What Is Bumpy Cake And What's It Made Of?

If you're craving a cake that offers a slightly more unusual appearance, a bumpy cake might be what you're seeking. Although the topping may be a little lumpy looking, a bumpy cake combines all the usual elements of a cake: The baked dessert — typically a chocolate-flavored cake — plus frosting on top. But the cake's biggest defining characteristic is the way its frosting is piped. Rather than being smoothed over the entire sponge, the icing is instead piped out in the form of a few long lines down the length of the cake. Then, to tie the cake's appearance together, the entire dessert is covered in a layer of chocolate ganache.

So long as you have a cake, some frosting, and a ganache topping, you can swap in any cake and frosting flavors you prefer — just be sure to leave those frosting ridges on top. The original chocolate cake topped with vanilla buttercream and chocolate ganache, though, was invented over a century ago in Detroit, Michigan, and it remains an iconic cake of the Midwest state.

Bumpy cake was first created in Detroit by Sanders Chocolate Company. The founder of the candy shop, Fred Sanders, was inspired by his father's love of devil's food cake; the difference from regular cake being a little extra baking soda than standard chocolate cake. Sanders wanted to create a dessert in his father's memory. In 1912, he combined the cake with lines of frosting. The lines were an accident, though: Sanders ran out of icing while practicing but ran with it anyway after deciding a few lines were better than nothing.

After a layer of fudgy chocolate ganache covered the four frosting lines, the top of the cake earned its signature "bumpy" look. Sanders originally called it the "Devil's Food Buttercream Cake" but changed its name when customers frequently requested "the cake with the bumps," according to the Sanders website. Fortunately for the company, the unusual cake shape proved to be a hit.

In the century since its invention, the popularity of the confection has boomed. The company has even embraced other flavor variations, like caramel and vanilla buttercream. Sanders now produces the dessert to be sold in grocery stores like Meijer and Kroger throughout the region. If you don't live close to a store selling the dessert, though, the company will ship its products all over the United States.

Fortunately, if you aren't able to purchase a bumpy cake from the original inventors, making it yourself is pretty straightforward. All you'll need to do is prepare your favorite flavor of cake. Then, after it bakes, fill a piping bag with frosting and squeeze out some lines down the length of the cake. To create an easier guideline, you can even scoop out a little bit of the cake. Simply take a spoon and carefully carve the lines down the top of the cake. This may be a little easier if you freeze or refrigerate your cake before scraping it; it could prevent the crumbs from flaking off into the frosting.

Once the frosting lines are in place, you'll want to put the cake in the freezer to allow it to set. This will ensure that the frosting stays rigid and holds its shape once the warm chocolate ganache is poured on top. But once the cake has been decorated, you can slice right through those ridges to serve up slices.