Cake Vs Gateau!, Whats the difference?...

Question

Can this be explained easily?, is there a definitive answer?, or how do you personally clarify which you call which?..

Answer 1

gateau means cake in french

Answer 2

Cake is what poor coffee shop owners serve and gateau is what upper class coffee shops serve no difference just sounds better "hoity toity"

Answer 3

I am a former chef and a cake is usually lighter and has or can have more than 2 layers, is a varied sized and shape and usually has and icing/frosting like buttercream and 7 minute egg white type and has a shelf life of 5-7 days.

The first fellow is partially right, gateaux is is the old french for cake, but it also mines a shorter denser cake not as fluffy and light as a boxed cake, it can be flavoured with all kinds of fillings, iced with buttercream, whipped cream or covered in ganache (chocolate), gateaux are not shelf study and tend to dry fast so some have a syrup or liquor based flavoured syrup to moisten it and add shelf life (3-4 days).