cake

Universal Words noun, verb noun 1 [C,U] a sweet food made from a mixture of flour, eggs, butter, sugar, etc. that is baked in an oven. Cakes are made in various shapes and sizes and are often decorated, for example with cream or ICING: a piece / slice of cake * to make / bake a cake * a chocolate cake * a birthday cake * (BrE) a cake tin (= for cooking a cake in) * (AmE) a cake pan seealsoCHRISTMASCAKE, FRUITCAKE, SPONGECAKE, WEDDINGCAKE 2 [C] a food mixture that is cooked in a round flat shape: potato cakes seealsoFISHCAKE IDIOMS have your cake and eat it (BrE) (also have your cake and eat it too AmE, BrE) to have the advantages of sth without its disadvantages; to have both things that are available a slice / share of the cake (BrE) (AmE a piece / slice / share of the pie) a share of the available money or benefits that you believe you have a right to: Scotland is demanding a larger slice of the national cake. take the cake (especially AmE) = take the biscuit at BISCUIT moreatHOTadj., ICING, PIECEn. verb 1 [VN] [usuallypassive] ~ sth (in / with sth) to cover sth with a thick layer of sth soft that becomes hard when it dries: Her shoes were caked with mud. 2 [V] if a substance cakes, it becomes hard when it dries caked adjective: caked blood