baby caken.

a1637 B. Jonson Christmas his Masque 6 in Wks. (1640) III But who is this? O' my daughter Sis Mince-pie, with her doe not dally On paine o' your life... Last, Baby-cake, that an end doth make of Christmas merrie.

1825 ‘M. O'Tara’ Thomas Fitz-Gerald I. ii. 61 A group of children,..had been playing their little games for baby cakes and counters.

1854 Musical Times Jan. 314/1 The Christians of the middle ages converted into these kings [i.e., the kings of the feast] the ‘wise men of the East’, who are described as bringing presents to the infant Jesus; the cake and its ornaments (formerly called among us the Baby Cake) were the presents which they brought.

1878 Manch. City News 20 Apr. 22/1 At home we had St. Michael's bannock for Michaelmas, the carvis, or seed-cake for Allhallow Eve, and for Christmas the youle-dough or baby-cake,..and the shred or mince-pie; with spiced-bread and sugared cake for Twelfth Night.

1884 Harper's Young People 23 Dec. 114/2 What please the children most are the little Yule-doughs, or baby cakes—quaint little images made of paste and baked a fine light brown; and they have great sport over these old-time Christmas dolls.

1891 Cent. Dict. Yule dough,..a cake made especially for Christmas time. Also called baby-cake (because representing in shape a baby, probably the infant Christ) and Yule cake.

1978 ELH 45 218 Jonson's mummers..are each one of the customs necessary to make a ‘right Christmas’:..Wassail, Offering, and last of all, baby Cake, a special cake eaten at Epiphany.

2001 W. D. Crump Christmas Encycl. 101/2 (caption) Two spicy Yule Dollies... On the left is a Baby Cake, the image of the Christ Child in swaddling clothes.

1880 Gleason's Monthly Compan. Jan. 20/1 ‘That's a five-center sure,’ he thought. ‘I wonder if it's bigger'n five penny ones!’ and he glanced critically at the baby cakes nestling below.

1893 North-eastern Daily Gaz. 12 May A plate of tiny fancy cakes was passed at the table. Freddy, the elder boy, looked at the diminutive ‘baby cakes’ a moment and then took two.

1946 Sioux County Capital (Orange City, Iowa) 7 Feb. 8/1 Baby cakes, cookies, bon bons and salted nuts were furnished in abundance.

1959 N.Y. Times 16 Dec. 53/1 As pretty a package of Lebkuchen as you could wish to see. These spicy little cakes, some of them chocolate covered, cost $3 for twelve ounces (about fourteen baby cakes).

1997 Arkansas Democrat-Gaz. (Nexis) 11 June 1 e For Angel Food Baby Cakes With Whipped Cream and Diced Strawberries use miniature angel food pans.

2003 A. Roker Hassle-free Holiday Cookbk. 258 Not only do these cupcakes taste great..but you have less waste because they're individual baby cakes.

1949 Life 26 Sept. 139 (caption) Bakewell's Champions line up in front of kennels. From the front: Baby Cakes, Matchmaker, Fancy Free, Bon Diable and Shed of Arden.

1968 H. Lit Unbelievable Dict. Hip Words 2 Baby cakes, a name for someone you truly dig, but mostly your main chick or girl.

1973 Los Angeles Times 19 Dec. a1/1 [He] was..telling about wintering over [in Antarctica] with such characters as ‘Zoo’, ‘Col. Klink’, ‘Baby Cake’, ‘Super Wrench’ and ‘Hoppy’.

1982 M. Rodgers Summer Switch v. 42 ‘Oh, come off it, baby cakes, what're you giving me?’ she purred.

2008 M. Bliss Dying for Dinner viii. 98 See, it's really pretty easy when you just know what to look for. What else do you need, babycakes?