Davidovits' theory appears to be moving slowly from fringe toward mainstream.
Also the possibility of a mixed technique i.e. some carved stones along
with cast blocks offers a compromise in the debate.
why were the pyramids not made wholly of these cast stones? After all it is easier to cast a stone than to cut and hoist it into place. The answer, embedded in our finding, is simple: making geopolymeric stone was an expensive
proposition. For a primitive society, the fabrication of lime is non-trivial, especially the millions of tons that would have been required. Along the same lines, crushing tons of limestone is non-trivial either. Under these constraints, the ancient builders apparently compromised [1]
The quote goes along with a photograph (fig.6) showing distinctly the two types, the leading author, M. W. Barsoum, being a highky cited scientist (h=83) and the journal is a most academic one (J. Am. Ceram. Soc.). However there is an acknowledgement that some of the samples were provided by Davidovits. A more recent and no less academic work about Senefru's
pyramid by Barsoum et al. [2] states
results suggest that the casing stones consist of limestone grains from the Tura quarry, cemented with an amorphous calcium-silicate gel formed by human intervention, by the addition of extra silica, possibly diatomaceous earth, from the Fayium area.
A 2015 Springer Handbook of Materials Structures, Properties, Processing and
Performance [3] begins by mentioning the casting of blocks via ref[2].
Refs
[1]M. W. Barsoum et al, (2006) Microstructural Evidence of Reconstituted Limestone Blocks in the Great Pyramids of Egypt, J. Am. Ceram. Soc., 89 [12] 3788–96 (pdf)
[2]M. W. Barsoum et al,Were the casing stones of Senefru's Bent Pyramid
in Dahshour cast or carved?: Multinuclear NMR evidence, Mat. Lett.Vol. 65, Iss. 2, (2011),p 350-2
[3]L. E. Murr, (2015), Examples of Materials Science and Engineering in Antiquity, Handbook of Materials Structures...p.12