Cakes mark a symbol of celebration and bring people close. Be it birthdays, anniversaries, graduation, or buying a new home, we need cakes for every happy occasion. Have you noticed that we tend to buy or make different types of cakes for separate occasions? Different bakeries have different varieties of cakes. At Arapina Bakery alone they prepare more than 20 types of cakes. Now you can imagine how many different types of cakes are available to select from. Do you know what the most common types are? Here, we will discuss that and understand what makes them so desirable.
Cakes are usually of two types, foamy or buttery. The latter is also known as shortened cake. You will find the fundamental difference between the two to be its content of fat. The compressed or butter cake mainly includes butter or oil in them. Yellow cakes are best suited for these types of cakes.
In comparison, the foam cakes contain a very low or sometimes no fat in them. Usually, these bakers either use egg yolks, egg whites, and sometimes both. This presence makes the cakes very airy and light.
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Baking Your Cakes Right: What’s The Key?
With the variety of flavors, textures, and designs a cake can transform into, it may seem challenging to someone with not much baking arts experience to bake a cake. If you’re planning to learn how to bake cakes, here are a few points you should keep in mind:
- Use flour sparingly. The flour is the foundation of all baked recipes, so failing to mix them with other ingredients in the right proportion is a cake recipe for disaster. To ensure that the cake is always light and fluffy, measure just the right amount of flour and avoid overmixing your batter once the wet ingredients are added.
- Prepare the proper baking pans. Baking pans may look like simple baking equipment, but many novice bakers mistake choosing any baking pan available for their recipe. Before preparing and measuring your ingredients, use a baking pan conversion chart to know the right size of baking pans to use. Each baking pan has specific baking times and batter thickness. If you don’t follow this, your cake might end up burnt or undone.
- Be aware of the temperature. Your ingredients’ temperatures should always be at room temperature. Before mixing them all, use room-temperature eggs, butter, and milk, as cold eggs may curdle the cake batter, and the butter won’t cream well. Also, allow the cake to cool completely in the pan before assembling and decorating it.
- Trust the recipe. There are cake recipes for a reason. Whether it’s your first or a hundredth time baking a cake, always follow the recipe to ensure you’re doing the correct steps.
Different types of cakes
Here we have made a list of the best types of cakes and what you must expect before you order them. Quickly scroll down and know all the different types of cakes before you choose your favorite one:
Yellow Butter Cake
The yellow butter cake is the best type of cake and a perfect example of a shortened cake. It paves its way to numerous kids’ birthdays. Kids usually love the rainbow sprinkles and chocolate frostings that top the yellow butter cake. If you want to make this type of cake, you need an electric mixer. Remember to mix all the dry ingredients and cream up the butter and sugar well. However, many times it is seen people throwing all the ingredients together and integrating them too.
Pound Cake
The pound cake is named for the use of ingredients like sugar, flour, and butter to be in pounds. You’ll notice these cakes to not fluff up too much, unlike sponge cakes. Even the texture of this cake is quite dense and thick. The classic pound cake recipes usually have a vanilla flavor to it. You need to obtain it by using vanilla extract. However, people have done variations and come up with new flavors as well. If you wish to try a variation, then you must choose the cocoa and matcha mix. Usually, these cakes need a Bundt pan or a loaf pan for baking.
Red Velvet Cake
The red velvet cake has genuinely turned a favorite for almost everyone who has had a bite of this yummy treat. However, you will find it extremely popular around the globe now. Among all the different types of cakes, the unique red color makes this cake so fascinating. If you’re thinking, what does the red color come from? Well, that comes from a reaction that happens when the cocoa powder and buttermilk is whipped well. This is a classic method, but now you can quickly obtain the color using red food color. So, get your red food color and make your red velvet cake at home.
Carrot Cake
The carrot cake is one of the best types of cake flavors you must try if you haven’t yet. It is also a shortened cake that contains oil rather than butter. Once you take a bite of this cake, you’ll taste the grated carrot in it. This gives the cake extra moisture, and the use of spices makes it unique among all the different types of cakes. Usually, it has a frosting with cream cheese and occasionally crushed walnuts or pecans. Finally, the use of baking powder and baking soda gives the carrot cake a lovely fluffy look!
Sponge Cake
The sponge cakes are a great example of what foam cakes are. It lacks the use of leaveners like baking soda and baking powder. Moreover, you’ll notice this type of cake to obtain its volume naturally. It mainly comes from the use of eggs, irrespective of using only egg whites or the whole egg. It would help if you soaked the sponge cake in lovely flavored syrup, preferably lemon. And when you serve the cake, don’t forget to place one or more dollops of the lemon curd. Also, having a layering with smashed berries and whipped cream.
Genoise Cake
France and Italy call their sponge cake-the genoise cake. It usually has a mousse-like texture when the ingredients are mixed. The right kind of whip of sugar, egg whites, and egg yolks give the mix a mousse-like consistency. Then, the use of butter or oil and flour gives makes the genoise very soft. It has a very tender and moist texture.
Chiffon Cake
If you’ve tasted all the types of sponge cake, then you’ll find out a presence of it in the chiffon cake. This cake is a mixture of oil cake and sponge cake. However, the presence of oil in this cake makes it moist and rich. But the presence of egg whites and baking powder and baking soda makes the chiffon cake airy and light too!
Angel Food Cake
When you are getting an idea about all the different types of cakes, you cannot miss out on the lightest one. The angel food cake is very soft, and it gets its fluffiness because of the use of egg whites. No other fats and baking materials are used to make the angel food cake.
The cake is baked on a special pan that is used to make angel food cake only. Moreover, it is cooled by placing it upside down to keep the airiness in the cake. Do you think if it is sponge-like or not? Well, the presence of a lot of sugar gives the cake a lovely spongy and chewy texture that you’ll love!
Flourless Cake
The flourless cakes are usually ones that are either baked or unbaked. You’ll notice the baked flourless cake to be like cheesecakes and chocolate cakes that are flourless. On the other hand, the unbaked flourless cakes are either unbaked cheesecakes or mousses. It usually has a crust at the bottom that is made out of crumbs. And the content of fat in the flourless cake is very high. This gives the cakes a creamy and smooth texture.
Upside Down Cake
A very famous and popular cake in the United States is the upside-down pineapple cake. The use of pineapple and butter in this cake is the classic version of this recipe. However, bakers have successfully tried their hands-on numerous other fruits too. Some of the fruits they used are pears, peaches, blueberries, and plums.
Making this cake starts by placing the toppings at the bottom of the pan, and then the batter is placed. When you finish baking the cake, place the cake onto a tray or plate, and flip it over. Once that is done, you’ll notice the fruits that were placed at the bottom of the pan facing on the top. So, if you’ve tried all the types of cake flavors and not tried this one, you’re surely going to miss out on something very yummy!
Devil’s Food Cake
If chocolate is your favorite among all the types of cake flavors, then this devil food cake will surely be your favorite. The use of extra cocoa powder in this type of cake gives it the ‘devilish’ taste. Moreover, the use of baking soda or baking powder makes the cake airy and light. Once the cake is baked it contains a topping of frosted buttercream or chocolate. You can even try crushing some dark chocolate to give it a little more chocolaty taste. So, if chocolate is what you live for, don’t forget to try the devil food cake.
Hummingbird Cake
The hummingbird cake had hit the confectionaries of Stateside during the 1960s. It was invented by the Jamaicans and originally named the Doctor Bird Cake. However, now you can easily find it in the west. Its classic version contains oil in it, with a dominant presence of pineapple, banana, pecans, and a lot of warm spices. Once the cakes are baked, you’ll find it to have a lovely tangy flavored cheese frosting.
Opera Cake
Though it is not clear where the opera cake originated, it is quite clear on how the cake tastes. It has thin layers of almond cake that are all soaked in coffee. Then, it is made in sandwich-type with buttercream that is expresso-flavored. And with a bittersweet chocolate ganache. Finally, topped with a second layer of the rich flavored chocolate ganache. Although the opera is light, the flavor is rich. If you haven’t tasted this showstopper cake, you must give it a try!
Lady Baltimore Cake
Although the origin of this cake is controversial, people believe it originated in the south of the United States. It has a nice and fluffy layer of cake with a nut and fruit fillings. Finally, it has a cushion type of frosting that makes this cake unique.
Fruit Cake
When you are going through the list of the different types of cakes, how can you miss out on fruit cake? Usually baked during Christmas at home, but confectionaries have them present all year-round. It is packed with a lot of nuts, spices, dried and candied fruits. Once the baked have baked the cake, the entire cake is soaked in rum or brandy. It is a very rich cake and incredibly delicious.
Dirt Cake
The dirt cake gained immense popularity from the 1970s. It has made its way to most kid’s parties and is a favorite for many. Usually, it is an unbaked type of cake. It is made with pudding, whipped cream, and Oreo cookies. Are you thinking, why is it called dirt cake? Well, that is because of the messy, dirty, and rough look the cake turns out to be. Often, bakers top it up with some gummy worms and cheese frosting to justify the uniqueness of its name. It is also an excellent substitute for ice cream as it can easily replace ice cream. Strangely some people love to place the cake in a flower bucket or pot.
Mississippi Mud Pie
Although people claim the Mississippi mud pie was invented much before it became popular in the 1970s. There is a belief it was originally invented in the Vicksburg-Natchez region that is near Jackson. This dessert is very famous in the United States and is a favorite for many.
You’ll find the crusts to have ice cream, liquor, whipped cream, marshmallows, and lots of biscuits. When you have a look at this pie, you’ll notice it to be in layers. And the toppings have marshmallows, chocolate syrup, and pecans.
Icebox Cake
The list of different types of cakes is incomplete without mentioning the icebox cake in it. The cake was invented in the States during WWI; however, it became popular only in the 1920s and 1930s. However, the classic version of the icebox cake is made out of sugar, chocolate cookies or wafers, and heavy cream.
All you need to do is make alternative layers of the cookies and whipped cream. It is done in a box and then placed into the freezer. You need to chill it overnight and then serve. Apart from the classic version of the icebox cake, America has tried their hands-on different variations too. Some of the successful experiments were chocolate pudding, bananas, and pineapple icebox cake.
Final Thoughts
This brings us to the end of all the different types of cake. So, now you have a huge platter to decide from before you choose which one is your favorite. Do try out these cakes and let us know how your favorite one in the comment section below!