cake
kayk
Cake (noun) means a sweet baked dessert made from flour, sugar, eggs, and other ingredients. Example: “She baked a chocolate cake for his birthday.”
noun
1
A sweet baked dessert made from flour, sugar, eggs, and other ingredients.
"She baked a chocolate cake for his birthday."
"They cut the wedding cake in front of all the guests."
"Mum put candles on the cake and we all sang."
verb
1
To coat something thickly, or to harden into a solid crusted layer.
"Mud caked his boots after the hike."
"The blood had caked around the wound by morning."
"Dust had caked the windows so thickly that no light came through."
How to use cake
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishThe sweet dessert everyone knows, or, as a verb, to build up into a hard crusty layer.
Common mistake
The idiom "a piece of cake" means something is easy — it has nothing to do with dessert.
Common pairings
bake a cake
slice of cake
caked in mud
piece of cake
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Word forms
- Third person singular
- cakes
- Past tense
- caked
Fill the gap
Can you complete this real example?
She baked a chocolate _____ for his birthday.
Etymology
From Old Norse kaka, related to Swedish and Icelandic kaka — an old Germanic word whose ultimate origin is disputed.
Related words
Rhymes for cake
See all rhymes for cake →Frequently asked questions
What does “cake” mean?
The word “cake” means a sweet baked dessert made from flour, sugar, eggs, and other ingredients. In plain terms, the sweet dessert everyone knows, or, as a verb, to build up into a hard crusty layer.
How do you pronounce “cake”?
“Cake” is pronounced kayk (/keɪk/ in IPA).
How do you use “cake” in a sentence?
Here is “cake” used in a sentence: “She baked a chocolate cake for his birthday.”
What part of speech is “cake”?
Depending on how it is used, “cake” can be a noun and a verb.
Where does the word “cake” come from?
The word “cake” comes from Old Norse. From Old Norse kaka, related to Swedish and Icelandic kaka — an old Germanic word whose ultimate origin is disputed.
Is “cake” a common word?
“Cake” is a fairly common word in modern English, usually learned at around the A1 level.
How many meanings does “cake” have?
“Cake” has 2 distinct senses listed in this dictionary. The most common is: a sweet baked dessert made from flour, sugar, eggs, and other ingredients.
What is the difference between cake and bread?
Both are baked from flour, but cake is a sweet dessert, richer in sugar, fat and eggs, with a soft, tender crumb. Bread is usually plainer and leavened with yeast, giving a chewier texture meant to accompany meals. In short, cake is made to be a sweet treat; bread is a staple.
What are the main types of cake?
There are many, often grouped by method. Sponge and butter cakes are light and everyday; pound cakes are dense and rich; layer cakes stack fillings and frosting. Others include cheesecake, chiffon, fruit cake and flourless chocolate cake. Each varies in ingredients and texture, but all share the same sweet, baked character.
What does the phrase 'piece of cake' mean?
It is an idiom meaning something is very easy to do, as in 'the exam was a piece of cake.' It has nothing to do with actual dessert; the image is simply that eating a slice of cake is pleasant and effortless. 'A walk in the park' means much the same.
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