March 13th, Coconut Torte Day, begs the question: What is a torte? Is it just a pretentious word for cake, something to make you think the torte is more special than an everyday cake?

Nein, mein freund. While torte is the German word for what the British (and Americans) call cake and the French call gâteau, they don’t refer to identical confections.

Different cooking traditions led to different styles of baking.

 
A torte is thus easily recognizable because it’s one layer that’s shorter than a typical cake layer, often no more than 2-1/2 inches high because there’s not much, if any, flour to rise. Flourless cakes are tortes. The crumb is denser than the airy crumb of a layer cake; it’s similar to the density of a Bundt cake.

And a torte is wider than a cake—usually 10 to 12 inches in diameter compared to the typical 8-to-9-inch cake. That’s to compensate for the shorter height, so each short wedge will be a good portion.
 
KNOW YOUR TORTES

Alas, many people, including some bakers, use terms incorrectly. The following may be called “torte” by their makers and/or sellers, but are not tortes:

 
Remember these words: one short, dense, round layer.
 
 
TORTE VS. TART: THE DIFFERENCE

These two are not related except broadly: both are filled baked goods that can be sweet or savory.

[2] A Key Lime Coconut Torte from Pixilated Crumb.

[3] A flourless almond and coconut torte. Here’s the recipe from Food 52.

[4] A linzer tart. A tart is NOT a torte. See the difference at left.

 
What to remember: torte is a cake, tart is a [relative of] open-face pie.
 
 
CHECK OUT THE DIFFERENT TYPES OF CAKES IN THE NIBBLE’S TASTY CAKE GLOSSARY.

Make a white chocolate frosting with Irish cream liqueur. Photo courtesy of Equinox Maple Flakes.

Celebrate the 17th with Irish Cream Icing. You can bake or buy brownies or a loaf cake and add this tasty homemade topping.

She catered Reese Witherspoon’s and Ryan Philippe’s wedding, and other catering clients have been clamoring for her country ham-stuffed biscuits for years.

She couldn’t hand over the secret recipe, of course, so Charleston, South Carolina caterer Callie White did the next best thing: She charged her daughter with opening up a division to sell the bodacious biscuits online.

Now, there’s no need for you to imagine what super Southern biscuits taste like. Buttermilk, cheese, cinnamon and the country ham biscuits that started it all will come to you.

Get yourself a variety pack for Easter dinner or breakfast. Send some to Mom for Mother’s Day. Each biscuit is handmade with just a bowl and no other equipment (save for the oven, of course).

Callie says that the secret to making a great biscuit is to not over-mix the dough. Each batch is mixed by hand, and the expert biscuit makers know by the feel when the dough is ready. It’s art, it’s science, it’s delicious!

Read the full review, and order at CalliesBiscuits.com.

Visit more of our favorite breads and biscuits in the Gourmet Bread Section of THE NIBBLE online magazine.

Why do the British refer to cookies and crackers as biscuits?

 
Why the difference?

 
Do The British Use The Word “Cookie?”

Yes, but for a different style: not flat and crisp.

The soft, chewy cookies that developed in the U.S. are, in fact, called cookies in the U.K. But they aren’t as common in the U.K. as the crispy biscuits.

When American Biscuits Came To Indicate Bread

According to The Encyclopedia of American American Food and Drink, the first American usage of “biscuit” as a soft bread was in 1818, in the Journal of Travels in the United States of North America, and in Lower Canada, by John Palmer.

By 1828 Webster’s Dictionary defined a biscuit as “a composition of flour and butter, made and baked in private families.” These small, puffy leavened breads were called soda biscuits or baking-soda biscuits, to differentiate them from the unleavened cracker type of biscuit. Recipes are ubiquitous in 19th-century cookbooks.

In addition to serving up plenty of soda biscuits, Southerners also developed the beaten biscuit, first mentioned in print in 1853. In 1930, General Mills introduced Bisquick, the first packaged biscuit mix. And the rest, as they say, is history.

Pass the butter, please.

Who thought up this food holiday, you might ask? Why not Blackberry Waffles Day, or Milk Chocolate Chip Waffles Day?

We’re guessing that Oatmeal-Nut Waffles Day is the work of nutritionists at the Whole Grain Council or some other group supporting oats—and they’re not wrong.

We need three portions of whole grains daily, and oatmeal waffles are a good start. As for the nuts, while they are high in calories and fat, they contain protein plus the good, monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats (omega-3s), which have all been shown to lower LDL cholesterol. (Your body needs two tablespoons of good fats daily.)

 
Here’s a recipe to celebrate the day:
 
 
RECIPE: OATMEAL-NUT WAFFLES

Ingredients

[2] Chop the nuts to the fineness you prefer (photo of almonds © Big Tree Organic Farms).

1. PREHEAT a lightly greased waffle iron.

2. COMBINE the flour, oats, nuts, baking powder, cinnamon and salt in large mixing bowl. Set aside.

3. MIX the eggs, milk, butter and brown sugar in small mixing bowl. Add this to the flour mixture, stirring until blended.

4. POUR the batter onto the preheated waffle iron. The waffle iron needs to be hot enough to make a cold drop of water “dance.” When it’s hot enough, add the batter. Close the lid quickly, and do not open during baking.

TIP: Cooking time varies by waffle iron, setting chosen, if the iron surface is coated (e.g. with Teflon), how much moisture is in the waffle batter, etc. You will need to experiment with your waffle iron. Look for steam escaping from the sides. When the steam stops, the waffles should be finished.

5. REMOVE the finished waffles with a fork. Top with syrup or fresh fruit and/or yogurt.
 
 
HOW MANY TYPES OF WAFFLES HAVE YOU HAD?

Check them all out in our Waffles Glossary.

Also check out our Pancake & Waffle Glossary, along with the history of waffles.