Yes.
A cake is a cake because of what it’s made of — flour, sugar, eggs, fat, leavening — and how it’s baked. A candle is just an accessory.
A candle changes the moment, not the thing.
Think about it:
Wedding cakes don’t usually have candles.
Sheet cakes at potlucks don’t need candles.
A random slice of chocolate cake at 11:42 p.m. absolutely does not require a candle to qualify as cake.
A candle turns cake into a ritual object.
Without it, it’s still cake — it’s just not announcing anything.
So the better question might be: Is a cake with a candle still just dessert… or does it become a symbol?
Because the candle doesn’t define the cake.
It defines the occasion.