Whats the difference between a layer cake, a gâteau and a torte?
That’s a good question — thanks very much to reader Steve T. (who’s really putting me on the spot here). It’s a good question because the names “torte” and “gâteau” are greatly abused in America. Too often one finds recipes in books or magazines for items that are really layer cakes, but because they have a few imported ingredients in them (or the author simply wanted to sound sophisticated) are given these exotic-sounding labels. So what exactly are the differences? There’s not much that I can find written on the subject, but what they hey, let’s give it a try. First the similarities: they’re all sweet, all have a base of wheat flour (and egg and butter) cake and all have layers — the very essence of pastry. Yet there are important distinctions between them. Layer cakes, as I mentioned, are very simple things. Good ones are more cake than icing, and the cake itself is really the focus. The icing is more like a condiment. Plus, they’re usually made in just two layers. French gâteaux ca
