The cake is the most popular dessert all over the world. This dessert is equally famous among children, adults, and older people. Everyone seems to be attracted by this delicious dessert.
It is rare to find a person who doesn’t like this yummy edible. Have you ever found such a person around you? Have you?
So, what is the most attractive thing for you when you desire for having a cake? I guess it will be the colorful appearance, a sweet rich layer with your favorite frosting, or maybe your favorite fruity topping. Well, I am feeling hungry while writing this article for you!
Let’s encounter some delicious different types of cakes that will make your day. But before that, it will be very useful to have some know-how of basic types of this bakery product.
Major types of cakes
There are several types of cakes depending on their ingredients, shapes, toppings, colors, and combinations with other desserts, but there are two basic types of cakes. Let’s find the difference between these two types.
· Butter cakes
This type of cake is also popular as “shortened cake”. The fat content is the main difference between these two cakes. Shortened cakes include one of the ingredients among butter, shortened, or oil. For example, a carrot cake lies in this category of cake.
· Foam cakes
On the other hand, foam cakes include a very small amount of fat or more preferably no fat and they involve whipped eggs as well. Due to less or no fat foam cakes are airer and lighter to eat and get perfect with a cup of nice tea or coffee.
For example, angel cakes, and chiffon cakes are the best foam cakes.
Now it’s time to get back to our original topic of discussion “15 different types of cakes” Here are these specific types of cakes that I have collected for you for having a happy baking and eating time!
1. Red velvet cake
The red velvet cake owns the tag of one of the most popular cakes in the United States. Its appearance, velvety texture, and softness is the main reason behind the name of this cake.
The uniqueness of red velvet cake is its color which is produced with the help of raw cocoa powder that turns into foods bright pigmented blue, red, and purple under the presence of an acid. This specific red color appears with the reaction of cocoa powder with buttermilk.
But in this modern era, bakers use food colors to give this specific read appearance to this classic cake. Due to these specialties, red velvet cake is served on special occasions i.e., anniversaries, birthdays, and yes, Valentine’s Day.
2. Cupcakes
Everyone is familiar with cupcakes; these are small cakes prepared to serve a single person. What is the most convenient thing about these cakes? Yes, it’s their size that makes them special and unique.
You never need a knife and a dish to eat this cake rather you can easily enjoy this little yummy thing without utensils. Cupcakes are very popular among kids as they can have their own little beautiful cakes without waiting for someone who will cut a piece for them, agreed?
You can make your favorite cake with a small number of ingredients and decorate it according to your desire. The best thing about cupcakes is, everyone can enjoy the same amount of delicious frosting in a feast.
3. Coffee cake
After the invention of coffee in the 1600s, Scandinavians and Germans tried combinations of coffee with sweetbreads topped with nuts, fruits, and spices. This was the initiative of the concept of coffee cake. The coffee cake was introduced in the United States in the late 1800s by Dutch and German immigrants.
Bakers made changes and enhanced the coffeecake into different flavors. The modern coffee cake comes in different varieties of toppings i.e., bittersweet chocolate, pomegranate molasses, espresso powder, cocoa powder, and covered in a bittersweet chocolate ganache.
4. Pound cake
A pound cake got its name just because of the proportions of the used ingredients i.e., a pound of sugar, a pound of flour, a pound of eggs, and a pound of butter. This cake is comparatively very simple and made with simple ingredients including eggs, flour, butter, and sugar.
But you can dress up your pound cake with some honey, berries, hot black chocolate syrup, and some nuts.
Evolution is spreading all over the world, similarly happening in the baking industry, that’s why there is a good variety of pound cakes that are differently made by bakers with the help of new flavors and food colors.
5. Genoise cake
Sponge cake is known as a genoise cake in France and Italy. In fact, Genoise cake is a special form of sponge cake that is enriched with egg yolk and butter. It is also given the additional flavor by brushing the syrup.
These cakes are comparatively moister than a simple sponge cake as their layers are coated with flavored syrup to create a specific amount of moisture.
6. Opera cake
It is a traditional French dessert that is made of the following three layers
- Almond sponge
- Espresso buttercream
- Chocolate ganache
These special layers provide a unique taste to this cake that can be felt in each bite. The flour for this cake is basically a mixture of almond flour and white pastry flour. This combination plays a vital role in the flavor of opera cake.
Before covering the entire cake in espresso buttercream and delicate chocolate ganache a layer of flavored espresso-brandy syrup is soaked into the cake.
7. Chiffon cake
A chiffon cake is a sort of cross between sponge cake and oil cake. Unlike sponge cake, vegetable oil, and baking soda are used in chiffon cake to provide a specific texture to the cake.
Chiffon cakes are usually associated with citrus fruity flavors. The four most popular flavors of chiffon cake include orange, chocolate, coconut, and almond flavors.
8. Johnnycakes
Johnnycake is a Caribbean fried dumpling. It is an old cake recipe made from a very simple mixture of water, cornmeal, and salt griddle which is fried on a hot griddle. Johnny cakes are prepared in both sweet and savory tastes. These cakes can be served with butter, fruits, and flavored syrup.
9. Basbousa
Basbousa is a semolina cake flaked with fine coconut and soaked in flavored syrup. The soaking syrup can be of different varieties depending upon your taste. Mostly rose water, orange blossom, and lemon syrups are used to complete the recipe.
Basbousa is commonly eaten during Ramadan, the holy month of Muslims. It tastes like American cornbread having a tender and crumbly texture. Basbousa can include regional ingredients resulting in a variety of flavors.
Egyptian used almonds and hazelnut topping in this recipe and in Syria and Lebanon, basbousa is prepared with crushed pistachios and flavored with candied orange peel or coconut.
10. Ice cream cake
An ice cream cake is a kind of childish creation. It is prepared by the best combination of ice cream with a cake. This type of cake provides open doors to creativity and new interesting imagination in the baking industry.
Ice cream cakes are prepared by layering ice cream and cake with candies, fruits, and chocolates. There are many creative ways to yield a perfectly flavored ice cream cake i.e., combining the Italian flavors of cherry and pistachio with chocolate waffle cone crust paired with chocolate ice cream results in traditional Spumoni ice cream cake.
11. Icebox cake
Icebox cake is a unique cake that doesn’t involve cake and ice cream and it is not a baked dessert. Instead, it is prepared with wafer cookies with a whipped topping and set in a refrigerator. Icebox cakes are famous for home baking as they are prepared on customized levels like using fruits and customized toppings.
Making an icebox cake with your kids is a fun way to spend the holiday and this recipe is very simple with a minimal use of equipment. Icebox cake gets ready to server after 3 hours of refrigerating.
So, are you thinking about a great idea to make this Sunday a fun day with your kids? Then you must give a try to making an icebox cake this Sunday!
12. Biscuit cake
This cake is pronounced like the French way i.e., “bees-kwee”. It is a type of sponge cake that includes both yolks and egg whites but unlike genoise cake, both are whipped separately and then combined back. This is the reason behind the light batter that includes less moisture and dries gradually.
13. Carrot cake
Carrot is being used in Christmas puddings and specifically in cakes. Carrot cakes can be enhanced by adding different fruits, nuts, and some good flavors.
A carrot cake is made by using practices of butter cake but you use neutral oils here instead of butter. The recipe for carrot cake is similar to butter cake but there is a minor change in the starting process. We start with whipping eggs with sugar instead of beating butter and sugar.
Moreover, carrot cakes live longer than butter cakes due to the replacement of butter with oil. It can also be flavored with warm spices and frosted with pecans, walnuts, and with a rich cream cheese frosting
14. Angel food cake
Angel food cake is made with an insane amount of eggs that turn into a foamy and airy texture. It resides in the category of foam cakes due to its texture which is a result of heavily beaten egg whites.
Angel food cake is a versatile form of cake. Bakers use citrus flavors, almond extracts, or unsweetened cocoa powder to produce delicious flavors. Moreover, the vanilla flavor is the most famous in angel food cakes. You can make a spiced angel food cake by using cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg as well.
15. Flourless cake
The flourless cake includes both baked flourless cake and unbaked flourless cake. As clear from its name there is no use of flour in a flourless cake, that’s why a heavy amount of cream, butter, and fat is used in the formation.
The unbaked flourless cake includes mousse cakes and unbaked cheesecakes. These cakes are molded in a springform pan or desert rings and chilled before unmolding. The crust layer is often baked before the addition of mousse and sometimes genoise or biscuit are alternated with mousse.
Concluding Remarks
Finally, we are done with the different types of cakes that are delicious as well as easy to bake. I hope you enjoyed the read.
If you like any of these types, so, don’t be lazy to make it for your loved ones. It will make your day and will be another new addition to your baking history.
All the best! Happy baking!