Why Oven Pancakes Aren’t Cake

Pancakes cooked without a pan do not become cake because what matters most is the ingredients

and batter, not how they are cooked. If you bake a pancake in an oven,

it is still a pancake, like an oven pancake or a Dutch baby, because it uses pancake batter.

Pancake batter is thin and made to create air holes that soak up syrup, which makes it dry

if baked too long. Cake batter is thicker, sweeter, and made to be soft and moist.

Even if you add extra ingredients to pancake batter, changing it enough to act like cake

means it is no longer a pancake. Cakes rise differently and have a smoother texture,

while pancakes rise just enough to stay airy. Cooking a pancake in an oven does