Although it may seem so, a cake is not the same as a pie, nor is a pie the same as a tart. What about a cake and a tart? This play on words that can lead to confusion is the result of the widespread use of these terms to refer to pastry preparations that may have similarities between them, but also some differences.
In truth, the terms “cake” and “tartar” are quite similar and are used with few differences in Spain. However, the torta is a different preparation. What all three have in common, apart from being a symbol of celebration and festivity, is that they are doughs made from flour and other ingredients that, after being baked in the oven (with the exception of cold bases made with biscuit and butter) are filled or accompanied with cream, fruit or other ingredients, both sweet and savoury.
What is a cake
According to the RAE, “a cake is a dough made of flour and butter, baked in the oven and usually covered with cream or sweets, and sometimes with meat, fruit or fish.” The concept of cake changes when it is used in non-Spanish-speaking countries, as is the case with the Anglicism cake or the Gallicism gâteau since these types of foreign culinary preparations only allow sweet fillings.
When we talk about cake in Spain or in certain Latin American countries, we can include in the group recipes as appetizing as apple pie or chocolate cake. It would also be possible to mention culinary preparations such as the Dominican pastelón, the Mexican potato pie or the Aztec cake since they are called cakes when they are really savory preparations that have little to do with what we know as cake. The same occurs with recipes as iconic as meat pie, eggplant pie or scorpionfish pie.
What is a Tart?
The RAE defines a tart as a “large cake, generally round in shape, filled with fruit, cream, etc., or sponge cake, almond paste and other types of homogeneous dough”, which undoubtedly gives a good account of its sweet character, although it does not rule out the existence of savoury versions. Likewise, we also use the term tart to refer to preparations based on sweet dough such as puff pastry, shortcrust pastry or shortcrust pastry.
In English-speaking countries, tarts can be filled with both sweet and savoury ingredients. The same happens in France, where tarte can be filled with sweet ingredients, such as tarte Tatin, and savoury ones, such as tarte aux sardines or quiché. The same thing happens in different Spanish-speaking countries, where tarts are referred to as savoury, such as shrimp tart from the Caribbean or Argentinean corn tart.
What is a cake?
As for the cake, it is defined by the RAE as “a flour dough, with other ingredients, in a round shape, that is cooked over a low heat.” Generally, in Spain, cakes are simply that a round flour dough that is baked in the oven and can later be eaten in a similar way to bread or with sugar and cinnamon.
However, in Latin American countries, the cake would be the closest thing to our traditional sponge cake made from eggs, flour, butter, and milk.
Differences between cake, pie, and tart
Cake, tart, and torta may look alike in certain aspects, especially cake and tart, but they are different preparations, especially from the perspective of Spain. Cake is a pastry that encases sweet and savoury fillings and is also often offered in individual portions in Spain. Tart, unlike cake, is usually always large and only allows for sweet fillings, being a preparation meant to be shared. Torta is the most different in terms of preparation and texture, as it is simply a single-layer flour dough that, together with other ingredients – often sweet – and after being baked in the oven, can be eaten as is.
Etymological differences
The first clear difference is etymological: From the Latin pastellus, diminutive of pasta or dough, the word “cake” comes from the Greek πάστη “pasté”, which is how flour doughs with sauces were called. In fact, the first cake dates back to the Olympic Games in Ancient Greece, where they made a kind of cake by mixing flour with beaten cheese and honey to feed the athletes who participated in the famous games.
The word “cake” comes from the French ” tourte ” which in turn is a word adopted from the Latin word torta panis, a round loaf of bread. Although the French borrowed the word from Latin, it was the Egyptians who made the first cake by mixing flour with milk or water and honey and baking this dough in the sun on a stone.
As for the word “torta”, the same word used in Old Spanish “torta” has been directly adopted, which in turn comes from the Latin words tortam or twisted and panem, bread. The first to create a recipe of this nature were the Egyptians, who gave cakes such importance that the processes of making such a precious food were engraved on the walls of their temples and tombs.
Shape and flavor
When we refer to a cake itself, it is usually the classic, large, and round one. But what if we change the plural and refer to cakes? They can be of the most varied shapes: round, square, oval, elongated, flattened or rectangular, and beyond definitions, no one prevents us from giving them the shape we want. And as for flavor, there are thousands of combinations between the dough, the filling, and the toppings: Berliners, coulants, profiteroles, Belem cakes or petit fours are some examples of all the varieties that we can find in bakeries.
Cakes can be “generally round” according to the RAE… but also square or rectangular, for example. In addition, they always tend to have a height that does not exceed 3 or 4 layers of sponge cake or cookies. They differ from cakes in the texture of the base and the filling, which can vary between fruits, jams, creams, and other sweet preparations. We can highlight the grandmother’s biscuit and chocolate cake, the three-chocolate cake or the classic apple pie.
If we are talking about cakes, in Spain they are simply a simple preparation made from flour, olive oil, sugar, anise and salt that once baked is flat and round in shape , and has a crunchy texture. It would be quite different to use this term in Latin American countries, where they call cake what we know as sponge cake, whether it is the classic sponge cake, called vanilla cake, or more complex preparations such as marbled cake.