tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post4731789263970812943..comments2024-03-28T16:11:36.465+00:00Comments on Separated by a Common Language: cakelynneguisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10171345732985610861noreply@blogger.comBlogger73125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-68109139043620385772022-06-11T23:38:33.305+01:002022-06-11T23:38:33.305+01:00Wow that's funny because I (English)r question...Wow that's funny because I (English)r questioned the us of cake as a general word in this post. I thought well obviously a brownie is very doubtful and a pastry is 100% not a cake! I would never ever consider doughnuts to be a type of cake! But obviously at a minimum you do so maybe I've not noticed it. If I saw a sign like the one pictured I would just assume it was done for convenience rather than that they explicitly thought a croissant was a cake! I also don't think I could say do you want a cake with your tea, it would have to be a slice of cake or some cake.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-21420125107899935372022-06-11T23:30:07.581+01:002022-06-11T23:30:07.581+01:00We have only ever had royal icing on our Christmas...We have only ever had royal icing on our Christmas cakes, but if you were unfortunate enough to have to eat some shop bought Christmas cake in the UK I think it does have fondant icing most of the time. And makes your teeth fall out its it disgustingly sweet.Hannahnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-20267161369258088762022-01-28T16:52:41.667+00:002022-01-28T16:52:41.667+00:00That Tina Fey skit never gets old. Thanks for incl...That Tina Fey skit never gets old. Thanks for including it!Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15474328652992981602noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-22450143371710460702022-01-22T11:16:09.769+00:002022-01-22T11:16:09.769+00:00Aha! I believe that US 'pound cake' is equ...Aha! I believe that US 'pound cake' is equivalent to UK 'madeira cake'. It's a dense=textured plain cake, so-called because slices (it is baked in loaf form) can reasonably be eaten with a fortified wine like Madeira.<br />Similarly, Scottish shortbread (not a bread!) can be eaten with whisky - or with hot tea.<br />biochemisthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02583985909434048932noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-14716569354195556192022-01-20T15:54:50.438+00:002022-01-20T15:54:50.438+00:00There is a class of cake not yet mentioned here: c...There is a class of cake not yet mentioned here: cheesecake. I have no idea whether anything like the US version is a common thing in GB. (The word has a 15th century origin according to Etymonline, so it would seem that some of "cake" with cheese was common at one time.)<br /><br />There's a reasonable argument that "cheesecake" is actually a pie (US version of pie), since it typically has a graham cracker crust with a cheese filling, which is more pie-like IMO than cake-like (using AmE understandings of both 'pie' and 'cake').<br /><br />As to "fruitcake", I always liked them, but I have a contact reaction to walnuts, so while the flavor is good, the experience usually isn't.Doug Sundsethhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12416285410276713188noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-7906606738878172372022-01-19T08:19:45.289+00:002022-01-19T08:19:45.289+00:00From the post: "For the English, cake can be ...From the post: "For the English, cake can be an umbrella term for sweet baked goods eaten in the situations where one usually eats cakes in the narrower sense." See the section on 'cake(s) as sweet baked goods"lynneguisthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10171345732985610861noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-43925691020719667132022-01-19T02:12:07.216+00:002022-01-19T02:12:07.216+00:00Your throwaway comment about strawberry tarts (mmm...Your throwaway comment about strawberry tarts (mmm) brings up another good point about the word "cake" -- In the UK, the broader category of "cake" includes a variety of small pies, tartlets, etc. that Americans would never imagine including as cakes. Those strawberry tarts, for instance, and mince pies.Robbiehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13817438530048331339noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-57280817010475113702022-01-17T17:18:27.490+00:002022-01-17T17:18:27.490+00:00Agreed about the taste differences. But there are ...Agreed about the taste differences. But there are also texture differences to consider. I don't care for most (AmE) cakes because of the taste <i>and</i> because the texture(s) leave me with an uncomfortable feeling in my mouth and throat. <br /><br />That said, pastry donuts – which I love – don't love me back; cake donuts – which are only slightly better than (AmE) cake as far as my mouth and throat are concerned – settle just fine in my tummy. So, whenever there are free doughnuts at the office, I have to make a choice: happy mouth/unhappy tummy, less-than-happy mouth/not-unhappy tummy, or facing intrusive questions/insensitive comments [I used to struggle with trying to gain weight; middle age has cured me of the issue!] about my abstention.AnonymousInNJnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-33502900525282666502022-01-17T04:04:24.380+00:002022-01-17T04:04:24.380+00:00I find it rather odd, too, because the stollens I&...I find it rather odd, too, because the stollens I've encountered have all been pretty obviously yeast-based -- reflected in both <a href="https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/christmas-stollen-almonds-and-marzipan" rel="nofollow">UK</a> and <a href="https://www.kingarthurbaking.com/recipes/christmas-stollen-recipe" rel="nofollow">US</a> recipes. And, as Lynne notes, the American "quick breads" is typically defined as made without yeast, i.e. leavened with some combination of baking powder and baking soda. (Linda Civitello's <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Baking-Powder-Wars-Cutthroat-Revolutionized/dp/0252082591" rel="nofollow">Baking Powder Wars</a> provides an entertaining history of the rise (ahem) of quick quick breads in the US, which were seen as miraculous in the days before commercially standardized yeasts became available.)<br /><br />But, getting back to fruitcake: "jammed together into a loaf without any bread/dough" does kinda describe a few fruitcakes I've encountered, typically made from cheap, poor-quality ingredients -- usually the nastiest of glaceed fruit and stale nuts, without proper soaking and aging. I don't think there's such a thing as a good, cheap fruitcake: good nuts, alcohol, and glaceed fruit are expensive, plus soaking and aging take time and space. But a few excellent fruitcakes are available in the US by mail order: <a href="https://www.gethsemanifarms.org" rel="nofollow">The Abbey of Gethsemani</a> in Kentucky makes marvelous bourbon fruitcake, and the Texas company <a href="https://collinstreet.com/" rel="nofollow">Collin Street Bakery</a> makes a slightly less-expensive that, in good Texas Baptist tradition, has no alcohol (but manages to be pretty good anyway). Christian Johnsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17561529462675001889noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-68559701563844742422022-01-14T09:09:04.338+00:002022-01-14T09:09:04.338+00:00Incidentally, I don't think I've come acro...Incidentally, I don't think I've come across the term "quick bread" before. I'd never think of bread as a type of cake.Paul Dormerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00611343972547300193noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-25097724089624315132022-01-13T17:23:14.322+00:002022-01-13T17:23:14.322+00:00Here's one recipe:
https://www.bbc.co.uk/food...Here's one recipe:<br /><br />https://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/grannys_cake_88424<br /><br />Couldn't get stollen this past Christmas. Must be because of Brexit.Paul Dormerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00611343972547300193noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-12994458056136385872022-01-13T14:29:03.011+00:002022-01-13T14:29:03.011+00:00I have tried to reply several times, with singular...I have tried to reply several times, with singular lack of success (do let me know if it posts multiple times, and I can delete the surplus). Fruit cake is basic cake (not bread) with dried fruit in it. I use this recipe: https://mrsredbootsfood.blogspot.com/2014/05/dundee-cake.htmlMrs Redboots (Annabel Smyth)https://www.blogger.com/profile/11270027663691257254noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-14070477291298972052022-01-13T14:13:08.939+00:002022-01-13T14:13:08.939+00:00It is more of a cake than a quick bread - butter, ...It is more of a cake than a quick bread - butter, sugar, eggs, flour made into a cake mix by the creaming method (I usually substitute prune puree for the butter, as it makes for a moister, less fatty, cake) with dried fruit stirred into it. This is the recipe I usually use: https://mrsredbootsfood.blogspot.com/2014/05/dundee-cake.htmlMrs Redboots (Annabel Smyth)https://www.blogger.com/profile/11270027663691257254noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-7128921286713545642022-01-13T11:14:51.919+00:002022-01-13T11:14:51.919+00:00Although I enjoyed the 2019 novel "Ducks, New...Although I enjoyed the 2019 novel "Ducks, Newburyport" by Lucy Ellmann (who was born in the US, but has lived in the UK since she was a teen), I was constantly distracted by certain little linguistic and cultural oddities. The narrator, who is from Massachusetts and lives in Ohio, uses some jarring Briticisms which Ellmann's American editor really should have caught. Plus, she makes pies and cakes for restaurants, and her specialty, constantly discussed, is a lemon drizzle cake: ok, fine, it's set in 2017 and any American with a keen interest in food could have been exposed to "lemon drizzles" by celebrity chefs and the Great British Bake-Off. But it kept bugging me, because it's presented as something perfectly normal and local, which it is: as a *lemon glaze cake* or a *glazed pound cake*. If it were something more foreign it would be more believable for her to use the British name, but it just didn't ring true to me in the context, which was not that of an urban foodie trying to put on airs. (The lists of foods in the book even go a little overboard in trying to sound uber-Midwestern.) Plus, the book was first published in Britain, and I'm afraid British readers will simply assume that "lemon drizzle cake" is a standard menu item in Ohio.johannahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14789136155160447038noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-27447798724612092572022-01-12T21:40:33.331+00:002022-01-12T21:40:33.331+00:00Maybe this is a dumb question, but what is fruit c...Maybe this is a dumb question, but what is fruit cake? Is it the same product in both countries? My recollection of the few times I encountered it in my life in America (which goes to show how unpopular it is) is that it was diced/minced fruit jammed together into a loaf without any bread/dough. However, when I pull up pictures on google image search, it shows what I would call "fruit bread," i.e., brown quick bread with pieces of fruit suspended in it. My German-heritage family also had "stollen," which is white quick bread with fruit suspended in it, but I would never think to call that "fruit cake."Joel T. Luberhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01425059756986844099noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-46681682346773046082022-01-12T21:28:44.165+00:002022-01-12T21:28:44.165+00:00Because they don't really taste similar at all...Because they don't really taste similar at all? Donuts and pastries both get significant flavor from browning/maillard reaction which most AmE cake doesn't really have. I mean, I'd eat cake if it was put in front of me, but I find it pretty bland generally speaking and would definitely prefer something like a donut or pastry.Joel T. Luberhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01425059756986844099noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-61951776857065664362022-01-08T16:32:39.168+00:002022-01-08T16:32:39.168+00:00Happy New Year, Lynne, from Newark, New Jersey !
...<br />Happy New Year, Lynne, from Newark, New Jersey !<br /><br />I live in the Portugese/Brazilian neighborhood, and they have two varieties of 'fruitcake'. First in 'bolo rei' - 'king cake' - a big circle made from 'Danish pastry' dough, and lots of big pieces of candied fruits, including whole oranges and pineapple slices.\<br /><br />The other has small pieces of candied fruit - no nuts - in a loaf cake made of rich 'yellow cake' batter (cf the cake mix box pictured.)<br /><br />This is known as 'bolo inglese' - 'English cake'<br /> (Apologies if I messed up the Portugese spelling.)<br /><br />Johnhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04502270572434379966noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-40783744306305262202022-01-07T20:39:01.998+00:002022-01-07T20:39:01.998+00:00Our measuring spoons are quarter teaspoon, half te...Our measuring spoons are quarter teaspoon, half teaspoon, teaspoon and tablespoon. No dessert spoon. I believe a teaspoon is still 5 ml, though. A tablespoon is 3 teaspoons.Juliehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14376545097377854998noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-73900827149112912042022-01-03T08:16:51.396+00:002022-01-03T08:16:51.396+00:00Slightly surprised at the surprise, given that the...Slightly surprised at the surprise, given that there's a precedent right in BrE: <a href="https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/tea-cakes" rel="nofollow">teacakes</a>, which don't contain tea any more than coffee cake would contain coffee. <br /><br />And, given that "coffee cake" in the AmE sense is just referring to the accompanying beverage, it embraces a huge range of potential baked goods -- although the default in Starbucks and their ilk is the crumb-cake type that Lynneguist shared.<br /><br />Within my German-from-Russia heritage, "coffee cake" was the typical English word used to describe what we called "kuchen," which literally just meant "cake" but in our context means a pie-like pastry made with a sweet-roll crust and filled with custard and fruit. In our family, the archetypal kuchen was prune (and the reason I love prunes to this day, very weird anymore), <a href="https://germangirlinamerica.com/south-dakota-kuchen-recipe-a-volga-german-legacy/" rel="nofollow">but any fruit will do</a>. Link contains way more detail than reasonable people would want ;). Christian Johnsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17561529462675001889noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-60488324062771604402022-01-03T08:00:12.433+00:002022-01-03T08:00:12.433+00:00I agree, Paul; I've noticed that weight measur...I agree, Paul; I've noticed that weight measurements and scales have become much more common in the US over the last 20 years or so. I suspect it's because today's electronic models take up so little space and are so much easier to use than analog ones were -- and can be had for only $20 or so. To the question of automatic conversion, King Arthur Baking has a great <a href="https://www.kingarthurbaking.com/learn/ingredient-weight-chart" rel="nofollow">chart</a>, although of course it's designed for King Arthur products. I've used it to convert older volume-based recipes, with some adjustment if I'm using other brands of flour and such. Christian Johnsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17561529462675001889noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-52504592638297822022021-12-31T18:03:37.659+00:002021-12-31T18:03:37.659+00:00Actually looking at the website hostesscakes.com s...Actually looking at the website hostesscakes.com shows it to be Hostess and Hostess Brands as the brand and company names, no cakes, despite it's presence in the URL. Could be hostess.com was already taken. (It's definitely in use by another company in the present.)eknoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-12159678065273385912021-12-31T17:59:24.097+00:002021-12-31T17:59:24.097+00:00I had to go read the original post to see what any...I had to go read the original post to see what any sort of tin would have to do with cake, that is, to see what a cake tin might be. I was picturing something you store a cake in. A cooking/baking pan would definitely not be a tin, I would say. (Life long American with no British ancestry.)eknoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-15226508367350982352021-12-31T15:31:15.991+00:002021-12-31T15:31:15.991+00:00The distinctive feature of pound cake is that it h...The distinctive feature of pound cake is that it has a very dense texture with almost no air in it. It's very rich, and I've never seen it flavored, iced, or frosted; I think of it as a specific type, rather than a category. (AmE, middle-aged, Colorado)Dr. Tectonicnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-36199630763037729492021-12-30T23:54:34.846+00:002021-12-30T23:54:34.846+00:00Most serious bakers in the US, and maybe even seri...Most serious bakers in the US, and maybe even serious cooks, will have a scale in their kitchen. The inaccuracies of volume-based measurement are known to a lot of American cooks, as are the solutions. Partly because of the international reach of the internet, I increasingly see US cooking websites citing measurements with both volume and weight based units (though I'm never sure if they just did an automatic conversion or actually tested the weight version). <br /><br />Our measuring spoons follow the same conventions as yours.PaulDavisTheFirsthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18035930367683866712noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-28537740759478395902021-12-30T22:17:42.459+00:002021-12-30T22:17:42.459+00:00My apologies for detracting from the appetizing pa...My apologies for detracting from the appetizing parts of the discussion, but this mention of cakes of soap reminds me of urinal cakes, which I imagine our hostess has not encountered very often.<br /><br />A very quick Google search seems to indicate that this term is common on both sides of the Atlantic.Jonathan Lennoxhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11815647039522251569noreply@blogger.com