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 traditional layer cake, especially when it’s for someone else, can feel like a high-stakes performance.

From Salon • Feb. 3, 2026

“I was a layer cake of abandonment and hurt and fury, iced with a smile,” goes a typically curt, sardonic line in Manguso’s second novel, which chronicles the slow-motion collapse of a marriage.

From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 10, 2024

Kicking off with cake week, the fresh contestants were tasked with baking a vertical layer cake and a chocolate cake in the technical challenge, before a sponge showstopper.

From BBC • Sep. 27, 2023

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

This layer cake of manure, woodchips, and straw gradually rises beneath the cattle.

From "The Omnivore's Dilemma" by Michael Pollan