# Why is Carrot Cake considered a cake and Bananna Bread considered a bread? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** food-cooking\ **Created:** [March 16, 2022, 2:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-carrot-cake-considered-a-cake-and-bananna-bread-considered-a-bread/961149 "2022-03-16T02:22:33Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2022, 3:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-carrot-cake-considered-a-cake-and-bananna-bread-considered-a-bread/961149/21 "2022-03-16T03:12:13Z")
> [@DocCathode](#): > > And what is the difference exactly between cupcakes and muffins then??? - > [@Slithy\_Tove](#): > > Frosting and eating after noon. - According to Jim Gaffigan, a muffin is a bald cupcake. ---
**Author:** ![ParallelLines](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/parallellines/32/3575_2.png) [@ParallelLines](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ParallelLines)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2022, 3:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-carrot-cake-considered-a-cake-and-bananna-bread-considered-a-bread/961149/22 "2022-03-16T03:14:20Z")
this is going to be one of those ‘pineapple on pizza’ threads isn’t it? Anyway, my $0.02, is that people who name something ‘bread’ even though it’s packed with sugar, are trying to upsell the healthiness of what is otherwise a cake. Carrot cake is cake. Most Banana and Zucchini Breads (the two biggest categories in the faux-healthy category) would also be cake by sugar volume. Then again, Americans are infamous for packing even non-dessert breads with uncomfortable amounts of sugar, so I shouldn’t be surprised. See also Subway’s bread vs cake issues overseas. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![DSeid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dseid/32/20194_2.png) [@DSeid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DSeid)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2022, 3:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-carrot-cake-considered-a-cake-and-bananna-bread-considered-a-bread/961149/23 "2022-03-16T03:23:55Z")
My first impulse was that bananas are generally thought of as sweet so the product is relative to that framing not so sweet, but carrots are framed as a vegetable, so relative to that frame the product is sweet. But the zucchini bread throws that out the window. But zucchini cake alliterates better too. Still I think it is just how it rolls off the tongue with form factors following. ---
**Author:** ![Baker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bb73d2/32.png) [@Baker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baker)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2022, 3:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-carrot-cake-considered-a-cake-and-bananna-bread-considered-a-bread/961149/24 "2022-03-16T03:33:50Z")
Quick breads differ from dessert cake in the relative amounts of fats and sugar. I have recipes for banana bread and banana cake. The former is from my workplace and the latter is from my maternal grandmother. Banana cake is usually just made in sheet cake form but there’s no reason it can’t be done in round layers. And banana bread doesn’t usually get iced, as cake does. I have seen it with a runny glaze though. ---
**Author:** ![Tatterdemalion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/43a26b/32.png) [@Tatterdemalion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tatterdemalion)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2022, 4:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-carrot-cake-considered-a-cake-and-bananna-bread-considered-a-bread/961149/25 "2022-03-16T04:46:06Z")
According to Alton Brown, they’re both muffins. ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2022, 5:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-carrot-cake-considered-a-cake-and-bananna-bread-considered-a-bread/961149/26 "2022-03-16T05:12:56Z")
Bread flour is simply wheat flour with a higher gluten content, usually because it’s made from a variety of wheat that has a higher gluten content to begin with. Quick breads like banana bread, or carrot cake for that matter, can be made with GF grains. ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2022, 5:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-carrot-cake-considered-a-cake-and-bananna-bread-considered-a-bread/961149/27 "2022-03-16T05:15:48Z")
I’ve heard of similar sweet breads or muffins made with beets, and even parsnips. ---
**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:** [March 16, 2022, 12:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-carrot-cake-considered-a-cake-and-bananna-bread-considered-a-bread/961149/28 "2022-03-16T12:36:56Z")
I’ve had coffee cake that was obviously a bread, but whoever heard of coffee bread? ---
**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:** [March 16, 2022, 2:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-carrot-cake-considered-a-cake-and-bananna-bread-considered-a-bread/961149/29 "2022-03-16T14:06:46Z")
Banana bread usually has more cohesion than carrot cake, in that you can hold a slice of banana bread in your hand without it falling apart. But both have less cohesion than just-plain-bread. ---
**Author:** ![dolphinboy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dolphinboy/32/330_2.png) [@dolphinboy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dolphinboy)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2022, 2:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-carrot-cake-considered-a-cake-and-bananna-bread-considered-a-bread/961149/30 "2022-03-16T14:12:01Z")
You can’t hold my banana bread in your hand without it falling apart, and I’ve eaten my fair share of dry carrot cake that you could barely cut with a fork. In the majority of cases, the texture is pretty close. My banana bread is extra moist since I add one extra ripe banana and sour cream to the batter. Consistency isn’t what determines whether we call it a cake or bread. ---
**Author:** ![Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmer_j.fudd/32/1211_2.png) [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elmer_J.Fudd)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2022, 2:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-carrot-cake-considered-a-cake-and-bananna-bread-considered-a-bread/961149/31 "2022-03-16T14:37:20Z")
> [@dolphinboy](#): > > Consistency isn’t what determines whether we call it a cake or bread. Perhaps not in the case of the way you make it, but I definitely remember buttering a slice of banana bread on numerous occasions. That would not just be difficult with all but the driest carrot cake, but it would just be weird. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2022, 2:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-carrot-cake-considered-a-cake-and-bananna-bread-considered-a-bread/961149/32 "2022-03-16T14:40:26Z")
> [@dolphinboy](#): > > And “because it’s tradition” is not an acceptable answer. Like there’s some SI definition of cake and bread. ‘Tradition’ is a perfectly acceptable answer. It’s _the_ answer. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2022, 3:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-carrot-cake-considered-a-cake-and-bananna-bread-considered-a-bread/961149/33 "2022-03-16T15:02:34Z")
Language isn’t logical. Ultimately, the answer is that people gave them names because they thought them appropriate, not because of any categorization mania. ---
**Author:** ![ekedolphin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ekedolphin/32/10003_2.png) [@ekedolphin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ekedolphin)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2022, 3:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-carrot-cake-considered-a-cake-and-bananna-bread-considered-a-bread/961149/34 "2022-03-16T15:07:24Z")
> [@dolphinboy](#): > > I’m going to start calling my Banana Bread Banana Cake and see if it catches on. Who cares what pan you used to bake it? You fool! You don’t know what panic will ensue! ---
**Author:** ![dolphinboy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dolphinboy/32/330_2.png) [@dolphinboy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dolphinboy)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2022, 3:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-carrot-cake-considered-a-cake-and-bananna-bread-considered-a-bread/961149/35 "2022-03-16T15:28:10Z")
It’s a risk I’m willing to take. ---
**Author:** ![K364](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/k364/32/5_2.png) [@K364](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/K364)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2022, 4:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-carrot-cake-considered-a-cake-and-bananna-bread-considered-a-bread/961149/36 "2022-03-16T16:01:06Z")
The recipe I use for banana bread is pretty typical, and it calls for 1 cup of sugar (making a standard 9x5 loaf). It’s very sweet (and tasty!) but it is somewhat disconcerting to realize that you’re eating a couple of tablespoons of sugar with every slice. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_Bravo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_bravo/32/493_2.png) [@Johnny\_Bravo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_Bravo)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2022, 4:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-carrot-cake-considered-a-cake-and-bananna-bread-considered-a-bread/961149/37 "2022-03-16T16:22:18Z")
> [@Is cornbread bread or cake?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-cornbread-bread-or-cake/832585/82): > > I’ve been working on parameters for ‘bread’ and ‘cake.’ Here’s what I have so far: Bread: Bread is made from dough. There are few enough exceptions that they have a specific name: batter bread. However, many batter breads still produce what I would call a very wet dough. Bread uses yeast or a yeast analog to rise. There are few enough exceptions that they have a specific name: unleavened bread. Bread is savory. There are few enough exceptions that sweet breads are usually named that way, as … I stand by this post. Banana Bread: - Does not need to be proofed. - Is sweet, not savory. - Can be eaten with a fork. - Is made from batter, not dough. - Requires traditional cake ingredients such as eggs, butter, and sugar It’s cake. ---
**Author:** ![dolphinboy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dolphinboy/32/330_2.png) [@dolphinboy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dolphinboy)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2022, 5:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-carrot-cake-considered-a-cake-and-bananna-bread-considered-a-bread/961149/38 "2022-03-16T17:36:55Z")
> [@Johnny\_Bravo](#): > > I stand by this post. Banana Bread: > > - Does not need to be proofed. > - Is sweet, not savory. > - Can be eaten with a fork. > - Is made from batter, not dough. > - Requires traditional cake ingredients such as eggs, butter, and sugar > > It’s cake. Q.E.D. Now all I have to do is convince the rest of the world. ---
**Author:** ![Chingon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chingon/32/17645_2.png) [@Chingon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chingon)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2022, 6:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-carrot-cake-considered-a-cake-and-bananna-bread-considered-a-bread/961149/39 "2022-03-16T18:01:11Z")
Well made carrot cake has crumb like a cake. Well made banana bread has crumb more like bread. That’s why they’re called what they are ---
**Author:** ![jshore](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/b5e925/32.png) [@jshore](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jshore)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2022, 11:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-carrot-cake-considered-a-cake-and-bananna-bread-considered-a-bread/961149/40 "2022-03-16T23:43:28Z")
For some reason that I can’t quite articulate, this thread title reminded me of a funny story from long ago. During my college days or shortly thereafter, I took a bicycle trip on Martha’s Vineyard with a group of college friends (including SDMB’s very own **kimstu** ). We came across a restaurant by the beach that was serving “non-alcoholic strawberry daiquiris” and “non-alcoholic strawberry margaritas”. This prompted puzzled discussion over what the difference between the two could possibly be until one of the friends said something like, “Why is everyone so confused…Isn’t the answer obvious? The non-alcholic daiquiris are made without the rum whereas the non-alcoholic margaritas are made without the tequila!” We all enjoyed that solution very much! [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-carrot-cake-considered-a-cake-and-bananna-bread-considered-a-bread/961149.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-carrot-cake-considered-a-cake-and-bananna-bread-considered-a-bread/961149.md?page=3)