Cake Rusk

In a country like India where every hour is a tea-and-biscuit hour, it is evident why Cake Rusks are such an intrinsic part of India’s culinary culture. The hardened toasts are sweet and firm, making them the perfect vehicle to be dunked in a cup of frothy, milky tea. The tea softens the toast so that it melts in your mouth.

Made with flour, sugar, butter, baking powder and a pinch of vanilla essence, Cake Rusks are made by rolling out the dough in a cylindrical shape, baking and slicing it, then dehydrating the slices slowly in an oven until the sides become burnished brown and the toasts become brittle and hard.

The presence of Cake Rusks is ubiquitous across many cultures. At different times and across different regions, Cake Rusks have been created, consumed and widely loved. In ancient Europe, for instance, there was a prevalent practice to eat dry, stale bread. Similarly, in 7th-century Persia, a type of cake bread was made that may have been the spiritual ancestors of contemporary Cake Toasts. The invention may have been a result of needing to preserve bread dough for longer in extremely hot temperatures. Once baked, the Cake Toasts could be stored for weeks without them becoming inedible.

However, the earliest mention of the word "rusk" can be traced back to 1595 across recipes from the reign of Elizabeth I. These breads were made with butter, sugar and eggs, and were baked twice over in the oven. The biscuits were dried out so that they could remain fresh for long during naval wars.

The subcontinent’s first brush with Cake Rusks may have taken place during British rule. These biscuits, which had been dried and then preserved in tin cans, were served on ships during teatime. Today, Cake Rusks are mass-produced by almost all home-grown bakeries and biscuit manufacturers, attesting to the popularity of this unassuming cake and biscuit hybrid.