What's A Cake?

[KYHeirloomer]

Been watching the Food Network challanges, on and off, and I've got a question. Just what is a cake? I'm serious.

I do not come from a baking tradition, and think of a cake as something made of flour, sugar, liquid, eggs, flavorings, all of which gets covered (sometimes) with icing.

Then I watch those artists at work. They are incredible, each and every one of them; combining as they do the skills of baker, sugar worker, sculpter, painter, and engineer. I admire them. I really and truly do.

However, when you start to analyze their creations, and back away the candies, and spun-blown-molded sugar, and fondant, and non-edible support structures, well----I would call what they do confections.

So, I'm back to the basic question: Just how is "cake" defined??

[m brown]

the rules of the challenge are made known to the participants.
sometimes cake is 50%, 75% or 85% of the item.
i find it far more compelling when the cake is used instead of the wood structure and rice crispy treats.

that doughnut was a panic on the last challenge and the winners cake really popped with clear cartoon color and many elements... tough to judge!

[KYHeirloomer]

I'm not particularly concerned with the challange rules. That's an artificial environment at best.

What I'm asking is how a cake is defined in the everyday world. Certainly many bakers' show pieces use the same ingredients, materials, and techniques as are used on the challange. But is it still a cake with less than half the total is, ummmmmm, cake?

That's really what I'm trying to find out. What makes a cake a cake?

And I agree about the doughnut, and disagree with the judges' evaluation. I think it truly represented the movie based on its promotion. Ah, well. Not the first time I had to wonder if food network judges were watching the same competition I was.

[m brown]

Cake is a bread like baked item made with sugar, flour, eggs, liquids, flavors/colors,leavening....
Cake is a hashed up food product in patty shape ususally fried, like fish cakes...
Cake is a band...
Cake can be leavened or unleavened....
Cake can be a mess in the oven as in "baked on caked on mess."...

A cake should, imho, mostly cake!

Piece Monte (sp) is something that incorporates many diciplins of pastry making.
Center Piece, Sculpture, Sugar Piece, Wood Shop ... there are other names to be used.