Just when you thought that mankind's genius could stretch no further, a solid year of research has given birth to a new apex in cake innovation. Friends, say hello to Spray Cake, the Harvard-bred cake batter in a can.


People have shoved a lot of weird things in aerosol cans over the years, but Harvard Student John McCallum ignored weird and saw the potential for something wonderful. After learning about the chemistry behind what makes cakes rise, the 20-year-old decided to see if the accelerant in aerosol cans, which releases bubbles into the product as it comes out, would also allow cakes to rise without any baking soda or baking powder. Luckily for us, it did.

And after spending months perfecting the recipe in his dorm, McCallum is now in the process of patenting what he ultimately dubbed Spray Cake. Meaning that this could actually become a real thing on your grocery store shelf, and that there's still some hope for the human race yet.


McCallum and his business partner/lady friend Brooke Nowakowski assured The Boston Globe that their fully microwavable product has the same mouthfeel as traditional cakes. And since it comes out pre-risen, it cooks in a fraction of the time (about one minute for a full cake).

Apparently, the two young entrepreneurs have already found a seller and are now just shopping for the manufacturer. What's more? Bakery superstar Joanne Chang has even tasted the cakes and offered her thumb of approval. We'll take 20. [Boston Globe]