layer cake

American  

noun

1. a cake made in layers, with a cream, jelly, or other filling between them.

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layer cake British  

noun

1. a cake made in layers with a filling

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Etymology

Origin of layer cake

First recorded in 1875–80

Example Sentences

The “How to” sections on such topics as infusing butter, dehydrating fruit and assembling a layer cake are helpful supplements to the book’s occasionally complex recipes.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 26, 2026

"There is leverage on leverage on leverage. What we want to make sure is that everybody understands how that layer cake of leverage adds up."

From BBC • Apr. 28, 2026

There’s the London Fog layer cake at Deep Sea Sugar & Salt, so irresistible I once ate a towering slice with my hands at a bus stop.

From Seattle Times • Aug. 15, 2023

Secrets are shared and betrayed, resentments simmer and boil, and the result is a layer cake of life as it’s really lived.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 11, 2023

I get home that evening, and Ma’s baked a chocolate layer cake to celebrate—a real cake, too, not no Betty Crocker.

From "Shiloh" by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor