How tteok is different from cakes

There are some basic differences here. Firstly, tteok is made by steaming, while western cakes are baked, and secondly, tteok is made of rice or ground rice, while cakes are made of wheat flour. And finally, and probably most importantly, tteok is eaten as both meals and desserts. A bowl of tteokguk (thinly sliced rice cake soup) may be served for dinner, followed by assorted sweet tteok as dessert.