While you're frying up some eggs and bacon, we're cooking up something else: a way to celebrate today's food holiday.

Making a torte is a piece of cake - August 21 is National Pecan Torte Day!

What’s the difference between a torte and a cake? For starters, tortes are denser, shorter and wider than cakes, and often multi-layered. To confuse things a little, torte actually means "cake" in German and Hungarian.

What’s the difference between a pecan pie and a pecan torte? Instead of using pecans in the filling, the nuts are ground up and used in place of the flour. So while the pecan flavor persists, the texture is completely different.

Tortes are also made without the leaveners we’re used to in baking, namely baking powder or soda. Instead, they get their airiness from whipped eggs that are light and fluffy.

So, while a pecan torte may sound like just a fancy word for cake (which in some countries it is), turns out there are some subtle differences. And, if you’re used to making the traditional pecan pie, go a little bit nutty and try a torte.