that there is nothing like a brownie to make you want some milk

Today a question as serious as any was brought up. What is the difference between a cake and a brownie. I understand that there is a fine line but I would like to know where this fine line has been drawn. After the question was brought up by a friend of mine and some brain storming took place. We decided that there are certain factors that one must consider.

1. the vessel it was cooked in. obviously a cake is thicker than a brownie.

2. the ingredients. I was shocked but I found out that some don't consider a brownie to be a brownie unless it has pudding. just like I said adds density and a wetness.

3. the texture. a cake would be more airy, I believe, than the denser brownie. A brownie would also be more moist

4. the frosting or lack there of. I actually do not believe that brownies should have frosting. First of all the denseness of a brownie and the frosting would make a true brownie to heavy and its not traditional.... but maybe this is to trivial.

I looked at this after I wrote this and just add it in as a footnote but note that I was close with the 3 thing.

According to Kevin Weeks: "The critical difference is that brownies are unleavened-- they contain no baking powder or soda. The lacking of leavening, and minimal amounts of flour results in a denser, chewy bar."