Survey says: You can't have a party without cake

Birthdays, graduations, retirements, weddings share something in common: cake.

Nearly half of those polled say they prefer to celebrate with cake, according to those in the know at Wilton Industries, the Woodridge-based manufacturer of bakeware, cake-decorating materials and home celebration products.

Pie came in a distant second with 15 percent; brownies are gaining ground with 8 percent.

And believe it or not, some 45 percent say they prefer baking from scratch. For those 25 and older, 58 percent bake from scratch while the number falls to 37 percent in the 18- to 24-year-old category.

The company, which started in the Wilton family's Chicago home, recently celebrated its 80th anniversary. Students from every state and from 85 countries have attended classes at the Wilton School of Cake Decorating and Confectionery Art, now in Darien. In 2007, more than 220,000 students learned the Wilton Method of cake decorating at neighborhood locations, such as craft stores and kitchen shops.

Classes at the Darien facility cover everything from cookie baking and fondant basics to pulled sugar and candy making. Check out the current schedule at wilton.com/classes.

Warrior walnuts: New research shows that two servings of walnuts a day reduces the growth of breast cancer tumors, in mice at least.

In the study, funded equally by the American Institute for Cancer Research and the California Walnut Commission and published in the journal Nutrition and Cancer, researchers fed ground walnuts to mice injected with human breast cancer. The dose was equivalent to 2 ounces (28 walnut halves) in humans. After 35 days, the breast-cancer tumors of the walnut-fed mice were only about half the size of the tumors in the mice that were fed a corn-oil based diet.

Researchers point to walnut's alpha-linolenic acid, a type of omega-3 fatty acid, as the cancer fighter.

"Walnuts are one of the few plant foods that contain this kind of omega-3 fat, which protects against heart disease, inflammation and - potentially - cancer as well," said Karen Collins, spokeswoman for the cancer institute. Canola oil and flaxseed also contain ALA.

Nutty snack ideas: So now that you know walnuts can be good for you, how can you get more into your diet? The California Walnut Commission has these snack ideas:

• Coat walnuts with your favorite spice mixture; keep at your desk or in the car.

• Add walnuts to heart-healthy trail mixes.

• Layer chopped walnuts in parfaits to give each spoonful a crunch, or blend with bananas and yogurt into a smoothie.

• Chop and add to fruit salad.

• Wrap walnuts in fruit leather roll-ups for a kid-friendly treat.

• Puree with chickpeas for hummus dip.

• Mix finely chopped walnuts into jams; spread on whole-grain toast. Keep in mind that walnuts, which also contain a fair amount of fiber, do pack a lot of calories into a relatively small portion.

"It's not a matter of adding extra handfuls of walnuts to your normal diet, it's about substituting walnuts for other foods so you don't increase your calorie consumption, Collins said.

Sweet history lesson: Libertyville pastry chef Mark Seaman of Marked for Dessert will satisfy your historical sweet tooth from 10 a.m. to noon Saturday, Oct. 11, at Kendall College, 900 North Branch St., Chicago.

Seaman, who also owns a Chicago pastry shop of the same name, will share creations from his shop as he discusses the impact the French Revolution had on some of France's best-known pastries and desserts and tells about regional and class differences among pastries.

The lecture program costs $5, $3 for students and members and free for Culinary Historians of Chicago members.

To reserve, call Barbara Olson at (708) 788-0338, or e-mail your reservation to rsvpchc@yahoo.com.

If you can't join Mark Saturday, check out his Web site, markedfordessert.com, for information about classes and a spring tour of Paris and Lyon.

• Contact Food Editor Deborah Pankey at (847) 427-4524, food@dailyherald.com or c/o Daily Herald, P.O. Box 280, Arlington Heights IL 60005.

Libertyville pastry chef Mark Seaman of Marked for Dessert.