A slice of cake.

So next on the list is cake. There is so much to say on this subject so I have sliced it in to more suitable portions … well, thirds!

Cake seems to be a word that covers all types of puddings, desserts and tea-time treats but what really is cake? The word itself originates from an Old Norse word ‘kaka,’ but the real definition of cake is quite elusive. Different people define it in different ways, and different countries have different definitions.  In Italy, cake translates as ‘torta’ but in Britain we would consider ‘torta’ to be a tart which isn’t really cake at all.  In France, ‘gâteau’ means cake, but we have translated this as a sort of pudding layered cake with fresh cream and fruit rather than an actual cake.



Sweet and tasty, but not Cake.



Cheesecakes, teacakes, Eccles cakes, cream cakes and pancakes are all fakes in my opinion. As are muffins (English and American), pastries, tarts, and buns. On the other hand, I would put banana bread and gingerbread under a cake heading, despite their name.

So what is my cake definition? Really, I have decided this based on my own taste preferences because when I want a cake, bake a cake, or crave cake, it is a sponge I want. The soft, holey texture that crumbles down your top as you devour it. The  sticky sweet toppings or fillings, such as buttercream, jam, fondant, frosting, icing or marzipan, which adorn the plain sponge in a way that tempts you to simply eat the topping separately to the cake. Although you know the pure sugary sweetness would make you regret such a choice, cake needs toppings and fillings but the toppings and fillings need the cake too. They have achieved a successful, edible relationship.

A True Cake.

In my book, these are the real cakes. The Birthday cakes, Christmas cakes, Fairy-cakes, Sandwich cakes and Cup-cakes, all made with flour, butter, sugar, eggs, flavouring and leavening. These are the cakes I want daily. The cakes that send me to fat-fighting clubs. The cakes that made me want to bake. And, with one exception, (see my earlier post!) the cakes that I truly love.

Of all the beauty in the world,

From sea to sky above,

There can be no beauty greater,
Than chocolate, cake and love.

I'll begin with chocolate.



A common misconception, or perhaps lie I have followed, is that I adore chocolate cake.  I do love chocolate (well I love a certain glass and a half brand), and I do love cake but together they don't impress me. This is not to say that I'm not partial to the rich velvet of a chocolate mousse,  the smooth, slightly cloying filling of a chocolate tart or even the buttery crumble of a chocolate studded cookie, but an actual chocolate cake? No thank-you. Even if it's dressed up with a new name like 'Devil's food cake' or 'Fudge cake,' the cake never tastes like actual chocolate.

Of course, I would eat and thoroughly enjoy a slice if I was offered a piece. And I wouldn't ever say no. But that moment, in a restaurant or, better still, cafe/coffee shop, when you're presented with an array of huge frosted cakes or a menu of desserts, it wouldn't be the chocolate cake I'd choose. I wouldn't even read the description. My greedy eyes would skim over it, ignore it, write it off instantly from the choices and look instead to something vanilla-ry.

Chocolate, cake and love.
There is a comma on purpose.