Cake or Pie? Take your pick

[Chris Amirault]

Given the choice of great pie or great cake, all things being more or less equal in terms of quality and flavor, which would you choose?

Pie. Hands down, absolutely. An Al Forno crostada, to be specific.

[jgm]

I'm still sticking with pie.

HOWEVER...

When writing my first reply, I neglected to consider the many compelling qualities of a truly great piece of cake. Problem is, I've had very few of those in my life. One of them, interestingly, was a walnut cake that would occasionally show up in the cafeteria of a hospital where I used to work. It was an amazing, amazing piece of work, but probably more so in my memory than in reality.

Still, I dream about cake; I crave pie.

After my next cholesterol test, I will embark upon a thorough exploration of the possibilities of both cake and pie.

Damn doctor, anyway. Who said I wanted to live to be 80, anyway?

[LindaK]

Cake is boring. Even the best of them. Crumb, maybe frosting. I don't care whether it's chocolate cake, pound cake, genoise, coffee cake, etc. Not that they can't be delicious. Pure ingredients, moist crumb. Food porn decoration at its most seductive. But it's still just crumb and frosting. Boring even when tasty.

But pies! The variety! The controversy (cheesecake? cobbler? key lime?)! The contrast between flaky, tender crust and sweet-tart fruit fillings! And for looks, well, even when they're ugly, they can be perfect.

[Jujubee]

Well, since you said it was a choice between GREAT cake or GREAT pie (and not the majority of cakes vs the majority of pies), I would choose great cake (though really, can't I have the pie too?).

However, in most everyday situations, i.e. a choice between mediocre pie and mediocre cake, I would choose pie. It's less offensive.

Maybe it's like investments. Cake is a high risk/ high reward stock. If it's bad, it's really, really bad, but if it's good, it just defies description. Pie is lower risk, lower reward. So it doesn't quite reach the heights of great cakes, but it never disappoints as much either.

[Ling]

My answer is pie. Pie and cobblers, crumbles and Brown Betties. Pie simply has more diversity of texture and flavor than cake, with a touch of salt and flakiness in the crust, tang in the fruit or other types of filling, a possibly different top-crust texture, plus an accompaniment like whipped cream or ice cream, adding a hot/cold contrast to all the other salty/sweet/crunchy/gooey things going on.

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With all due respect, the best cakes also offer all the salty/sweet/crunchy/gooey things one may find in a pie.

Take, for example, a birthday cake I recently made.

4 layers of rich, deeply-chocolately cake (from scratch, with lots of Valrhona cocoa and chocolate)

salty--salted caramel

sweet--the cake itself, and the various fillings

crunchy--layers of dacquoise

gooey--a soft, whipped ganache layer

In addition, a cake can be plated artistically with various garnishes (e.g. brittles, caramel cages, etc. ) that offer height and dimension, enhancing its visual appeal. Temperature difference--ice-cream may be served alongside, as may various warm sauces. You can get some tang and colour with a berry coulis too.

CAAAAAAAAAAKKKKKKKKEEEEEEEEE!

[Pam R]

Cake is boring.

Cakes offer as much, if not MORE variety than pies. Cakes can involve layers and layers of different flavours and textures. What does a pie have? Maybe a crust and a filling. Occasionally a topping. Cake can be divine in their simplicity - lemon pound cake with a little drizzled icing. They can be baked 'marbled' with more than one flavor in a layer - or they can contain different layers of baked goodness. Pour a simple ganache over a single cake. Spread a creamy mousse or a rich icing between the layers. Lovingly sandwich some fruit slices in between; top with cream, chocolate, coconut, nuts, etc. And just like pie, a cake can be enjoyed warm out of the oven - topped with ice cream (gingerbread cake, caramel sauce and ice-cream anybody?).

I guess my vote's for cake...

[Ling]

Besides, chocolate cake is so much better than chocolate pie.

Ling?

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I agree. Although I make pretty good chocolate cream pies with a ton of heavy cream and good chocolate.

Also agree with what many posters have said about how a good pie is much easier to find than a good cake.

[fou de Bassan]

Cake. Absolutely.

One in the oven at the moment.

[melonpan]

Okay, but what about FRIED PIES?

dont forget battered deep fried cake

[Terrasanct]

Cakes are just too sweet most of the time. But if I feel like a piece of cake, I'll get a really rich chocolate flourless cake or a nice light lemon cake.

I don't have either pie or cake very often, but I'm still sticking with pie for now.

Besides, talking eggs can't be wrong.

http://www.weebl.jolt.co.uk/pie.htm

[CanadianBakin']

Most definitely, CAKE!

[Mistinguett]

Cake, no second thoughts.

Given the choice of great pie or great cake, all things being more or less equal in terms of quality and flavor, which would you choose?

Less equal is more accurate. To me, no matter how good a pie, it cannot equal the complexity of a cake.

Extremely interesting as I realized that at home I bake more pies than cakes. Definitely things are going to change.

And say what you may, even if technically not correct I'll take cheesecake is a cake.

[Radio7]

Cake.

No question, hands down, not even a contest.

Two reasons:

- Flourless chocolate cake. 'Nuff said.

- Frosting.

Ok, make it three - I also love the texture of cakes.

Marcia.

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Oh yes. I vote cake. Vanilla Birthday cake - with frosted roses.

Frosting baby, not icing. Sugary, nummy frosting.

[jkonick]

Pie, definitely, but not fruit. Although I like fruit pies, I am a strict devotee to the mecca of desserts: pecan pie. There is truly nothing better than a well executed pecan pie. A little salty... a lot sweet. Slightly crunchy and slightly gooey. It's a perfect combination.

I'm also a sucker for all things puddingy, so any pudding or custard based pie makes my heart swoon. I'm a huge fan of vanilla filled fried pies.

I am conflicted though, because I do love carrot cake with almost as much passion as I love pecan pie. HOWEVER - I really only like carrot/other spice cakes, particularly with cream cheese frosting, whereas the variety of pies I like is a lot bigger.

Thus, the pie prevails. Long live pie.

[sheetz]

3.14159

[Swisskaese]

Okay, but what about FRIED PIES?

http://offthebroiler.wordpress.com/2006/04...big-pie-videos/

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No offence Jason, but those are massed produced. The best ones are found made by little old ladies at fairs and bluegrass festivals.

The best ones I ever had were at a bluegrass festival at Horse Pens Fortyin Alabama. Damn those were good! Amazing cat head biscuits, too. But, that is for another thread...

Something like these.

Edited April 27, 2006 by Swisskaese (log)

[Arey]

I'm still sticking with pie.

Still, I dream about cake; I crave pie.

After my next cholesterol test, I will embark upon a thorough exploration of the possibilities of both cake and pie.

Damn doctor, anyway.  Who said I wanted to live to be 80, anyway? 

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There's a whole different thread topic. "What do you eat, and what had you been planning on eating between the time the blood is drawn for the cholesterol tests, and you get the results?"

Edited April 27, 2006 by Arey (log)

[lexy]

Pie - I love fruit, and to those who whine about 'fruit goo', well then they haven't been eating good pie. Cake is special because of the occasions it's served at, but it's the circumstances that make it good - most cakes just aren't very interesting.

And is crumble pie? (no crust, but it's obviously not falling into the cake camp) Because I would do almost anything for a good apple or rhubard crumble.

[jgm]

Do cake doughnuts qualify as cake?

Oh, dear. More complications.

[elfin]

Any pie with fruit.

[C. sapidus]

Do the following items fit the cake/pie dichotomy, or do they break free of enforced bifurcation and stand proudly alone as unclassified desserts:

Baklava: Cake? Multi-crust pie?

Flan: Per Miz Ducky’s criterion, does melted caramel count as crust? Does it matter if the flan is served in the baking container (“crust” on the bottom) or unmolded and flipped? It seems wrong that turning a pie upside-down would transform it into a cake. The same question would apply to crumbles and cobblers.

Butterscotch pudding

Cinnamon rolls: Is bread different than cake?

Shortbread: Are cookies cake, or are they cookies?

Whatever the ruling, I’m not giving up crisps, crumbles, or cobblers, especially during berry season. If necessary, I would add a crust to carrot cake, thereby transforming it into pie. Actually, carrot cake with a gingery, crunchy crust sounds interesting – too bad I’m a lousy baker.

Bruce

[Parmhero]

Cheesecake IS pie. 

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Cheesecake is CAKE.

For those who categorize cheesecake as a pie based on an affinity of pumpkin pie and other custard pies, the analogy is inaccurate and misapplied. Pumpkin pies and other custard pies do not reach the heights that certain cheesecakes attain. Many cheesecake recipes include flour. Ever see, and hopefully eat, a Carnegie Deli cheescake?

http://www.carnegiedeli.com/cdicheesecaker...li%20Cheesecake

That's a cake!

[Jason Perlow]

Okay, but what about FRIED PIES?

http://offthebroiler.wordpress.com/2006/04...big-pie-videos/

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No offence Jason, but those are massed produced. The best ones are found made by little old ladies at fairs and bluegrass festivals.

The best ones I ever had were at a bluegrass festival at Horse Pens Fortyin Alabama. Damn those were good! Amazing cat head biscuits, too. But, that is for another thread...

Something like these.

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Well, I would hardly call Simon Hubig a mass production operation. They are a pretty small family business, and their output is nothing like what a large, multi-state commercial baker with a dozen bakeries like Drake's Cakes.

[Jason Perlow]

Okay, but what about FRIED PIES?

http://offthebroiler.wordpress.com/2006/04...big-pie-videos/

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What about em? A pie's a pie. Fried, baked, boiled, broiled, broasted, roasted, braised, or burnt. Whatever.

Pies are still just a big pile of goo compared to a delicious, well thought out and executed cake. Cook those pies however you like. Eat some. Then look across the room at that guy with that big hunk of cake-that's the guy who will have the smile of the righteous on his face. He knows.

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Sure, like this guy, eating a PIE.

[FabulousFoodBabe]

How long will this thread be up, any guesses? I'd like to reregister under about fifteen fake names and pump up the PIE contingent.

I like to think that the Pie side is just so confident in their superiority -- and so busy eating pie -- that they don't have time to post.