Brachot On Foods That Start With The Letter B: Difference between revisions

| Boston Cream Pie || Mezonot  || Al Hamichya<ref>If one has the filling as an enhancer of the cake then the bracha is Mezonot, however, if the filling is considered a thick layer for which one has intent to eat (not merely as an enhancer), then make two brachot, mezonot on the cake, and Shehakol on the filling. (This is based on the last paragraph). <br>* S”A 168:8 and 212:2 rules that if one eats jam/marmalade on a cracker one should only make a Bracha on the marmalade and it exempts the cracker. Magan Avraham 212:5 writes that one honey crackers are primary and one only makes a Bracha on that and it covers the marmalade. <br>* Mishna Brurah 168:45 rules like the Magan Avraham but adds that it’s only one Bracha when it is baked together, however, if they’re baked separately it would require two Brachot, one for the cracker, one for the marmalade because one is not eaten as an enhancer of the other but rather one is eating it for both of the cracker and the jam. However, Mishna Brurah 212:6 rules that if one eats cheese on a cracker one only makes a Bracha on the cracker even if one likes the cheese because one is eating the cheese as a spread. <br>**[It’s clear that the Mishna Brurah 212:6 is discussing where one didn’t bake it together, because if so, the Shaar HaTzion 212:21 should have answered that the difference in cases between in 212:5 and 212:6 was that in 212:5 it wasn’t baked together and in 212:6 it was.] Similarly, Sh”t Shevet HaLevi 7:27(6) explains that Mishna Brurah 168:45 only meant to make two Brachot when there’s a thick layer of jam but if there’s a thin layer one should only make one Bracha. <br>* To clarify this distinction: Vezot HaBracha (chap 11, pg 99) rules that if there’s a cake with a thick layer of whipped cream, cheese, or ice cream and the two were not baked together one should make two Brachot (similar to the case of Mishna Brurah 168:45). However, if one eats the cream or topping of fruit, chocolate, or nuts in order to enhance the cake one should only make a Bracha on the cake. [See Vezot HaBracha (Birur 42) where he explains the distinction at length.]<br>* Boston crème pie is a cake and not a pie (like the name implies). It is made with two layers of sponge cake and is filled with a thick layer of custard or cream. Laws of Brachos (Rabbi Forst, pg 360, pg 385, note 9) explains that one should make two Brachot on Boston crème pie because the filling is not merely an enhancer of the cake (and is similar to Mishna Brurah 168:45). However, Halachos of Brachos Handbook (Rabbi Bodner, pg 15) explains that Boston crème pie is simply a cake and the filling only enhances the cake and so the Bracha should be Mezonot (similar to Mishna Brurah 212:6). [http://www.ou.org/publications/brachot/default.htm OU] also writes Mezonot.</ref>