Difference Between Cake and Gateau

The main difference between cake and gateau is that cake is a sweet food made with a mixture of flour, eggs, sugar, and butter or oil whereas gateau is a light sponge cake with a rich icing or filling.

Cake and gateau are two words we usually find confusing since different people use these words in different ways and these two desserts have the same basic ingredients. Basically, gateaux are more elaborate than cakes and contain several rich layers.

Key Areas Covered

1. What is Cake 
     – Definition, Making, Types
2. What is Gateau
     – Definition, Making
3. What are the Similarities Between Cake and Gateau
     – Outline of Common Features
4. What is the Difference Between Cake and Gateau
     – Comparison of Key Differences

Key Terms

Cake, Gateau

What is Cake

A cake is a sweet baked dessert made of flour, sugar, eggs, butter and leavening agents like baking powder or baking soda. Cakes can also include various additional ingredients like chocolate, fruits and nuts. Moreover, the outside of cakes is usually decorated with frosting and icing. There are various types of cakes as well as various cake recipes. Some of these include sponge cake, ribbon cake, marble cake, chocolate cake, rich cake, fruit cake and coffee cake.

We usually consider cakes as celebratory deserts; that’s why we eat cakes on happy occasions like birthdays and weddings. If we look at their history, cakes were introduced as a modification of bread. However, today the term cake actually refers to a range of desserts. Although cake making was a complicated task in the olden days, today it has become a lot easier with modern equipment and simple recipes.

What is Gateau

A gateau is a type of cake. In fact, in the word gateau is French for cake. However, in general usage, we consider gateau as a light sponge cake with a rich icing or filling. Therefore, gateau is a more elaborate and fancy dessert than cake. It may have many rich layers made up of ganache, mousse, or fruit filling, etc.

In addition, gateau also takes a long time and more effort to make. Another important fact about gateau is that gateaux that are made fruits tend to wilt rather easily; therefore, they are usually intended to be eaten on the same day they are made.

Similarities Between Cake and Gateau

• Both cake and gateau are sweet desserts.
• They have the same basic ingredients, i.e., wheat flour and eggs.
• Most people use these two words interchangebly. 

Difference Between Cake and Gateau

Definition

A cake is a sweet food made with a mixture of flour, eggs, sugar, and butter or oil whereas a gateau is a light sponge cake with a rich icing or filling.

Structure

Cakes may have one or more layers whereas gateaux have several layers with rich fillings.

Making

Since gateaux are complex than cakes, they also take a longer time and more effort to make.

Conclusion

A cake is a sweet food made with a mixture of flour, eggs, sugar, and butter or oil whereas a gateau is a light sponge cake with a rich icing or filling. Basically, gateaux are more elaborate than cakes and contain several rich layers. This is the main difference between cake gateau.

Image Courtesy:

1. “1398883” (CC0) via Pixabay 

2. “Dessert Strawberry Cake Free Picture” (CC0) via Neexpix