As a noun, cake is a sweet baked food made from flour, sugar, eggs, and fat, often layered or frosted. As a verb, it means to cover something with a thick layer of a substance.
From Old Norse 'kaka' meaning 'cake,' brought into English by Viking influence. Early cakes were more like dense breads or flattened loaves. Over time, with sugar and baking advances, 'cake' became the light, sweet dessert we think of today.
The verb 'caked in mud' reminds you that cake is really about a thick, solidified layer—sweet or not. The idea of 'having your cake and eating it too' originally pointed out a contradiction: if you eat it, you don’t have it anymore. Cakes have become symbols of celebration, which is why almost every culture has some special version for big events.
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