Cakes: Types of Cakes

Abstract

A wide range of cake products are found across the globe. Good quality cakes have a large volume and a crumb grain that is uniform with many small, fine cells and no large holes or tunnels. Batter preparation methods vary for different types of cakes and are one basis by which cakes are classified. The three most common types of cakes are layer cakes, foam cakes, and pound cakes. Layer cakes can be prepared using three different mixing procedures, which include multistage mix, single-stage mix, and continuous mix. There are three different types of foam cakes (angel food, sponge, and chiffon), which differ in the level and type of fat in the formula. Angel food cakes contain no fat, sponge cakes contain fat from the egg yolk in the formula, and chiffon cakes contain fat added in the form of butter, shortening, or oil in addition to the fat in the egg yolk. Pound cakes are the richest type of cake, containing high levels of sugar, fat, and eggs. They are made using a multistage (creaming) method.