Are these honey cakes actually cakes or cookies?

The distinction between cakes and cookies has evolved over time, particularly with the introduction of leavening agents. In American Cookery (1796), we first see the use of pearlash, a potassium carbonate derived from wood ash. Pearlash allowed for a lighter, more cake-like consistency, distinguishing these baked goods from denser cookies. During the time of The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, the transition of terms was likely still in progress. Today, we achieve this with bicarbonate of soda or baking powder.

This change in density may have contributed to the shift of terms used. In some countries, what were once called cakes—whether tea cakes or sweet cakes—began being referred to as cookies or biscuits. In American Cookery by Amelia Simmons’, cookies (or “cookey” in some cases) were given their own category, but it may have taken time for the term “cakes” to be fully replaced by “cookies” in common usage.