We’ve been cutting cakes the same way since time immemorial: from the center point outward, in triangular wedges. The argument against this classic method is if you’re not serving the entire cake that day—if you’re refrigerating leftovers—the exposed sponge will invariably dry up and not be as fresh and moist as the freshly cut side. This makes all the sense in the world. The team at Numberphile has dug up a method from a British mathematician who proposes a better way to cut cakes, one that minimizes sponge exposure to air. If anything, it feels very satisfying to push the cut pieces back together.
