Definition
A cake is an assembly of tubes glued side by side and linked by internal fusing, so that a single ignition fires the whole piece. Each tube shoots a bombette, comet, whistle or mine; modern cakes chain layers of different effects with calculated delays. Tubes measure 20 to 30 mm for standard pieces and up to 50 or 75 mm for professional cakes, with 25 to 200 shots and durations of 15 to 90 seconds. Some fire straight up, others in a fan (tubes angled in a Z or W pattern). Small models are classed F2 or F3, large calibres and heavy loads F4. The cake has become the backbone of mid-sized displays: it fills the low and middle altitudes between the shells.
In practice, for the display company
A cake uses a single cue yet runs for a long time: it is what gives a sequence volume without multiplying the wiring. PyroDesk imports supplier catalogues with shot count, duration and tube angle; the firing plan places each cake on the timeline, and PyroSimulator reproduces its cadence and fan so you can check it does not mask the next shell.