Before this gets going I just want to cover my bases and make sure I don’t pull a Mike Barnicle. To that end I vaguely recall George Carlin debating the merits of cake and pie. My Internet searches for said discussion have failed to dig up exactly what Carlin said. Regardless, I’ll press ahead with my own take on the situation. It starts with the eternal question:
If given the option of choosing between cake and pie for dessert, which do you take?
Ironically Carlin died hours later. I encourage you to follow that link to a lot of Carlin videos, including his infamous 7 words routine as well as his inexplicable, G rated performance on a kids television show. Meanwhile, I still wanted to push ahead with the post even if it pales in comparison to something he would do. So here goes. Once again the premise:
If given the option of choosing between cake and pie for dessert, which do you take?
Now maybe you prefer pie over cake. Or vice versa. Fair enough. This post is not for you. But if you’re like me you have a great deal of respect for both cake and pie. And if asked to choose between the two your mind immediately wonders about the quality of the cake. And therein lies the whole dilemma. Given the way the question was asked it is impossible to tell how good the cake is. If the cake in question is an ice cream cake, a ridiculous cheesecake or even a simple Pillsbury style cake (I highly recommend the Funfetti) you can happily turn down the pie.
Unfortunately there are some really low quality cakes out there. I’ve come across horrendous store bought cakes (think the dreadful whipped frosting), tasteless sponge cakes, and atrocious carrot cakes.
So while the ceiling for cake may be higher than pie, a bad cake has the potential to ruin the post meal experience. Contrast that with pie. Worst case you end up with a Hostess Pie and that’s a no lose scenario. Best case you get a good old fashioned, just like grandma used to make apple pie that can rival any cake. I’d argue that any pie on the scale between Hostess and grandma’s would be better than the worst cake.Long story short everybody loves a good ice cream cake. Yet pie is a safer bet.
2 comments:
Weeksy,
You know how much I Love talking food with you, so I don't need to tell you how much I enjoyed this post.
I think you overlooked one key factor that tips the scales in favor of cake: Frosting. Even mediocre cake can be very good with some good frosting. Frosting itself is rarely bad, with the only time that I don't like it being when it is too light and fluffy. The one other issue with frosting is when the baker uses too high of a frosting-to-cake ratio. Either way, cake is superior to pie, which is saying a lot because pie is also great.
Also, is the Funfetti cake similar to the one that you have pictured above the hostess cakes? If so, I agree 100% that it is a great cake and probably the best of the "Cakes in a box mom bought at Stop and Shop and made at home." My mom called it "Rainbow Chip" but I am willing to concede Funfetti until we find a more masculine name.
I've always referred to it as confetti cake, but that might have just been a self-defense strategy.
Nevertheless, I don't mean to trivialize this issue by any means, but it's a no-brainer in my mind. Pie is superior. Weeksy has touched on the low points, where pie dominates. You heat up one of those gas station pies and throw some vanilla ice cream on it, and you've got something that I'd happily eat over the many high-priced deserts served in gourmet restaraunts. It's really hard to make something out of a bad cake, particularly when it is dry.
Now I will touch on the high point of this comparison. Something that anybody who went to Bowdoin College and ate in the dark room at Moulton should be familiar with, oreo pie. Oreo pie is better than any cake. The chocolate crust, the delicious filling. I could eat it all day.
Then, there's peanut butter pie. Chocolate graham-cracker pie. Banana cream pie.
That cake is viewed as the better option is nothing more than a result of the fact that you rarely see people thinking outside the box.
S'mores pie.
Meat pie! A LaRocque family favorite.
Ice cream pie is, in my mind superior to ice cream cake.
But, again, oreo pie is the top. In fact, I may drive up to Brunswick one night this year just to eat it. Hopefully they'll have peanut butter pie as well, in which case I may make it a bi-weekly thing.
Post a Comment