Bento cakes have been one of the hottest confectionery trends in the last two or three years, and their popularity shows no sign of slowing down. What exactly is this dessert, and why is it so popular? Although the word "bento" is Japanese, these small, cute cakes are considered to have originated in South Korea. There, they are known as "saenil cake," which translates as "birthday cake." They were originally conceived as a kind of edible card and gift at the same time: a greeting or wish is usually written on the surface. While a typical birthday cake is designed to share with all guests and is therefore quite large, a bento cake is specifically addressed to the birthday person. This explains the miniature size: typically, the dessert can be divided into a maximum of four servings.