# American cake names **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [April 3, 2019, 6:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-cake-names/831989 "2019-04-03T18:16:00Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![romansperson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/romansperson/32/17100_2.png) [@romansperson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/romansperson)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2019, 8:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-cake-names/831989/21 "2019-04-03T20:47:01Z")
I have a book called [_United Cakes of America_](https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00P1VOU54/ref=dp-kindle-redirect?_encoding=UTF8&btkr=1), and a couple of entries in there are the [Dover Cake](http://www.beckyldiamond.com/beckys-blog/blog-coming-soon) and the [Smith Island Cake](https://www.finecooking.com/recipe/smith-island-cake). ---
**Author:** ![MsJinx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/278dde/32.png) [@MsJinx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MsJinx)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2019, 8:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-cake-names/831989/22 "2019-04-03T20:59:42Z")
Poke cake, maybe called Jello Cake - after your white cake is done, you use the handle of a wooden spoon to poke holes in it, pour in jello, and refrigerate. This makes a very moist cake. Some of my midwest family still makes something called a Texas Sheet Cake for special occasions. I’m not sure what it is (heard about it, not there for the occasion where it was served). ---
**Author:** ![ivylass](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/9de053/32.png) [@ivylass](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ivylass)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2019, 9:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-cake-names/831989/23 "2019-04-03T21:08:37Z")
On the flip side, why are gingersnaps called ginger nut biscuits over in England? There are no nuts and it’s a cookie, not a biscuit (I know, biscuits can = cookies in England.) Also, ginger-nut are soft cookies, which I like better than the crunchy kind. ---
**Author:** ![DrCube](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a3d4f5/32.png) [@DrCube](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrCube)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2019, 9:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-cake-names/831989/24 "2019-04-03T21:28:52Z")
> [@guestchaz](#): > > Boston Creme Pie? > The version I had was NOT pie but two cakes with a layer or creme filling about the thickness of another cake between. I like to think of Boston Creme Pie as being a big [Whoopie Pie](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Whoopie_pie). Which just pushes the “why do they call this cake a pie?” question back one step, I know. ---
**Author:** ![Kimstu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ecd19e/32.png) [@Kimstu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimstu)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2019, 10:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-cake-names/831989/25 "2019-04-03T22:18:09Z")
So-called [“coffee cake”](https://www.google.com/search?client=safari&rls=en&q=coffee+cake+recipe&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8) is usually a simple yellow cake recipe with cinnamon-sugar streusel and/or sour cream in it somewhere. Does not contain coffee. [Ambrosia cake](https://www.google.com/search?client=safari&rls=en&q=ambrosia+cake&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8) is a cakeified version of a Southern US dessert called ambrosia, typically containing coconut, orange and marshmallow. ---
**Author:** ![Kimstu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ecd19e/32.png) [@Kimstu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimstu)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2019, 10:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-cake-names/831989/26 "2019-04-03T22:21:36Z")
Oh yeah, and [pound cake](https://www.google.com/search?client=safari&rls=en&q=pound+cake+recipe&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8) is a yellow cake traditionally containing one pound each of butter, flour, sugar and eggs, though modern recipes vary that a bit. That’s not a particularly fancy cake name but it’s not exactly self-explanatory like “chocolate cake”. ---
**Author:** ![Roderick\_Femm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/roderick_femm/32/14875_2.png) [@Roderick\_Femm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Roderick_Femm)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2019, 11:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-cake-names/831989/27 "2019-04-03T23:02:42Z")
You can see a lot of these being made on older episodes of Martha Stewart Bakes, where she would dive into a region of the US and make some of its specialties. I specifically remember Lane cake, and there were lots of others that I had never heard of or seen before. More recent episodes seem to be focusing on middle eastern food. Maybe she ran out of regions in the US to explore. Or maybe she is paying the piper for one of her “sponsors.” ---
**Author:** ![Chicken\_Fingers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/51bf81/32.png) [@Chicken\_Fingers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chicken_Fingers)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2019, 11:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-cake-names/831989/28 "2019-04-03T23:17:55Z")
For extra confusion, make some crab cakes and johnny cakes. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2019, 11:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-cake-names/831989/29 "2019-04-03T23:34:46Z")
But you should pass on the urinal cake. ---
**Author:** ![romansperson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/romansperson/32/17100_2.png) [@romansperson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/romansperson)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2019, 11:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-cake-names/831989/30 "2019-04-03T23:36:57Z")
> [@MsJinx](#): > > Some of my midwest family still makes something called a Texas Sheet Cake for special occasions. I’m not sure what it is (heard about it, not there for the occasion where it was served). It’s a single-layer very sweet chocolate cake with chocolate icing made in a 9x13 pan. ---
**Author:** ![needscoffee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/needscoffee/32/1076_2.png) [@needscoffee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/needscoffee)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2019, 12:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-cake-names/831989/31 "2019-04-04T00:07:34Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > But you should pass on the urinal cake. I literally almost spewed a mouthful of coffee! ---
**Author:** ![Chicken\_Fingers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/51bf81/32.png) [@Chicken\_Fingers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chicken_Fingers)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2019, 12:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-cake-names/831989/32 "2019-04-04T00:45:06Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > But you should pass on the urinal cake. The cake is a lie! ---
**Author:** ![D\_Anconia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/67e7ee/32.png) [@D\_Anconia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/D_Anconia)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2019, 1:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-cake-names/831989/33 "2019-04-04T01:31:41Z")
> [@Kimstu](#): > > So-called [“coffee cake”](https://www.google.com/search?client=safari&rls=en&q=coffee+cake+recipe&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8) is usually a simple yellow cake recipe with cinnamon-sugar streusel and/or sour cream in it somewhere. Does not contain coffee. No kidding. :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![Sodalite](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/34f0e0/32.png) [@Sodalite](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sodalite)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2019, 1:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-cake-names/831989/34 "2019-04-04T01:40:40Z")
Chiffon cake, which is a description of the finished cake texture rather than flavor or ingredients. If you say you’re making a layer cake or a sheet cake most people would get it. Chiffon is not one you can guess. ---
**Author:** ![SanVito](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sanvito/32/2805_2.png) [@SanVito](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SanVito)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2019, 10:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-cake-names/831989/35 "2019-04-04T10:38:05Z")
> [@ivylass](#): > > On the flip side, why are gingersnaps called ginger nut biscuits over in England? There are no nuts and it’s a cookie, not a biscuit (I know, biscuits can = cookies in England.) > > Also, ginger-nut are soft cookies, which I like better than the crunchy kind. Because nuts are hard, and so are ginger biscuits? And yes, they ARE biscuits. Cookies are American, and softish. Gingernuts are hard and, to me, feel decidedly British biscuit-ish. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2019, 11:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-cake-names/831989/36 "2019-04-04T11:35:52Z")
I’m not much of a dessert person, but I’ll occasionally enjoy Tiramisu with an espresso after dinner. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2019, 11:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-cake-names/831989/37 "2019-04-04T11:51:14Z")
Coffee cake is so named because it’s meant to be consumed with coffee. ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2019, 2:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-cake-names/831989/38 "2019-04-04T14:18:43Z")
Then there are [Teacakes](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Teacake). Exactly what they are apparently depends on where you eat them. > [@](#): > > A teacake in England is generally a light yeast-based sweet bun containing dried fruit, typically served toasted and buttered. In the U.S. teacakes can be cookies or small cakes. In Sweden they are soft round flat wheat breads made with milk and a little sugar, and used to make sandwiches, with butter, and for example ham and/or cheese. In India and Australia a teacake is more like a sponge cake. Tea refers to the popular beverage to which these baked goods are an accompaniment. ---
**Author:** ![Kimstu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ecd19e/32.png) [@Kimstu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimstu)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2019, 2:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-cake-names/831989/39 "2019-04-04T14:24:05Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > Coffee cake is so named because it’s meant to be consumed with coffee. Yes, I know. I mentioned it because it falls in the OP’s category of “American cake names that aren’t simple self-explanatory descriptions of what’s in the cake”. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2019, 2:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-cake-names/831989/40 "2019-04-04T14:26:55Z")
> [@Sodalite](#): > > Chiffon cake, which is a description of the finished cake texture rather than flavor or ingredients. If you say you’re making a layer cake or a sheet cake most people would get it. Chiffon is not one you can guess. I’ve never had it, but I always assumed it’s some type of meringue, based on the name. Looking at the ingredients, it seems like that’s what it is, more-or-less, though somebody who’s had it can maybe describe it a bit better. I don’t think the name is _that_ abstruse. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-cake-names/831989.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-cake-names/831989.md?page=3)