Ever tried searching for a recipe and the search engine returns you with a hoard of cake recipes you have absolutely no clue about? In this article, we show you the different types of cake, how they are made, and the difference between them! With a better understanding of cakes, building your own dessert will be as easy as pie.
Sponge / Foam Cakes
Foam and sponge cakes have little to no fat in them, and are leavened primarily using whipped egg whites. This gives them a light, airy, and spongy texture. They are different from butter cakes which contain butter/oil/shortening, and use baking powder or baking soda for leavening.
Bakestarters' Pandan Chiffon Cake by Sophie
- Angel Food Cake
Containing no fat, egg yolks, or artificial leaveners, an Angel Food Cake is leavened solely using the air whipped into egg whites. The whites are whipped until very firm, before flour is gently folded in. The higher ratio of sugar in such cakes is required to stabilize the whipped egg whites. The result is a cake that’s light, fluffy and delicate, a great accompaniment to fresh fruit and whipped cream.
- Genoise
A genoise cake is different from an angel food cake due to the addition of egg yolks, giving it a richer flavour. Whole eggs are beaten together with sugar over a pot of simmering water until very thick, before flour is folded in. Some recipes call for melted butter. Genoises are usually use as a base for many desserts, as it can be flavoured with various extracts, essences, and liqueurs.
- Chiffon
Chiffon cakes rely on whipped egg whites and baking powder for leavening. Vegetable oil is used as fat. Dry ingredients are mixed together, before the wet ingredients such as egg yolks, oil, water, and flavouring are beaten in. The batter is then aerated with beaten egg whites and baked. This gives it the light and airy texture of sponge cake, with a moist and tender crumb characteristic of butter cakes.
Butter / Oil Cakes
These are made with either butter or oil as the fat, and leavened with baking powder. If using butter, the butter is often left at room temperature to soften before being creamed with sugar until light and fluffy. Creaming will help to dissolve the sugar partially and aerate the batter. Next, the dry ingredients such as flour, baking powder, and salt are mixed together in one bowl and added in alternating doses to the butter mixture, along with the wet ingredients. This results in a rich and moist cake, with a light and airy crumb.
Bakestarters' Classic Butter Cake
- Pound Cake
Pound Cakes are a type of butter cake. Rich, buttery, and dense, a classic pound cake contains one pound each of butter, sugar, eggs, and flour, resulting in a tender cake. Pound cakes are typically not used for layer cakes as they are heavier. These are usually baked in a loaf pan and served plain, or with a frosting and glaze.
- Devil’s Food Cake
The exact opposite of an Angel’s Food Cake, a Devil’s Food Cake is a dense, rich, and moist chocolate cake. An American classic, it has a more intense chocolate flavour as compared to the usual chocolate cake due to the addition of coffee, which enhances and brings out the chocolate flavour. It is typically baked as a layer cake, and covered with chocolate frosting.
- Gold Cake
A type of butter cake in which only egg yolks are used. The egg yolks give the cake a richness and beautiful golden colour.
- Yellow Cake
A type of butter cake flavoured with vanilla, it gets its characteristic yellowish hue from the use of whole eggs. It has a thicker batter than white cake, and tends to be more moist, dense, and sturdy.
- White Cake
Also flavoured with vanilla, a white cake is made with only egg whites. It is sometimes combined with shortening and butter to obtain a purer white colour, and is less tender due to the lack of fat and emulsifiers from yolks. Texture-wise, they are lighter and more delicate as compared to a yellow cake.
Cakes with little to no flour
Cakes with little to no flour have a rich, dense, and creamy texture in general.
Bakestarters' Cheesecake Bites
- Cheesecake
Cheesecakes can be made with either a little bit of flour, or flourless. They typically contain a layer of sweetened cream cheese filling on top of a base layer of crushed graham crackers, digestives, or oreos. Baked in a springform pan using a water bath, cheesecakes have a silky smooth texture.
- Flourless Chocolate Cake
Made sans flour, these cakes are aerated using whipped egg whites, and sink after baking. They are typically very rich and fudgy.
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Also in Recipes
As an enthusiast and expert in the realm of baking and confectionery, I bring a wealth of knowledge to unravel the intricate world of cakes. My expertise is grounded in practical experience and a deep understanding of the fundamental principles that govern the art of baking. Let's delve into the concepts used in the article about different types of cakes.
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Sponge / Foam Cakes:
- Description: These cakes have minimal fat content and are leavened primarily by whipped egg whites, resulting in a light, airy, and spongy texture.
- Key Points:
- Distinct from butter cakes, which use fats like butter/oil/shortening and chemical leavening agents.
- Examples include Bakestarters' Pandan Chiffon Cake.
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Angel Food Cake:
- Description: A type of foam cake leavened solely by whipped egg whites. It contains no fat, egg yolks, or artificial leaveners.
- Key Points:
- Whipped egg whites are stabilized with a higher ratio of sugar.
- Results in a light, fluffy, and delicate cake.
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Genoise:
- Description: Differs from an angel food cake by incorporating egg yolks, providing a richer flavor.
- Key Points:
- Whole eggs and sugar are beaten together, followed by the addition of flour.
- Melted butter might be included.
- Often used as a base for various desserts.
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Chiffon Cake:
- Description: Leavened by whipped egg whites and baking powder, with vegetable oil as the fat.
- Key Points:
- Dry and wet ingredients are mixed separately before combining.
- Results in a sponge-like texture with a moist and tender crumb.
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Butter / Oil Cakes:
- Description: Made with either butter or oil, leavened with baking powder.
- Key Points:
- Butter is creamed with sugar for a light and fluffy texture.
- Dry and wet ingredients are added alternately for a rich and moist cake.
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Pound Cake:
- Description: A type of butter cake that is rich, buttery, and dense.
- Key Points:
- Contains equal parts of butter, sugar, eggs, and flour (one pound each).
- Typically not used for layer cakes due to its density.
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Devil’s Food Cake:
- Description: A dense, rich, and moist chocolate cake, contrasting with Angel’s Food Cake.
- Key Points:
- Enhanced chocolate flavor due to the addition of coffee.
- Typically baked as a layer cake and covered with chocolate frosting.
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Gold Cake:
- Description: A type of butter cake using only egg yolks, resulting in a rich and golden-colored cake.
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Yellow Cake:
- Description: A butter cake flavored with vanilla, obtaining its yellow hue from whole eggs.
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White Cake:
- Description: Similar to yellow cake but made with only egg whites, resulting in a lighter and more delicate texture.
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Cakes with Little to No Flour:
- Description: Cakes with minimal flour, leading to a rich, dense, and creamy texture.
- Examples: Cheesecake, Flourless Chocolate Cake.
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Cheesecake:
- Description: Can be made with or without a small amount of flour, featuring a sweetened cream cheese filling on a base layer of crushed biscuits.
- Baking Technique: Typically baked in a springform pan using a water bath.
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Flourless Chocolate Cake:
- Description: Made without flour, aerated using whipped egg whites, resulting in a rich and fudgy texture.
- Baking Outcome: Cakes sink after baking, showcasing their dense and indulgent nature.
