August 23, 2021 – National Sponge Cake Day | National Ride The Wind Day

Welcome to August 23rd, 2021 on the National Day Calendar. Today we celebrate challenging new heights in the kitchen and on the runway.

If you enjoy a good baking challenge, set your sights on the airy rise of a perfect sponge cake. One of the most difficult cakes for bakers to master, sponge cake makes the perfect backdrop for berries and cream or even a simple dusting of powdered sugar. And if you are intrigued by this challenge, here are a few tips to ensure your success. Start with sifting the cake flour which makes for a lighter batter. Cake flour is more finely milled and produces a finer crumb. For egg whites that whip to the highest heights use only the freshest eggs. And finally, be sure to add a measure of fun, which is best had by with a friend. On National Sponge Cake Day, don’t be intimidated by this lofty queen of cakes.

For as long as we have been watching birds fly, humankind has wanted to join them. The Wright Brothers achieved this in 1903 with a combustion engine plane, but it turns out that a human powered aircraft was much tougher to build. To create some incentive, the Royal Aeronautical Society announced the Kremer Competition in 1959 with a prize of 50,000 pounds. But the strict figure 8 course was tough to navigate and the prize was not awarded until August 23rd, 1977. That's when Paul MacCready’s Gossamer Condor 2 beat the Japanese Stork and a year’s worth of work paid off big! On National Ride the Wind Day visit the Smithsonian where the Gossamer Condor 2 is displayed next to the Wright Brothers Plane and the Apollo 11 moon capsule.  

I’m Anna Devere and I’m Marlo Anderson. Thanks for joining us as we Celebrate Every Day.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Welcome to August 23rd, 2021 on the National Day Calendar. Today we celebrate challenging new heights in the kitchen and on the runway.

If you enjoy a good baking challenge, set your sights on the airy rise of a perfect sponge cake. One of the most difficult cakes for bakers to master, sponge cake makes the perfect backdrop for berries and cream or even a simple dusting of powdered sugar. And if you are intrigued by this challenge, here are a few tips to ensure your success. Start with sifting the cake flour which makes for a lighter batter. Cake flour is more finely milled and produces a finer crumb. For egg whites that whip to the highest heights use only the freshest eggs. And finally, be sure to add a measure of fun, which is best had by with a friend. On National Sponge Cake Day, don’t be intimidated by this lofty queen of cakes.

For as long as we have been watching birds fly, humankind has wanted to join them. The Wright Brothers achieved this in 1903 with a combustion engine plane, but it turns out that a human powered aircraft was much tougher to build. To create some incentive, the Royal Aeronautical Society announced the Kremer Competition in 1959 with a prize of 50,000 pounds. But the strict figure 8 course was tough to navigate and the prize was not awarded until August 23rd, 1977. That's when Paul MacCready’s Gossamer Condor 2 beat the Japanese Stork and a year’s worth of work paid off big! On National Ride the Wind Day visit the Smithsonian where the Gossamer Condor 2 is displayed next to the Wright Brothers Plane and the Apollo 11 moon capsule.  

I’m Anna Devere and I’m Marlo Anderson. Thanks for joining us as we Celebrate Every Day.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices