cake
gb/kˈeɪk/ us/kˈeɪk/
A1
English
~ 2400
torta, sütemény, vastagon borít, rákérgesedik, rászárad
NOUN
A1
1
Usage pattern:
[someone] eats/makes/buys [a cake]
She baked a chocolate cake for his birthday.
Sütött neki egy csokoládétortát a születésnapjára.
We ordered a large wedding cake with three tiers.
Rendeltünk egy nagy, háromemeletes esküvői tortát.
I had a slice of carrot cake with my coffee.
The bakery sells cakes in many flavors.
He decorated the cake with fresh strawberries.
Learner examples
I like chocolate cake.
Szeretem a csokoládétortát.
My mother made a cake.
Anyukám sütött egy tortát.
The cake is on the table.
We eat cake at parties.
This is a big cake.
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes confuse 'cake' with 'bread' or 'pie'. Remember that cake is usually sweet and soft.
Meaning
sweet baked dessert
Collocations
birthday cake
|chocolate cake
|slice of cake
|bake a cake
|wedding cake
Synonyms
pastry (A general term for baked goods, but not always sweet or cake-like.)
Antonyms
bread (Bread is baked but not sweet and has a different texture and purpose.)
Themes
food
|daily life
|celebrations
|food_drink
|daily_life
|core_vocabulary
Definition
A sweet food made by baking flour, sugar, and eggs together.
A sweet, usually soft food made from a mixture of flour, sugar, eggs, and fat, baked in an oven and often decorated.
VERB
B2
2
Usage pattern:
[something] cakes [something]
Mud caked his boots after the hike.
A túra után vastagon rászáradt a sár a bakancsaira.
Her hands were caked with flour from baking.
A sütéstől vastag lisztréteg borította a kezét.
Snow caked the roof overnight.
Blood had caked on the bandage.
Dust caked the old furniture.
Learner examples
Mud caked my shoes.
Vastagon rászáradt a sár a cipőmre.
Her face was caked with makeup.
Vastag sminkréteg borította az arcát.
The car was caked with snow.
Flour caked my hands.
Dirt caked the floor.
Common mistake:
Learners may confuse this verb with 'bake'. 'Cake' here refers to sticking or hardening, not cooking.
Meaning
to cover in a hard layer
Collocations
mud caked on boots
|caked with dirt
|blood caked on skin
Synonyms
encrust (More formal and technical; often used for natural or mineral crusts.)
Antonyms
clean (To remove all dirt or hardened material from a surface.)
Themes
nature
|cleaning
|daily_life
|science
|core_vocabulary
Definition
To form or be covered with a hard or thick layer of something.
To cover or become covered with a thick or hardened layer of something.
Grammar
Dictionary form
cake
IPA
GB/kˈeɪk/
US/kˈeɪk/
Syllables & stress
cake (1 syllable)
Stress on 1st syllable (cake)
Word forms
Noun
- Base: cake
- Plural: cake, cakes
Verb
- Base: cake
- 3rd Person Singular: cakes
- Present Participle: caking
- Past: caked
Word family
Forms
cakes
noun
caking
verb
caked
verb
Core family
cupcake
noun
pancake
noun A2
Related words
cheesecake
noun
Advanced or less common
cakey
adjective
Expressions
have your cake and eat it too
1/hˈæv jˈʊɹ kˈeɪk ˈænd ˈit ˈɪt tˈu/
idiom
informal
wanting two incompatible benefits
To want two good things that cannot both happen at the same time.
Examples
- You can't have your cake and eat it too—you must choose one option.
- He wants freedom and stability, but you can't have your cake and eat it too.
icing on the cake
1/ˈaɪsɪŋ ˈɔn ðə kˈeɪk/
idiom
extra good thing
Something that makes a good situation even better.
Examples
- Winning the championship was amazing, and the bonus prize was the icing on the cake.
- Her kind words were the icing on the cake after a great day.
piece of cake
1/pˈis əv kˈeɪk/
idiom
informal
something very easy to do
Something that is very easy to do.
Examples
- The exam was a piece of cake for her.
- Fixing the bike will be a piece of cake.
sell like hot cakes
1/sˈɛl lˈaɪk hˈɑt kˈeɪks/
idiom
informal
sell very quickly
To be sold quickly and in large numbers.
Examples
- The new phone is selling like hot cakes.
- Tickets for the concert sold like hot cakes.
take the cake
1/tˈeɪk ðə kˈeɪk/
idiom
informal
most extreme example (often bad)
To be the most extreme example of something, especially something bad or surprising.
Examples
- I've seen many rude people, but you take the cake!
- That excuse really takes the cake.