One thing that cakes have in common is that they are all made from flour, sugar or syrup, eggs or a combination of gluten and starch, butter or shortening and some form of liquid (milk, water, fruit juice or soda). From there, you will find a lot of different types of cakes. These include:
- Yeast cakes – This is the oldest type of cake. It is similar to baked bread. Oftentimes these are decorated on top instead of simply frosted.
- Cheesecakes – As is suggested by its name, there is cheese in this type of cake. Usually this is either mascarpone, cream cheese or ricotta. There is also very little flour in these cakes outside of what is used to make the sweetened crust that lines the cake. You can find cakes like this as far back as ancient Greece.
- Sponge cakes – These are the first type of non-yeast based cakes to have been invented. Air is used inside of the mix to help the cake level while it is baking. In order to cause this leveling, eggs are beat with a whisk. Sometimes a pinch of baking powder is also added though.
- Butter cakes – The name here suggests that there is a lot of butter and eggs used in these cakes. Of course, this is true. Baking powder can also be added as a leveling agent in order to make the texture even better. Herein the most popular types of butter cakes include pound cakes and devil’s food cakes.
Categories: Cookies & Cakes
