Etymology From Middle English cake, from Old Norse kaka (“cake”) (compare Norwegian kake, Icelandic/Swedish kaka, Danish kage), from Proto-Germanic *kakǭ, of disputed origin. Likely a distant cognate with kaak. Perhaps related to cookie, kuchen, and quiche. Doublet of coca (pastry).
A rich, sweet dessert food, typically made of flour, sugar, and eggs and baked in an oven, and often covered in icing.
On Monday afternoon, Ronya attends a birthday party and eats cake whenever cake is presented to her.2025 June 13, Rhys Southan, Helena Ward, Jen Semler, “A timing problem for instrumental convergence”, in Philosophical Studies, Springer Science+Business Media, →DOI, →ISSN, →OCLC:
2
A small mass of baked dough, especially a thin loaf from unleavened dough.
an oatmeal cake
a johnnycake
3
A thin wafer-shaped mass of fried batter; a griddlecake or pancake.
buckwheat cakes
4
A block of any various dense materials.
a cake of soap
a cake of sand
1 more example
Cakes of rustling ice come rolling down the flood.1697, Virgil, “The First Book of the Georgics”, in John Dryden, transl., The Works of Virgil: Containing His Pastorals, Georgics, and Æneis. […], London: […] Jacob Tonson, […], →OCLC:
5
Abbreviation, Ellipsis, Slang Ellipsis of piece of cake: a trivially easy task or responsibility.
Now that I escape, sleepwalk awake / Those who could relate know the world ain't cake1996, “Ready or Not”, in The Score, performed by Fugees:
Abbreviation, Ellipsis Ellipsis of have one's cake and eat it too.
"It looks like the cake philosophy is still alive." Quote attributed to Donald Tusk.2018, The Guardian, "UK's aspirations for post-Brexit trade deal an illusion, says Donald Tusk", Daniel Boffey, Peter Walker, Jennifer Rankin, and Heather Stewart, 23 February 2018
8
Slang Synonym of buttocks, especially a pair that are exceptionally plump or full.
Since I started doing squats, I've built up some serious cake.
9
A multishot fireworks assembly comprising several tubes, each with a fireworks effect, lit by a single fuse.
10
UK, Figuratively Synonym of pie, the whole of a wealth or resource, to be divided into parts.
I am aware of the efforts made to contest the relevance of these statistics... But you cannot get away from the fact that a low gdp means a smaller national cake and that there is less wealth to go round.1979 March 31, Nicholas Henderson, "Britain's Decline: Its Causes and Consequences"
"The Lord Mayor can say tart things," said Hobler to a scavenger. "Yes," replied the dustman, "he does say things that are tart, which is not to be wondered at when we know him to be a regular cake."1834, Figaro in London, volume 3, page 195:
Etymology From Middle English cake, from Old Norse kaka (“cake”) (compare Norwegian kake, Icelandic/Swedish kaka, Danish kage), from Proto-Germanic *kakǭ, of disputed origin. Likely a distant cognate with kaak. Perhaps related to cookie, kuchen, and quiche. Doublet of coca (pastry).
1
Coat (something) with a crust of solid material.
His shoes are caked with mud.
You will remember that Stranger Things was initially conceived as a one-off, and its success forced the Duffer Brothers to cake on endless new lore to keep the engine running.2025 December 26, Stuart Heritage, “Stranger Things season five vol 2 review – the fact that this isn’t unbearable is a miracle”, in The Guardian, →ISSN:
2
To form into a cake, or mass.
3
Of blood or other liquid, to dry out and become hard.
Once we fell asleep, and, I think, must have slept for some hours, for, when we woke, our limbs were quite stiff, and the blood from our blows and scratches had caked, and was hard and dry upon our skin.1886 October – 1887 January, H[enry] Rider Haggard, She: A History of Adventure, London: Longmans, Green, and Co., published 1887, →OCLC: