Desserts hold a sweet spot in people’s hearts all around the world. Cuisines of every culture have famous desserts, and people are very passionate about sweets. However, Western desserts and sweets have captured a major market share of most of the countries of the world, and sweets like cakes, brownies, truffles, fudges, etc., are liked by everyone.
Cake vs Brownie
The main difference between cake and brownie is that cake is a bread-based dessert that has a smooth, creamy, and soft texture. Brownie, on the other hand, is a dessert in between a cake and a cookie that has a flaky, fudgy, chewy, and hard texture. It is, however, not as hard as a cookie.
The cakes are elegant. There are cakes for many occasions such as birthdays, anniversaries, weddings, parties, milestone celebrations, etc. Although they originated from the west, cakes are loved and are a part of people’s celebrations all over the world. It is a baked dessert made from flour, milk, and eggs. Cakes are decorated with cream, chocolates, sprinkles, etc., which makes them attractive.
Brownie is a small-sized dessert which is also known as chocolate brownie, as brownies are mostly made of chocolate. They can be either crusty and flaky like a cookie or soft like a cake. Brownies are the soul of coffee shops. Brownies are often topped with nuts, cream, cheese, choco chips, etc.
Comparison Table Between Cake and Brownie
| Parameters of Comparison | Cake | Brownie |
| Origin | It originated in ancient Europe. | It originated in Chicago, United States. The year was 1893. |
| Taste | It is sweet in taste as ingredients such as chocolate, cream, icing sugar, etc. | It has a chocolaty bitter-sweet taste as its main ingredient is chocolate. |
| Texture | It has a smooth, spongy, and creamy texture. | It has a flaky, chewy, and fudge-like texture. |
| Toppings | Cakes are mostly topped with berries, fruits, chocolate, fondue, edible sprinkles, candies, etc. | Brownies are mostly topped with nuts, choco chips, cream, etc. |
| Occasions | Cakes are mostly eaten on occasions such as birthdays, weddings, anniversaries, etc. | Brownies require no special occasion to eat them. They are mostly had at coffee shops, small parties, get-togethers, etc. |
What is Cake?
Cakes are one of the most popular and loved desserts around the world. The cake originated in ancient Egypt, where round and flatbread was baked on a hot stone. With the passing of time and the evolution of the baking techniques and ingredients, the modern version of cake came into existence.
Cakes come in many sizes, shapes, flavors, etc., and the best thing about them is the options of customization and design. Cakes are mostly associated with celebrations and can vary from celebrating a child’s first birthday to a couple’s milestone anniversaries.
Winning at competitions, reaching a significant number of subscribers or followers on social media, celebrating weddings, etc., are some other special moments enjoyed with the sweetness of cakes. Cakes are originally sweet in nature.
The base is made from a mixture of flour, sugar, eggs, butter, cream, baking soda, cocoa powder, etc., which is baked in an oven. Once it is ready, it is covered with layers of cream or chocolate. There can be more than one layer as per requirement. Finally, it is garnished with toppings such as cream, chocolate shavings, fruits, caramel candies, fondant, icing sugar, etc.
Although chocolate cakes are always in high demand, other flavors of cakes such as butterscotch, strawberry, red velvet, vanilla, blueberry, etc., add more options to this wonderful dessert.
What is Brownie?
As the name suggests, brownies refer to “brown-colored” desserts due to their chocolate content. Cookies are mostly made from chocolate. It is rectangular in shape and is made from flour and butter. Its texture is flaky and fudgy, and it is not as soft as a cake. Its density makes it chewy like a cookie.
The concept of brownies originated in 1893. Potter Palmer was the owner of Palmer House Hotel, and his wife, Bertha Palmer, was a famous socialite in Chicago. She once requested a pastry chef to create a cake-like dessert that is smaller in size as she wanted to put them in the boxed lunches for the women participating in World’s Columbian Exposition.
Her request was fulfilled, and the world got a new dish called cookies, with its original recipe still remaining exclusively to the Palmer House Hotel. Brownies have a very similar recipe to cakes without baking powder. The ingredients of a chocolate cake are exactly similar to the ingredients of a brownie, i.e., flour, butter, eggs, cocoa powder, chocolate, etc.
The ingredients are mixed to create a batter and are baked in a plain tray. Once baked, it is cut into rectangular pieces, which are further topped with nuts, icing sugar, choco chips, cream cheese, etc. Another version of a brownie is a “blondie,” which is made from brown sugar and vanilla.
Main Differences Between Cake and Brownie
- Cakes always have a sweet taste because of the usage of sugar and other sweet ingredients. Brownies have a chocolaty bitter-sweet taste, as chocolate is the key ingredient of the dessert.
- Cakes originated in ancient Egypt and were later acquired by western culture. Brownies originated in Chicago, United States, and were the reason for innovation and experimentation.
- Cakes have a smooth, spongy, soft, and creamy texture which are sliced into pieces. Brownies have a flaky, crusty, chewy, and dense texture which cannot be sliced due to their small size.
- Cakes come in many shapes, sizes, and layers such as circular, rectangular, one-layered, multi-layered, etc. Brownies mostly have the shape of rectangular blocks but can be cut in any shape.
- Cakes are mostly eaten at a celebration or an occasion such as birthdays, anniversaries, weddings, etc. Brownies are eaten at cafes, small parties, get-togethers, etc., which are mostly enjoyed with milk or coffee.
Conclusion
In conclusion, we can say that both cakes and brownies are excellent dessert options and are loved around the world. There is no shame in satisfying one’s sweet tooth. Cakes have evolved into an entity that is much more than a dessert. It symbolizes happiness and satisfaction. This is the reason why it has been such a popular dish all around the world. Brownies are relatively newer and are yet to be as popular as a cake.
However, brownies are known for their ease of preparation and their quality of being an excellent snack. People’s love for chocolate makes brownies an excellent choice for parties and festivities.
References
- https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-1-4613-1227-7_12
- https://www.jstor.org/stable/10.1525/gfc.2002.2.1.84