{"id":1810,"date":"2021-09-06T23:13:16","date_gmt":"2021-09-07T03:13:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.bakingnook.com\/?p=1810"},"modified":"2022-03-25T16:35:08","modified_gmt":"2022-03-25T20:35:08","slug":"cake-vs-pastry","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.bakingnook.com\/cake-vs-pastry\/","title":{"rendered":"Cake Vs Pastry: Must Know Similarities and Differences"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

This post contains affiliate links.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The correct meanings of cakes and pastries have eluded people for a very long time. During the beginning of my baking journey, I was also confused by the many different interpretations of a cake and a pastry. With a quick dive into the knowledge of several experienced bakers in my life, I’ve set out to find the meanings of cake and pastry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A cake is a baked good made with leavening agents, flour, fat, and sugar, while a pastry is a baked good that is made of a dough base primarily consisting of flour and fat. Cakes are considered to be anything that has been patted or compacted, while pastries are considered layered dough.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

While the difference between a cake and a pastry can be simple to define, the answer so happens to be not as easy as I initially expected. These two terms are used all around the world, however, everyone has their own interpretation of the words. A deeper dive is required in order to understand the true differences.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Cake Vs Pastry: Similarities and Differences<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
<\/td>Cake<\/strong><\/td>Pastry<\/strong><\/td><\/tr>
Ingredients<\/strong><\/td>Baking powder\/soda, wheat,
sugar, milk, eggs<\/td>		Wheat, water, butter (fats)<\/td><\/tr>
Composition<\/strong><\/td>Patted and compact mass<\/td>Mostly layered dough<\/td><\/tr>
Shapes<\/strong><\/td>All shapes, mostly bigger
shapes<\/td>		Smaller shapes<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

People’s experience with the words cake and pastry<\/strong> can influence their own definitions of these words.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For example, a pastry chef that works in a restaurant is in charge of baking anything sweet<\/strong> starting from bread and all the way down to cakes.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Many people consider pastry as the word for a dessert. This is why a pastry is technically considered to be a form of cake depending on the way the words are phrased<\/strong>. The distinct difference between the two is the components\/ingredients used to prepare both items.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While I like to do my mixing by hand, I much rather prefer using a Stand Mixer instead.<\/strong> I recently wrote an article that talks about the 3 Best Stand Mixers<\/a><\/strong> that bakers can buy in each stage of their baking journey. After reviewing a few stand mixers, the Best Overall Mixer<\/strong> was the KitchenAid Artisan Tilt-Head Stand Mixer.<\/a><\/strong> You can check out this stand mixer on Amazon!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What is a cake?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

While looking up “what is a cake”<\/strong>, the definition that came up was:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“An item of soft, sweet food made from a mixture of flour, shortening, eggs, sugar, and other ingredients, baked and often decorated.”<\/p>wikipedia<\/cite><\/blockquote><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The “other ingredients” in cakes consist of baking powder or baking soda <\/strong>and sometimes both. These leavening agents used in cakes are different than the ingredients used in pastries. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Cakes are patted and shaped into a compact mass<\/strong>. They can vary from simple mixes of ingredients that are thrown in together and baked in the oven to a complex work of art that takes hours to make like wedding cakes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

*Side Note:<\/strong> If you ever wanted to know The Real Difference Between A Sponge Cake and A Butter Cake<\/strong>.<\/a> I wrote an article about it that you can find here!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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What I Consider To Be A Cake<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Cakes are used in events such as birthdays and anniversaries. They are also commercially produced<\/strong> all around the world for many different occasions. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

*By the way,<\/strong> if you are interested in knowing how to get Stuck Parchment Off of Your Cake and how to Prevent It,<\/a><\/strong> I recently wrote an article about Removing Stuck Parchment Paper,<\/strong> which you can find here!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What is a pastry?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

While looking up “what is a pastry”<\/strong>, the definition that came up was:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“A dough of flour, shortening, and water, used as a base and covering in baked dishes such as pies.”<\/p>Wikipedia<\/cite><\/blockquote><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The word “pastry<\/strong>” can refer to a baked good or a certain type of dough. For example, puff pastry and filo pastry<\/strong> are both layers of dough that could be used for baking a lot of different things. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

A pastry is a sweet dessert that has solid fats<\/strong> to make it more appealing at room temperatures. These solid fats at room temperatures include butter, lard, or shortening. These fats are mixed with flour and a little bit of water to make the dough base. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

This dough base then gets layered and shaped in the small shape of a pastry.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Pastries differ from cakes in that they have dough ingredients in them instead of leavening ingredients. These dough ingredients are yeast and fat. Since pastries are very fat-heavy<\/strong>, it brings out the texture and flavor of the pastries.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A delicious addition to pastries is that they can be formed into a dessert that has a flaky and delicate texture!<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

This can’t be achieved with cakes since pastries use shortening or butter which is folded with layers of flour dough. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

These layers are folded multiple times to create staggered fat\/dough combinations<\/strong>. When this is placed in the oven to bake, it puffs up and forms the pastry that we all love to crunch on. This makes it a perfect combination for breakfast desserts<\/strong>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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What I Consider To Be A Pastry<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Similarities:<\/strong> Both cakes and pastries are made out of flour and fats and served as desserts. They can both be decorated and used for many occasions such as birthdays and breakfasts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Besides, I know that no one would be upset if either a cake or a pastry gets served on the table. I know I wouldn’t!<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

*By the way,<\/strong> I recently wrote an article about The Best Ways to Bake Pastry Dough without An Oven.<\/a><\/strong> This article talks bout all the ways to cook your pastry dough<\/strong> if you don’t have an oven nearby. You can check out this article here!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Is this a cake or a pastry?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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POP QUIZ:<\/strong> Is this a cake or pastry?<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

As mentioned before, the outlook on cakes and pastries is associated with the way that each individual defines it. However, after looking through and breaking down the definitions for myself, I personally consider the above to be a pastry since it is made from a dough base<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

*By the way, <\/strong>if you’re looking for some new cookie sheets\/baking pans<\/strong> to replace for your kitchen, I recently came across the Perfect Nonstick Cookie Sheets \/ Baking Sheets Set<\/a><\/strong> that I got for myself and they work great! You can check out these Nonstick Cookie Sheet Set on Amazon!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Is a cupcake a pastry?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

As a general rule, a cupcake is not considered to be a pastry. A cupcake is considered to be a small cake<\/strong>, designed to serve one person, that is baked in a small thin paper or aluminum cup. A cupcake is usually made of the same ingredients that a cake is made from, only in smaller proportions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The word “cupcake” is named that way for a specific reason. A cupcake is essentially a cake baked in a small cup for individual serving. Other people also call it a cake in a cup<\/strong>. Both mean the same thing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Since a cupcake has ingredients that would usually be used to bake a cake, it is considered to be a cake. However, since it is usually baked in a small paper or aluminum cup<\/strong>, it is considered to be a small cake. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

*By the way,<\/strong> I consider decorating my cupcakes correctly to be the most important step<\/strong> to presenting a perfect-looking cupcake. I recently came across a Full Set of Cupcake Decorating Kit<\/a><\/strong>\u00a0that has everything you need to decorate your cupcakes!<\/strong> You can check out this set on Amazon!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Whats the difference between batter and dough?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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As a whole, batter is made with a mixture of flour, shortening, eggs, sugar,<\/span> and a leavening agent. Dough is made with just flour, shortening, yeast, and water while missing any dry leavening agents that are used in cakes such as baking powder or baking soda.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The batter used to make cakes is usually wetter than the doughy batter used in pastries. Pastry batter usually contains only water as a wet ingredient while cake batter contains lots of liquid ingredients<\/strong> such as eggs, oil, and sometimes even milk. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

This creates one of the distinct differences between cake batter and pastry dough<\/strong>.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

*Side Note:<\/strong> You might also want to know how to Store Your Cake Batter The Right Way<\/strong>. I wrote an article about Storing Cake Batter The Right Way,<\/a><\/strong> which you can check out here!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To Summarize…<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Cakes and pastries are considered staples in the world of baking. When I started baking, I always wondered the difference between the two of them. However, as I have found out when I had just started down my baking journey, the answer to this question is mostly in the eye of the beholder!<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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