Tart vs. Cake — What's the Difference?
By Tayyaba Rehman — Updated on August 2, 2024
A tart is a baked dish with a filling over a pastry base with an open top, while a cake is a sweet baked confection, often layered and frosted.
Difference Between Tart and Cake
Table of Contents
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Key Differences
A tart is a specific type of pastry with a firm crust and is typically open on top, filled with fruit, custard, or other sweet fillings. Cakes, by contrast, are typically softer baked goods that are often layered with cream or frosting and can come in a variety of flavors and textures. Tarts often have a crumbly pastry crust; cakes are generally soft and airy with a crumb that can be moist or dry, depending on the type.
While tarts are usually served as individual portions or single-sized servings, cakes are most often prepared as larger items meant to be sliced. Tarts tend to have a crispy pastry shell, while cakes are characterized by their spongy texture. When it comes to decoration, tarts might have a glazed fruit topping, whereas cakes may have elaborate decorations made from icing, fondant, or fruit.
In terms of preparation, a tart is usually baked in a tart pan which often has a removable bottom to facilitate easy removal of the tart without damage. Cakes are baked in a variety of pans and sometimes de-molded after baking for decoration and presentation. The pastry dough for tarts requires chilling and careful handling, while cake batter is typically beaten to incorporate air and then baked immediately.
On the flavor spectrum, tarts are often tangy or slightly bitter, complementing the sweetness of the filling, whereas cakes are known for being sweet and can have a variety of flavors ranging from vanilla and chocolate to fruits and nuts. Tarts often incorporate fresh fruits, and the crust itself is not very sweet, while cakes can be flavored with extracts, zests, and incorporate ingredients like cocoa, butter, and eggs for richness.
In terms of cultural significance, tarts are prominent in European cuisine and are a staple in French baking. Cakes have a universal appeal and are a central element in celebrations and ceremonies around the world. A tart might be chosen for its fruity freshness and crisp crust, while a cake might be preferred for its fluffy texture and rich, sweet taste.
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Comparison Chart
Base
Pastry crust, usually firm and crumbly
Soft and airy sponge or dense base
Top
Open, filled with fruit or custard
Often frosted and layered
Portion
Individual servings or small sizes common
Usually made in larger sizes to be sliced
Texture
Crisp and sturdy
Soft and moist or dry, depending on type
Occasion
Common in casual or formal dining
Central in celebrations, like birthdays
Compare with Definitions
Tart
Open-faced pastry
She enjoyed a lemon tart for dessert.
Cake
Sweet baked dessert
They served cake at the wedding.
Tart
Sharp taste
The tart apples were perfect for baking.
Cake
Cake is a form of sweet food made from flour, sugar, and other ingredients, that is usually baked. In their oldest forms, cakes were modifications of bread, but cakes now cover a wide range of preparations that can be simple or elaborate, and that share features with other desserts such as pastries, meringues, custards, and pies.
Tart
Piercing quality
His criticism had a tart edge to it.
Cake
A sweet baked food made of flour, liquid, eggs, and other ingredients, such as raising agents and flavorings.
Tart
Fresh and fruity dessert
The strawberry tart was topped with whipped cream.
Cake
A flat rounded mass of dough or batter, such as a pancake, that is baked or fried.
Tart
A tart is a baked dish consisting of a filling over a pastry base with an open top not covered with pastry. The pastry is usually shortcrust pastry; the filling may be sweet or savoury, though modern tarts are usually fruit-based, sometimes with custard.
Cake
Multilayered confection
The chocolate cake had three layers.
Tart
Having a sharp pungent taste; sour.
Cake
Festive treat
A birthday isn't complete without a cake.
Tart
Sharp or bitter in tone or meaning; cutting.
Cake
Dense and moist texture
The carrot cake was exceptionally moist.
Tart
A pastry shell with shallow sides, no top crust, and any of various fillings.
Cake
Frosted bakery item
The vanilla cake with buttercream frosting was a hit at the party.
Tart
Chiefly British A pie.
Cake
A flat rounded mass of hashed or chopped food that is baked or fried; a patty.
Tart
A prostitute.
Cake
A shaped or molded piece, as of soap or ice.
Tart
A woman considered to be sexually promiscuous.
Cake
A layer or deposit of compacted matter
A cake of grime in the oven.
Tart
To dress up or make fancy in a tawdry, garish way. Often used with up.
Cake
To cover or fill with a thick layer, as of compacted matter
A miner whose face was caked with soot.
Tart
Sharp to the taste; acid; sour.
I ate a very tart apple.
Cake
To become formed into a compact or crusty mass
As temperatures dropped, the wet snow caked.
Tart
(of wine) high or too high in acidity.
Cake
A rich, sweet dessert food, typically made of flour, sugar, and eggs and baked in an oven, and often covered in icing.
Tart
(figuratively) Sharp; keen; severe.
He gave me a very tart reply.
Cake
A small mass of baked dough, especially a thin loaf from unleavened dough.
An oatmeal cake
A johnnycake
Tart
A type of small open pie, or piece of pastry, containing jelly or conserve; a sort of fruit pie.
Cake
A thin wafer-shaped mass of fried batter; a griddlecake or pancake.
Buckwheat cakes
Tart
A melt block of wax for use in a tart burner.
Cake
A block of any of various dense materials.
A cake of soap
A cake of sand
Tart
A prostitute.
Cake
(slang) A trivially easy task or responsibility; from a piece of cake.
Tart
Any woman with loose sexual morals.
Cake
(slang) Money.
Tart
To practice prostitution.
Cake
Used to describe the doctrine of having one's cake and eating it too.
Tart
To practice promiscuous sex.
Cake
(slang) A buttock, especially one that is exceptionally plump.
Mmm, I'd like to cut me some of that cake!
Tart
To dress garishly, ostentatiously, whorishly, or sluttily.
Cake
(pyrotechnics) A multi-shot fireworks assembly comprising several tubes, each with a fireworks effect, lit by a single fuse.
Tart
Sharp to the taste; acid; sour; as, a tart apple.
Cake
(transitive) Coat (something) with a crust of solid material.
His shoes are caked with mud.
Tart
Fig.: Sharp; keen; severe; as, a tart reply; tart language; a tart rebuke.
Why art thou tart, my brother?
Cake
(transitive) To form into a cake, or mass.
Tart
A species of small open pie, or piece of pastry, containing jelly or conserve; a sort of fruit pie.
Cake
(intransitive) Of blood or other liquid, to dry out and become hard.
Tart
A woman who engages in sexual intercourse for money
Cake
A small mass of dough baked; especially, a thin loaf from unleavened dough; as, an oatmeal cake; johnnycake.
Tart
A small open pie with a fruit filling
Cake
A sweetened composition of flour and other ingredients, leavened or unleavened, baked in a loaf or mass of any size or shape.
Tart
Pastry cup with a filling of fruit or custard and no top crust
Cake
A thin wafer-shaped mass of fried batter; a griddlecake or pancake; as buckwheat cakes.
Tart
Tasting sour like a lemon
Cake
A mass of matter concreted, congealed, or molded into a solid mass of any form, esp. into a form rather flat than high; as, a cake of soap; an ague cake.
Cakes of rusting ice come rolling down the flood.
Tart
Harsh;
Sharp criticism
A sharp-worded exchange
A tart remark
Cake
To form into a cake, or mass.
Tart
Small pie
The bakery sells chocolate tarts daily.
Cake
To concrete or consolidate into a hard mass, as dough in an oven; to coagulate.
Clotted blood that caked within.
Cake
To cackle as a goose.
Cake
A block of solid substance (such as soap or wax);
A bar of chocolate
Cake
Small flat mass of chopped food
Cake
Made from or based on a mixture of flour and sugar and eggs
Cake
Form a coat over;
Dirt had coated her face
Common Curiosities
Is cheesecake considered a tart or a cake?
Cheesecake is technically a tart due to its crust and creamy top, despite the name.
Can tarts be savory?
Yes, tarts can be savory, filled with ingredients like cheese and vegetables.
Do tarts always have fruit?
No, tarts can also have fillings like custard, chocolate, or nuts.
What makes a tart different from a cake?
A tart has a pastry crust and is open-topped, while a cake is a soft, spongy, or dense dessert often layered and frosted.
Are cakes only sweet?
Cakes are predominantly sweet but can have subtle flavors like spices or citrus.
Can a tart be frozen?
Many tarts can be frozen, but it may affect the texture of the pastry upon thawing.
What is a tartlet?
A tartlet is a small, individual-sized tart.
Are cake and tart pans interchangeable?
Not usually, as they are designed for different baking needs and outcomes.
How do you serve a tart?
Tarts can be served as they are or sometimes with a dollop of cream or ice cream.
What’s a common occasion for cake?
Cakes are commonly associated with celebrations like birthdays and weddings.
What is blind baking in tarts?
Blind baking is pre-baking the tart crust before adding the filling.
Is frosting common on tarts?
No, tarts are not typically frosted like cakes.
Can you decorate a cake with fruit like a tart?
Yes, fruit can be a decoration on cakes as well.
What is a cake's primary leavening agent?
Baking soda or baking powder is commonly used to leaven cakes.
Is a tart or a cake better for a dinner party dessert?
It depends on personal preference and the theme of the dinner.
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Written by
Tayyaba RehmanTayyaba Rehman is a distinguished writer, currently serving as a primary contributor to askdifference.com. As a researcher in semantics and etymology, Tayyaba's passion for the complexity of languages and their distinctions has found a perfect home on the platform. Tayyaba delves into the intricacies of language, distinguishing between commonly confused words and phrases, thereby providing clarity for readers worldwide.
