Know Your Cake Decorating Terms: America and England

Just like the joyous milestones they often celebrate, cakes connect us.

For decorators across the world, the love of cakes and their unique artistry crosses geographic, cultural, and linguistic boundaries. When we gaze upon tremendous tiers, pristine piping, superb sugar flowers, or any of the eclectic elements that come together to create memorable cakes, the awe we feel isn’t based in our country of origin, religion, or dialect, but in our essential personhood.

Our appreciation for the creativity, ingenuity, determination, and dexterity that allows decorators to create breathtaking cakes is etched into our DNA, because these are the traits that make us human. In many ways, life is a search for what, and who speaks our language, and it can be said that inspiration is the great translator.

But, when it comes cake, especially with recipes, the nuances of language can make all the difference. Even between England and The United States, two English-speaking countries, small differences in language can cause confusion.

To make sure that your cakes and sugar art don’t get lost in translation, here’s a list of cake decorating terms that we’ve noticed can differ between British and American English.

Now that we’ve cleared up those discrepancies, we can all get back to learning, baking, and caking! Have you been surprised by hearing these different terms used before?