ring-cake

Donut cake is an American term for a large ring-shaped or donut-shaped cake — typically an iced layer cake baked in a bundt or ring pan that resembles an oversized donut. It combines the visual appeal of a doughnut with the heft and celebration context of a birthday or party cake. The term is informal and used in baking, party planning, and food blog contexts. Not a standardised baking industry term but widely understood in American casual usage.

(US) A large iced cake resembling a donut.

A small cake baked in a usually paper container shaped like a cup, often with icing on top.

An American regional term for a small deep-fried pastry — essentially a doughnut or fritter by another name, common especially in the Midwest and Northeast. Friedcakes were a staple of early American baking, made by dropping spiced dough into hot fat and frying until golden. While 'doughnut' has largely taken over, friedcake persists in older cookbooks, rural dialects, and family recipe cards where it marks a connection to pre-industrial home cooking traditions.

A rich, sweet dessert food, typically made of flour, sugar and eggs and baked in an oven, and often covered in icing.