With some similarities in preparation and so many differences in taste, texture, and uses, people often wonder which is better, and healthier, bread or cake?
This article sheds more light on which food, bread vs cake, is better in terms of taste, nutrition, and what sets them apart.
What is bread?
Bread can simply be defined as leavened and baked food made using dough (a thick mixture of flour and liquid). Additionally, the flour used in making bread can come from rice, oats, cornmeal, barley, wheat, or any other cereal grain.
Furthermore, bread is a staple food that has a significant history in numerous cultures around the world, and their diet. Bread also remains one of the most popularly consumed meals in the world today.
Commercial bread in numerous countries uses additives to increase its shelf-life, boost its nutritional value, make production easier, and improve its aroma, flavor, color, and texture.
SEE: If Honey Wheat Bread Is Good for You
Types of Bread
- Banana Bread
- Cornbread
- Baguette
- Irish Soda Bread
- Brioche Bread
- Bagel
- Sourdough Bread
- Focaccia
- Sprouted Bread
- Rye Bread
- Challah Bread
- Naan
- Pumpernickle Bread
- Multigrain Bread
- Ciabatta Bread
- Pita Bread
- Matzah
- Potato Bread
- Zucchini bread
- Biale Bread
What is a cake?
A cake is a flour confection that is usually baked and consists of ingredients such as sugar, flour, and other ingredients. In the earlier ages, cakes were simply variations of bread but sweetened.
However, now they utilize a wide array of preparations that range from simple to complex and elaborate. Additionally, cakes share a similarity with other desserts such as custards, pies, and pastries.
Common ingredients of cake include eggs, butter/ oil/margarine, flour, sugar, and a leavening agent like baking powder or baking soda.
Other known ingredients which can be added as extras include; fresh fruit, candied fruit, dried fruit (raisins), wine, flavors (vanilla, chocolate), nuts, cocoa, and numerous other ingredients.
You can also use numerous substitutions for its primary ingredients like the choice of cereal grains for its flour in place of wheat.
Types of cakes
- Sponge Cake
- Flourless Cake
- Coffee Cake
- Layer Cakes
- Chocolate Cake
- Butter Cake
- One Egg Cake
What are the differences between Bread & Cake?
Some differences between cake from bread are that cake contains more calories, is more delicious, contains more ingredients, and is generally sweeter than bread. Also, bread makes use of yeast for its leavening while cake makes use of baking soda for its leavening.
Additionally, bread is made mostly out of flour, while cake uses a wider variety of flavors and ingredients to make it more delicious and appealing.
Cakes and bread also have different crumb structures. Also, the reasons for eating them are quite different – while a cake is limited to desserts, celebrations, and treats, bread is a staple food that is commonly eaten globally.
Additionally, because of a difference in their ingredients, there is a wide gap in the nutritional value they provide. For example, while the average calories in your bread loaf are about 69, that of cake is about four times (roughly 240) that of bread especially when it possesses frosting.
What are the similarities between Bread & Cake?
While bread and cakes share various differences that make them distinct from one another, they also have certain similarities that are bound to confuse you. For example, the method used in baking banana bread or fruit bread makes them somewhat similar to a quick bread or cake.
Additionally, yeast was once used as the leavening agent for cakes that were baked in earlier ages, just like bread. These cakes existed in traditional forms and also bore a remarkable resemblance to bread. Examples of these traditional yeast cakes include stollen and babka.
Which is Healthier, Cake or Bread?
While cake and bread are both deemed unhealthy according to some health experts, cakes generally are more unhealthy. This is because even though commercially manufactured cake and bread both use refined sugar, the amount in cakes is much more significant, and could drastically raise blood sugar levels.
SEE: How Long It Takes to Bake a Cake From Scratch
What are the Uses of Bread?
You can either eat bread plainly or have them on the side with other meals or dishes. Also, you can eat them with cheese, butter, soup, gravy, or olive oil. You can also serve bread with various ingredients like meat, vegetables, and condiments to make sandwiches.
Additionally, breadcrumbs can serve as ingredients used in thickening sauces, making croutons, stuffing for roasted turkey, making crunchy crusts, or as salad toppings. Sweet bread puddings are also made by combining bread with various liquids.
Bread is also the primary ingredient alongside eggs, used in making French Toast, and is also the binding agent used in making some ground meat products like meatballs, and sausages.
What are the Uses of Cake?
In many cultures, a cake is served to celebrate special occasions such as weddings, anniversaries, birthdays, and holidays like Christmas, Thanksgiving, Halloween, and New Year’s Day. Additionally, it can serve as desserts or treats offered after meals at restaurants or at home.
FAQs
Are pancakes bread or cake?
Pancakes are flat, round cakes made using a starch-based batter with eggs, milk, and butter, usually cooked in oil or butter on a heated surface such as a griddle or frying pan.
Can bread flour be used for cakes?
Yes, however, using bread flour to bake a cake will result in a dense and chewy product and will not provide the optimum results. This is because the protein level present in bread flour is higher compared to that in the flour used for cake and is bound to contain more gluten. Hence, it is not advisable to use bread flour in baking cakes.
What is the difference between bread and quick bread?
Quick bread (cornbread, muffin, scones, etc) just like cake also makes use of baking powder or baking soda as leaving agents while regular bread uses yeast. Additionally, regular bread requires a lot more work during preparation compared to quick bread as their dough requires kneading.
Conclusion
In terms of taste, a cake is no doubt better than bread, however, in terms of uses, bread is superior as it possesses numerous uses.
Bread is also a go-to staple food in most parts of the world while the cake is limited to celebrations and special occasions.
Furthermore, in terms of sugar content, bread is much safer when compared to cake, as it contains a lesser amount of sugar and would spike blood sugar levels in diabetics like cake would.
Finally, are you in search of bread with enough nutritional value? Find out if the Honey Wheat Bread is just what you need.
I hope you found this article helpful. Thanks for reading.
