layer cake

American

noun

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

layer cake British

noun

a cake made in layers with a filling

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of layer cake

First recorded in 1875–80

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

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

From Salon

With Ghorman, the writers have the full layer cake of heartbreaking possibilities.

From Salon

“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

Each apartment in their building had its own floor, like a layer cake.

From Literature

A layer cake of overlapping aquifers extends from New Jersey to Florida along the coast, providing a reliable source of water for drinking, irrigation and industrial uses.

From Seattle Times

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023