To my thinking, how sweet the result ends up may have something to do with it...also, sweet breads (sometimes called tea breads) may often be served at breakfast, for a mid-morning tea/coffee break (elevenses), or for afternoon tea *traditionally* where cake is served as a dessert after dinner?

I think tradition has a lot to do with what foods are named. A great deal of our American tradition comes from England where breads were slightly sweet, served often, and were simple. Cakes were more elaborate, had icings and frostings on them, and were reserved for special occasions.

Also, you don't usually put frosting on bread. You do on cake. I think the shape of it also has something to do with it. You usually bake a carrot cake in an 8 or 9 inch round or 9 by thirteen inch rectangular cake pan. BNB is usually baked in loaf pan. You don't have loaves of cake, you have loaves of bread :o)

Btw, just so everyone knows... the frosting IS the best part of a cake :o)

I think it is also the denseness. I make both a banana cake and a banana bread. The bread is denser and can stand up to being sliced moderately thinly and smeared with butter. The cake is more delicate.

I think it's the pan you bake it in....in a loaf pan it's bread in a 8 1/2 by 11 it's cake.
Linda C

It isn't a bright line but I also think that it has to do with how sweet and rich the item is plus the texture and crumb qualities of the final product.

Anything that is called "bread" you can slice into bread like slices and it holds together if you pick-up a slice to nibble on. Even if I cooked my carrot cake in a loaf pan, I don't think a slice would hold together like a slice of banana bread. But it isn't just texture because pound cake slices like banana bread. So if a baked good is sweet and rich it is called cake even if its texture is similar to some quick breads.

I think this is confusing me because I make loaf cakes that are sweet but also dense like bread, and I also regularly make a spice cake that is best eaten buttered like bread, but is still defined as a cake. To add to the confusion, in Iceland we serve loaf cakes in the same situations as Teresa describes tea bread as being served.

Judging from you answers I think the best explanation would probably be that sweet bread has a smaller amount of sugar than a cake, is baked as a loaf, is denser than a cake and is served with butter. Agree?

Sounds good to me, Netla....if you also put in the element of tradition - that is, what is traditionally thought of as a cake or a bread and how and when it is served. But then again, a slice of pound cake spread with butter and toasted in the toaster oven makes a delicious "bread" for breakfast. :o)

netla, i just love spice cake -- it ranks as one of my favorites. would you care to share your recipe?

maryanne

Maryanne, here is the spice cake recipe:

850 g (30 oz) flour
850 g (30 oz) dark brown sugar (this can safely be reduced to 700 g (25 oz))
2 1/2 tsp baking soda
2 tsp cinnamon, ground
1 tbs ginger, ground
1 tbs cloves, ground
1 tbs nutmeg, ground
660 ml (22 fl.oz) sweet brown ale (in Iceland I would use the non-alcoholic Egils Malt, but I'm told that Guinness brown ale can be substituted)

Mix all the dry ingredients well together and then mix in the ale. Pour into an oven pan or loaf pans (greased) and bake at 175°C (350°F) for about an hour. If you have a convection oven, lower the temperature a bit (10°C or so).

This makes a moist and chewy cake that is good with or without butter.