Basic+ Word of the Day: cake

cake (noun, verb) past tense: caked LISTEN

A cake is a sweet, baked, breadlike food.

  • Andrew baked a cake for Judah's birthday.
  • The banana cake smelled great.

A cake is also a shaped block of something.

  • There was a cake of soap on the sink.

Cake also means ‘to form into a dry layer of crust.’

  • Mud caked on his boots.
  • The car window was caked with snow.

Common uses

piece of cake: something that can be done easily. Example: “After raising twins, taking care of one child is a piece of cake.”

take the cake: an example of something, usually very negative. Example: “I thought I was a bad driver, but the driver in front of me takes the cake.”

Did you know?

Fruitcakes are traditionally served on Christmas in the UK. They usually contain dried fruits, nuts, and brandy. Here is a recipe for Mary Berry’s classic Christmas cake. She is a judge on the BBC TV show The Great British Bakeoff. And here’s a video recipe to make one the traditional way!

In pop culture

Watch as the Cake Boss, a pastry chef from New Jersey, assembles and delivers a very fancy cake in honor of the 40th anniversary of the TV show Sesame Street.

There are other meanings of cake.
Print Friendly, PDF & Email

Word of the Day is released Monday through Friday.

Previous Post Next Post

You Might Also Like