with chocolate gems and edible sliver sugar balls in any design you like.

Arrange the edible sugar toppings (which all children love) on and around the cake.

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READ MORE - Dairy and soy free recipes are not on most kids favorite list. However, for children who are lactose intolerant, it is important to make sure that you prepare a birthday cake that they can enjoy. Here is a simple and tempting 1st birthday cake recipe that is dairy and soy free that you can prepare at home using simple ingredients.

Having a 1st birthday party for your child at home means a lot of work, you will have to keep in mind that some children are lactose intolerant and may not be able to eat the cake and other bread items. Therefore, you will need to cater some dairy free foods too. Here is a simple dairy free 1st birthday cake recipe that everyone can enjoy.

What you will need for the chocolate cake recipe:

2 cups of rice flour

1 cup of cocoa powder

1 tablespoon of baking powder

tablespoon of salt

1 cups of dairy and soy free shortening (you will get at any store)

2 cups of sugar

4 eggs

1 cups of almond milk or rice milk

cup of maple syrup or mixed fruit jam

2 teaspoons of vanilla extract

Method:

Preheat the oven to 350F or 180C.

Sift together the rice flour, cocoa powder, baking powder and salt in a bowl.

Mix the sugar and shortening together using a blender for 3 minutes (you will get a fluffy mix at the end).

Beat the eggs in a separate bowl and whisk until fluffy.

Add the eggs to the sugar-shortening mix and combine well to get a viscous mix.

Add the vanilla extract and maple syrup to the mix, along with the almond milk.

Now add the dry ingredients and mix using a blender on maximum speed. There should be no lumps in the mix.

Pour the batter in the cake tin (greased) (if you are using silicone mold then there is no need to moisten).

Bake for 35-40 minutes until the top is firm and the cake is spongy.

Remove from the tin and let it cool at room temperature.

To prepare the dairy free icing you will need:

2 cups of powdered sugar

cup of dairy free margarine

cup of almond milk

cup of cocoa powder

teaspoon of vanilla extract

Method:

Use an electric mixer to blend the margarine and sugar.

Add the almond milk, cocoa powder and vanilla extract and let the mixer do the job to make spreading more consistent.

Decorating the cake:

Slice the cake in two parts horizontally.

Mix some cocoa powder with hot water and gently sprinkle the cocoa liquid on the bottom layer and the top layer. This will keep the cake moist.

On the bottom layer, spread some of the frosting.

Place the other layer over it and cover with frosting on all sides.

Refrigerate for a few hours before serving.

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READ MORE - Having a 1st birthday party for your child at home means a lot of work, you will have to keep in mind that some children are lactose intolerant and may not be able to eat the cake and other bread items. Therefore, you will need to cater some dairy free foods too. Here is a simple dairy free 1st birthday cake recipe that everyone can enjoy.

Everybody loves cake, and it's even better when you can make it yourself. If you're completely new to cooking, learning to bake a cake is a simple and fun project to start your new hobby with. If you get really good at it, you might even make a career out of it. The tips in this article will help improve your cake-baking skills.

Pre-made cake mixes tend to be heavy. This not only makes it difficult to mix them, but can also make the finished cake feel heavy in your stomach. To avoid this undesirable heaviness, simply get some meringue powder. You can buy this powder at a baking goods supply store; some supermarkets also carry it. Mix the powder into the cake mix to lighten the mix's weight.

In addition to wanting your cake mix to be light, you don't want it to be too dry. Here's a secret for making moist cakes: use unsweetened applesauce in place of oil. Unsweetened applesauce is also healthier than oil, making your cake slightly more attractive to guests who are watching their diet.

Many cakes not only call for wet ingredients such as eggs, but sticky ingredients such as honey. Sticky ingredients can be messy and hard to work with. They stick to the measuring spoon, the mixing bowl and your fingers, making it hard to mix your cake batter properly. To avoid a sticky mess, spray measuring cups and spoons with non-stick cooking spray before you start pouring honey or other sticky ingredients into them. You can also spray mixing blades with this spray to make it easier to mix your cake.

In addition to sticky ingredients, you may have to use cold ingredients such as sticks of butter or eggs. Butter sticks can be as difficult to work with as honey if they are too cold; they are stiff, nearly unbreakable and don't mix into your cake batter easily. To avoid problems with butter and other cold ingredients, take them out of the refrigerator before beginning your cake. If your butter is still too cold to work with by the time you're ready for it, put it in the microwave for ten to fifteen seconds to soften it.

An undercooked cake will fall apart, not taste right and may contain bacteria such as salmonella that can make people sick. Sometimes your cake can look baked on the outside but still need to be cooked on the inside. When your oven timer rings, remove the cake from the oven, but don't turn the oven off yet. Check whether the cake is done by inserting a toothpick into it and pulling the toothpick out again. If the toothpick comes out clean, your cake is baked on the inside. You may have to put the cake back for three to five additional minutes before testing it again if your toothpick doesn't come out clean.

Cake baking takes patience. Once the cake comes out of the oven, you've only completed the first step. Now you have to frost it. Frosting cakes allows you to express your creativity; you can use colors and designs to express a mood or simply make something beautiful. However, you can't frost the cake while it's hot; the cake may crumble or the frosting may melt if you try to do so. Wait a couple of hours or even overnight for the cake to cool completely before frosting it.

Baking a cake is a fairly straightforward process. Simply mix the ingredients, bake the cake and frost it once it cools. Once you get used to baking cakes, you can experiment with different types of cakes. You may enjoy baking a cake in a particular shape, such as a Mickey Mouse cake for a child's birthday party, or making layer cakes that have frosting between each layer of cake. Whether you're making your first simple cake or are a cake expert, you're sure to impress your friends and family if you follow the cake-baking tips in this article.

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READ MORE - Everybody loves cake, and it's even better when you can make it yourself. If you're completely new to cooking, learning to bake a cake is a simple and fun project to start your new hobby with. If you get really good at it, you might even make a career out of it. The tips in this article will help improve your cake-baking skills.

Here is a simple banana cake recipe using a cake mix that is easy and delicious. It can be baked either in a 913-inch pan or in a bundt pan (my preference).

My husband is having a slice with ice cream and just declared it "one of the best" banana cakes ever; hearty praise from a true cake lover!

The purist in me wishes cakes made from scratch with whole wheat flour and other more wholesome ingredients were met with such excitement, but sadly they're not. The savvy realist within me admits that cake mix recipes often turn out better than from scratch cakes. They are more consistent, with better texture, especially when you know how to "doctor them up." And in the final analysis, life is too short to eat anything less than delicious cake.

Have I mentioned that I am a huge fan of Anne Byrn, The Cake Mix Doctor? Everything I've ever made from her cookbooks has turned out great, but I've been reluctant to admit it, until I learned that Jamie Lee Curtis recently declared The Cake Mix Doctor her favorite cookbook on the Rachel Ray Show!

This recipe is from The Cake Mix Doctor Returns. I made a few changes to the original recipe. I omitted the additional 1/4 cup of sugar, replaced the 1/2 cup sour cream with plain yogurt, and skipped the 3/4 cup finely chopped pecans to keep it friendly for those who have nut allergies. I also added 2 tablespoons of flour which is a trick my mother learned from her Home Ec teacher decades ago to help cake mix cakes be less crumbly.

Simple Banana Cake Recipe

Serves 16 to 20 or 12 to 16 as a bundt cake

Vegetable oil spray for coating the pan

Flour for dusting the pan

1 cup mashed bananas (from 2 or 3 very ripe bananas)

1 package (18.25 ounces) plain yellow cake mix

2 tablespoons flour

1/4 cup sugar (optional)

3/4 cup vegetable oil

1/2 cup sour cream or plain yogurt

4 large eggs

2 teaspoons pure vanilla

1 cup (6 ounces) miniature chocolate chips

3/4 cup finely chopped pecans (optional)

2 teaspoon confectioners' sugar, for dusting on top

Position an a rack in the center of the oven and preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly mist a 139 inch metal cake pan (or bunt pan) with vegetable oil spray. Dust with flour, shake out the excess flour and set the pan aside.

In a large mixing bowl, place the mashed bananas, cake mix,flour, sugar (if using), oil, sour cream, eggs and vanilla. Beat with an electric mixer on low speed until the ingredients are incorporated, about 30 seconds. Stop the mixer and scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula. Beat on medium speed until the mixture lightens and is smooth, about 1 1/2 minutes longer. Scrape down the sides of the bowl again, if necessary. Stir in the chocolate chips.( If you are intending to bake the cake in a bundt pan, stir in the pecans too, if you are using them.)

Pour the batter into the prepared cake pan. Smooth out the top with a rubber spatula. If you are baking the cake in a 913-inch pan, scatter the pecans (if using) evenly over the top and place the pan in the oven.

Bake the cake until is deeply golden brown on top and the top springs back when lightly pressed with your finger, 43 to 48 minutes (50 to 55 minutes for a bundt cake). Remove the cake from the oven and immediately sift the confectioners sugar over the top so that it melts to form a glaze. Let the cake cook for 20 minutes, then slice and serve while still a little warm. (If you are using a bundt pan, allow it to cool for about 10 minutes, then turn it out of the pan and sprinkle with the sugar.)

Storage: Store this cake, covered, at room temperature for up to three days or for up to one week in the refrigerator.

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READ MORE - Here is a simple banana cake recipe using a cake mix that is easy and delicious. It can be baked either in a 913-inch pan or in a bundt pan (my preference).

Kids of all ages love chocolate cakes. If you bake one for the first birthday of your child, you will definitely get the reward for being star mom in the form of lots of hugs and kisses from the children at the birthday party. Here is a simple first birthday cake recipes with delicious chocolate frosting.

Items needed for the chocolate cake recipe and frosting:

Cake:

Cocoa powder - 1 cup

Boiling hot water - 2 cups

Soft and unsalted butter at room temperature - 1 cup

Sugar - 2 cups

Eggs - 4

All-purpose flour - 2 cups

Baking soda - 2 teaspoons

A pinch of salt

Vanilla extract or essence - 1 teaspoons

Frosting:

1 packet of semi sweet chocolate chips

cup of half and half cream (you can use full cream too, but add some milk to it)

cup of unsalted butter at room temperature

2 cups of icing sugar

For decoration:

Mixed fruit jam - 1 cup

Edible silver balls - 1 packet

Colorful chocolate gems - 1 packet

Preparing the cake:

Whisk the eggs and sugar in a deep bowl.

Add the butter and whisk some more to get a fluffy texture.

Add the vanilla extract and mix well.

Dissolve the cocoa powder in boiling hot water and let the mix cool.

Add this mix to the butter-egg mix and whisk some more to get a smooth batter.

Mix the dry ingredients together in a separate bowl.

Now add the dry ingredients to the prepared mix, spoon by spoon, and whisk some more to get the cake batter to dropping consistency.

Grease a 9 inch baking pan and pour the batter in the pan.

Bake in a preheated oven at 350F for 35-40 minutes.

After the baking time, remove the cake from the oven and let it cool on a wire rack.

Preparing the frosting:

On a double boiler, melt the chocolate chips and butter.

Remove from heat and stir in the cream and icing sugar.

Whisk to combine well and your chocolate frosting is ready.

Assembling the cake:

Let the cake cool completely before assembling.

Cut the cake in the middle horizontally.

Place the bottom layer on a serving plate.

Spread a generous amount of frosting over the layer and cover with the top layer.

Spread the rest of the frosting on the cake and cover all the sides.

Put the mixed fruit jam in a piping bag and decorate the top and sides of the cake in any design you like.

Use the silver balls and chocolate gems to cover the top and sides of the cake.

Put the prepared cake in the fridge for 2 hours to let everything set before serving.

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READ MORE - Kids of all ages love chocolate cakes. If you bake one for the first birthday of your child, you will definitely get the reward for being star mom in the form of lots of hugs and kisses from the children at the birthday party. Here is a simple first birthday cake recipes with delicious chocolate frosting.

Red is the color of passion and most of the things that you see associated with love are red. Red velvet cake recipe are truly famous when Valentine's day approaches. Here is a simple moist red velvet cake recipe for you to try out this Valentine's Day and enjoy the colors of love.

What you will need:

- All-purpose flour - 2 cups

- Baking soda - 1 teaspoon

- Baking powder - 1 teaspoon

- Salt - 1 teaspoon

- Cocoa powder - 2 packed tablespoons

- Sugar - 2 cups (tradition asks for brown sugar, but white sugar works well too)

- Vegetable oil - 1 1/2 cups

- Eggs - 2 (yolks and whites separated)

- Vanilla - 2 teaspoons

- Red food coloring - 15 ml

- White distilled vinegar - 1 teaspoon

- Plain hot coffee - 1/2 cup

Preparation:

- In a bowl, mix the flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt.

- Preheat the oven to 325F.

- Blend oil and sugar together in a separate bowl until the sugar starts to dissolve. You can use an electric blender for this.

- Take the egg whites and beat them using an eggbeater until you get stiff standing peaks.

- Add the red food coloring to the egg whites and beat for about a minute more. Set it aside.

- In the oil and sugar mix, add the yolks of the eggs along with the vinegar and beat until the sugar dissolves.

- Add the hot coffee and mix well.

- Add the beaten egg whites to the mix and blend well.

- Add the flour mix to the wet mix using a spoon and mix well after each addition.

- Grease two 9-inch baking pans using a little butter and flour.

- Pour the batter in the baking pans equally. Smooth the tops.

- Bake in the preheated oven for 30-40 minutes.

- You will know the cake is done when a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.

- Remove and cool on a wire rack before decorating or cutting in slices to serve.

While the cake is cooling you can prepare the frosting to go with it. Here is a simple recipe for white frosting.

What you will need:

- Cream cheese - 28 grams

- Milk - 2 tablespoons

- Butter - 4 tablespoons (at room temperature)

- Vanilla essence - 1 teaspoon

- Powdered sugar - 2 cups

Preparation:

- In a mixing bowl, beat together the cream cheese, milk and butter.

- Once it is smooth, add the vanilla and powdered sugar, and blend well until you get a smooth thick frosting.

To assemble the cake:

- On a serving plate, place one cake and spread a thick layer of frosting over it.

- Place another cake on top of it and cover with frosting on all sides.

- Chill for a few minutes before serving.

- You can make as many layers of the cake as you want.

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READ MORE - Red is the color of passion and most of the things that you see associated with love are red. Red velvet cake recipe are truly famous when Valentine's day approaches. Here is a simple moist red velvet cake recipe for you to try out this Valentine's Day and enjoy the colors of love.

Want to create the best looking birthday cake for your child's next birthday party? There are a number of steps that you can follow to make sure that you create the perfect cake each and every time. Here is a simple cake decorating guide that you can use to create the best looking cake possible for your kid's upcoming party.

1. Baking the cake. This is probably the easiest step of them all because all you have to do is follow the baking instructions that are provided with the cake mix that you purchased. Sometimes cakes can end up being a little dry. If you want to avoid this, consider adding a tiny bit more of some of the wet ingredients that are used in preparing the cake. One great way that you can increase the moistness of your cake is by adding another egg to the recipe. When the cake has finished cooking, allow it to cool overnight. Consider placing the cake in the refrigerator in order to achieve maximum cooling results.

2. Ice the cake. Before you attempt to do any decorating, make sure you ice the cake completely and smooth out any lumps and bumps that might exist. This initial icing layer should be allowed to cool before you continue with the drawing process. Again, place the cake in the refrigerator in order to let the frosting set up firmly.

3. Prepare your drawing tools. Having a well organized work space with your drawing tools ready and waiting will help make the cake drawing process go much more smoothly. Place all of your drawing accessories and tools in one place, place the cake decorating bags in another, and place the excess colored icing in another. Consider placing your cake decorating bags in tall glass jars, tip end down, to keep them organized and prevent icing messes.

4. Create the easiest decorations first. Draw borders and other large items first since these will be the easiest items to draw. Large bottom borders, top borders, and other large items can be drawn on in order to provide a starting point for other more detailed decorations and drawings.

5. Practice on other surfaces. Before you draw directly on the cake, consider drawing on another surface in order to get the drawing or decoration just right. When you are confident that you have it down, then go ahead and draw on the cake. You can use a cookie sheet or another flat surface as a practice area for your drawings. After each practice attempt, simply scoop up the icing with a spatula and place it back into the cake decorating bag.

6. Use accessories. There are plenty of common kitchen utensils and tools that can be used to make great looking designs. You can use forks, spoons, knives, spatulas, measuring cups, and many other common kitchen items to make creative and original designs for your birthday cake masterpiece. You can also use other items such as candy, nuts, decorating sprinkles, and many other items to create a perfectly decorated cake for your child's birthday party.

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READ MORE - Want to create the best looking birthday cake for your child's next birthday party? There are a number of steps that you can follow to make sure that you create the perfect cake each and every time. Here is a simple cake decorating guide that you can use to create the best looking cake possible for your kid's upcoming party.