This light-hearted question may seem simple at first, yet it has layers.
As a society, we're trained to love cake from an early age. Happy 1st Birthday, dive into this whole cake just for you! And we repeat the process with the first-cut slice for all birthdays to come. However, I maintain that this is incorrect, and that pie should be America's, nay, Earth's, favorite dessert. Why? Versatility in texture, form, food groups and temperature. Consistency. Adaptability.
Chocolate Pudding Pie
Apple Pie
Dutch Apple Pie
Coconut Cream Pie
Key Lime Pie
Pumpkin Pie
Banana Cream Pie
Pecan Pie
Chocolate Peanut Butter Pie
... the list goes on, and it gets even more versatile from there. Welcome to the savory side of pie -
Pizza Pie
Shepherd's Pie
Quiche is pretty much an egg pie
Easter Pie
Chicken Pot Pie
Granted, cake is no slouch. There are some interesting things done with cake.
Lava Cake
Carrot Cake
Tiramisu
Ice Cream Cake (those crunchy bits are amazing)
All great choices. However, the ultimate cake - Cheesecake - is really just a form of pie when you think about it. This is like people who say they prefer cats over dogs because they have a great cat who acts just like a dog. It's an outlier. A misnomer. Cheesecake is pie.
The cherry on top - the average diner slice of pie is going to be consistently better than the average diner piece of cake. How many times have you had cake that tasted like dried-out, boxed nonsense? Pie is friendlier, too. It gets along well with others. Give me a slice of pie with a scoop of vanilla bean ice cream and a cup of good coffee and I'm all set for the evening. You cake fans can have your over-iced sponge with a bubbling Pepsi at the toddler's table.
Pie wins.
What say you?
If the question was "Pie or Cake?" it should have been a dessert-to-dessert comparison.
Once you add a "ringer" like pizza to the pie team, cake doesn't stand a chance.
Pie with ice cream even better.
Yes! Every year. I have two pies on my birthday every single year. Occasionally someone will show up with a cake but my wife knows. Pie, pie and more pie.
You're aligning your argument to the rationality of the average bride. You've already lost.
This is my absolute favorite dessert: yellow cake with chocolate icing (real buttercream, not that shit from a jar)...
I could eat this for breakfast lunch and dinner.
In one of my other lives, I delivered Biazzo cheese in North Jersey. Yeah, I was the fuckin' CHEESE guy.
One morning, I pull up to D'annas pastry shop in Lodi, load up a stack of cases of bulk ricattone (ricotta) and open the side door.
The old man is sitting on a stool wearing an apron, scooping whipped custard with a large spoon into the largest cream puff I ever saw.
What's THAT? I ask.
It's a Sfinge... - he sees the perplexed look on my face - you've never had one, have you?
"Here, they're best when they're fresh" - hands me the one he just finished.
Holy shit - one of the best things I ever tasted.
For years, my parents would stop there AND at Sorrento bakery in Lodi, bring boxes of Sfinge and Cannoli.
I don't miss much about Jersey, but I DEFINITELY miss the pastry shops.
+1 - too many unknowns with cake.
I don't miss much about Jersey, but I DEFINITELY miss the pastry shops.
St Joseph Day donuts. I could not agree more.
Excellent post.
best pie:
Italian Bomb from Modern Apizza in New Haven:
best cake (I'm not a huge sweets guy so this is just my opinion):
Fudgie the Whale from Carvel (are they sill around?)
best dessert pie:
And GTFOH with the cannoli stuff.
Cannoli is like the side piece with a butterface and a headcase but you keep her around and throw her a bone once in awhile because she's willing to do some freaky stuff
Pie is the main, she's the girl you're gonna marry and spend your holidays with and have kids with and grow old together.
n the whole, I feel like there's more breadth to pies but there's more depth (creativity) in cakes.
Cooked fruit pies are way to sweet which make the kind of gross...
I'm sure some on BBI have tried them...
Interestingly though, not that big on apple pie.
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