Celebrate Pi Day! Here are 3.14 great cake recipes to try tonight

If you were looking for an excuse or occasion to make cake, mathematicians have one for you. On March 14, math buffs like me celebrate Pi Day, the number that represents the relationship between the circumference of a circle and its diameter.

Denoted by the Greek letter π, this peculiar number is generally known as approximately 3.14. Although in most cases its rounded version is used, in 2022 computers will be able to calculate it up to 100 trillion digits. This is why pi is puzzling: it is an irrational number, the sequence 3.14159265358979323846… continues for eternity without following a single pattern and never repeating itself.

Pi helps us calculate the immensity of space, explains how stripes and stains emerge in animal fur coats and understand much more about life. On March 12, 2009, the United States House of Representatives passed a bill recognizing Pi Day. Around the world, people honor Pi in various ways.

The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, for example, has a Pi Day Challenge, encouraging audiences to solve math problems and think like scientists (try these pretests). Various schools and organizations organize pi digit memorization contests. The Massachusetts Institute of Technology honors Pi Day in a more unique way. Every March 14, the university releases its decision letters to prospective students at 6:28 pm Eastern Time to honor tau, which doubles the value of pi.

For food (and math) lovers, pi-related discounts ($3.14 for an 11-inch pizza) in restaurants that sell circular food or offer endless pie-eating contests might be enough to commemorate the holiday. But if you were hoping to get into the kitchen and make cakes from scratch like me, here are 3.14 recipes for the best cake to make on Pi Day: three cakes and a cake bar.

The forest strawberry cake, a cake with red fruit jam and a rich layer of chocolate pudding, is a draw for those who love the flavors of the traditional Black Forest cake. Its creamy texture when cold provides a lightness to balance its intense flavors.

If you prefer a mix of fruits in your desserts, you might like the Creamy “Fruit Tart” Tart. Persimmons, plums, figs and kiwis create a harmony of brightness and color. But if you like desserts with a salty twist, Fresh Raspberry Pie's graham cracker crust will hit the spot.

Pi is derived from circles; Experiment with a circular cake shape and make blueberry pie bars. Its fruity, floral and citrus flavors will conquer you.

No matter how big or small you choose to make your cakes: the proportion, pi, remains the same. But maybe follow the measurements in the following recipes for a successful cake.