The majority of cakes contain some kind of flour, egg, and sugar. Cake is often served as a celebratory dish on ceremonial occasions such as weddings, anniversaries, and birthdays.
A traditional Egyptian sweet cake that is made of cooked semolina or farina soaked in simple syrup. Coconut is a popular addition; the syrup may also contain orange flower water or rose water.
A German variety of spit cake also popular in Japan. The characteristic rings, which resemble tree rings when sliced, give the cake its German name, which literally translates to "tree cake".
A cake made of shredded coconut, jaggery and semolina and a mixture of spices; it is commonly prepared and consumed in celebration of festive and religious occasions.
A cake that has various ingredients, usually chocolate or sponge, and is often topped with icing and candles; the number of candles on top of the cake is often said to represent someone's age (for example, a birthday cake for a nine-year-old would have nine candles).
A cake featuring cherries, kirsch, and chocolate. Typically, there is one bottom layer of chocolate shortcrust and two layers of chocolate sponge cake; the cake is then filled with cherry jam and whipped cream.
Blackout cake, sometimes known as "Brooklyn Blackout cake"
A traditional Christmas cake made to resemble a log, commonly decorated with confections shaped as various woodland items such as mushrooms, snow and berries. Also known as a yule log.
A cake that is baked in a Bundt pan, shaping it into a distinctive ring shape. The shape is inspired by a traditional European fruit cake known as Gugelhupf. Bundt cakes are not generally associated with any single recipe, but they are often made with chocolate.
A variant of cupcake, also called "fairy cake" for its fairy-like "wings". They can be made from any flavor of cake. The top of the fairy cake is cut off or carved out with a spoon, and cut in half. Then, butter cream, whipped cream, or other sweet filling like jam is spread into the hole. Finally, the two cut halves are stuck into the butter cream to look like butterfly wings. The wings of the cake are often decorated using icing to form various patterns.
A moist, dense, sweet cake made with carrots. Variations include Rüblitorte, a classic Swiss carrot cake made from a sponge cake with carrots and hazelnuts or almonds, glazed with a sugar glaze, and decorated with small marzipan carrots.
Cassata consists of round sponge cake moistened with fruit juices or liqueur and layered with ricotta, candied peel, and a chocolate or vanilla filling similar to cannoli cream. It is covered with a shell of marzipan, pink and green pastel colored icing, and decorative designs. The cassata is topped with candied fruit depicting cherries and slices of citrus fruit characteristic of Sicily.
Cakes shaped like breasts to honor Saint Agatha of Sicily. Made of sponge, moistened with juice or liqueur, and stuffed with ricotta and chocolate. Decorated with marzipan, icing, and candied fruit.
A dessert with a thin base made from crushed biscuits and a thicker top layer of soft cheese, eggs and sugar. It can be baked or unbaked (in which case it is refrigerated.) The bottom layer can also be made of shortcrust, and in European countries the top layer is made from curd or a creamy kind of cottage cheese.
A cake made from milk solids and semolina. The milk solids, known as chhena, are the main ingredient; it is a specialty of the state of Odisha in India.
A vanilla and custard cream cake dessert popular in several central-European countries. There are many regional variations, but they all include puff pastry base and custard cream.
A cake made to resemble or decorated with the image of a human body (often nude or semi-nude), individual sex organs, or sexual activities, sometimes with a statement of a sexual nature written on it
A Hungarian cake (torta) named after Prince Paul III Anton Esterházy de Galántha (1786–1866). It was invented by Budapest confectioners in the late 19th century. It consists of cognac or vanilla buttercream, sandwiched between layers of almond meringue (macaroon) dough. The torte is iced with a fondant glaze and decorated with a characteristic chocolate striped pattern.
A sponge cake filled with buttercream icing and red jam (typically strawberry, blackcurrant or cherry); it is then topped with brittle nuts, toasted almond flakes and/or ground hazelnuts.
A cake made with sticky rice, white sugar, and refined lard. Due to health concerns associated with lard consumption, sometimes vegetable oil is used instead of lard.[13]
A cream cake known as Gåsebryst in Denmark.[14] It consists of a Danish pastry bottom that is topped with whipped cream, custard, and jam. These layers are then wrapped in marzipan.
A biscuit-sized cake introduced by McVitie and Price in 1927 and named after Jaffa oranges. The most common forms of Jaffa Cakes are circular, 2.5 inches (64 mm) in diameter and have three layers: a Genoise sponge base, a layer of orange flavored jelly, and a coating of chocolate.
A classic layered Viennese desert consisting of a sponge cake layer and meringue and filled with red currant jam. The colors of the layers, white and yellow, are meant to represent the colors of the Vatikan.[18]
A Polish type of cream pie. It is made of two layers of puff pastry, filled with whipped cream, creamy buttercream, custard cream, or egg white cream; it is usually sprinkled with powdered sugar, but it also can be decorated with cream or covered with a layer of icing.
A light butter cake usually flavored with lemon. Sometimes confused with Bolo de mel cakes, which are actually made in Madeira using a completely different recipe.
A dessert similar to tiramisu made with layers of broas or graham crackers, whipped cream, condensed milk, and ripe Carabao mangos (other fruits can also be used). It is a no-bake version of the crema de fruta.
A layer cake popular in Russia and other countries of the former Soviet Union, often referred to as a Russian honey cake. The identifying ingredients are honey and smetana or condensed milk.
A cake consisting of three layers of puff pastry alternating with two layers of pastry cream. The top is glazed in white (icing) and brown (chocolate) strips, and combed into a distinctive pattern. This cake is also known as a Napoleon.
First created in Rieti in the 1950s,[25] the name comes from the small pieces of sponge cake scattered on the surface, which resemble mimosa flowers in shape.
A sweet coffee cake that originated in the colonial Moravian Church. It is made with a sweet yeast dough enriched with mashed potatoes and topped with a mixture of melted butter, brown sugar, and cinnamon.
The name plum cake has referred to fruitcake prepared with dried plum and spices in England since around 1700; today, it refers to a cake prepared with dried fruits (such as raisins) as the primary ingredients.
A cake with alternating layers of sponge cake and whipped cream followed a layer of fresh raspberries and a layer of custard; all these layers are topped with a layer of marzipan.
A dessert with a base of either cake crumbs or sponge cake that is then filled with nougat and jam and soaked with rum. It is covered with a thick rum sugar glaze and topped with chocolate and/or a cocktail cherry.
A dish consisting of steamed rice cakes, traditionally made from slightly fermented rice dough. They are eaten as is or as an accompaniment to a number of savory dishes.
A traditional cylindrical-shaped and green-colored steamed cake. The cake is made of rice flour called suji and that is colored green with pandan extract, filled with palm sugar, steamed in bamboo tubes, and served with grated coconut.
A soft, muffin-sized cake that gained popularity around the early 18th century; it contains currants and is flavored with mace and orange or lemon water.
A dessert consisting of alternating layers of vanilla and chocolate cake; this base is then topped with chocolate and decorated with coconut at the edges.
A type of mooncake eaten during the Mid-Autumn Festival that was developed by a bakery in Hong Kong as an alternative to traditional mooncakes, which are made with ingredients such as salted duck egg yolks and lotus seed paste that result in a high level of sugar and oil.
A popular Taiwanese dessert originally from the city of Taichung. The typical fillings consist of condensed malt sugar, and the cakes are usually sold in special gift boxes as souvenirs for visitors.
A dessert consisting of several layers of ladyfingers dipped in espresso and occasionally alcohol such as Marsala wine and a cream made from mascarpone, eggs, and sugar. Traditionally sprinkled with cocoa powder and served chilled.
Torta della nonna is a dessert typical of the region of Tuscany in Italy. It is a sweet pastry cake filled with vanilla-flavored custard and covered with pine nuts and confectioner's sugar.
A Mantuan and Brescian cake that is made with leavened dough rich in butter and sugar. The dough is rolled up and placed in the baking tin so that it takes the cake's characteristic shape of a basket of rosebuds, hence the name.[35]
A sheet or circular cake with layers of chocolate cake, chocolate mousse, whipping cream and sometimes a layer of vanilla sponge cake. The dark and light colours of the cake are meant to resemble a tuxedo.
The Icelandic Westfjords wheatcakes are eaten both everyday and for festive occasions, but many consider them indispensable during Christmas. In the past, they were baked or fried on stoves like flat cakes, but today most people use a pan or a pancake pan and let them bake or toast in the dry pan.[37]
A cake named after Queen Victoria, typically consisting of jam and whipped double cream or vanilla cream sandwiched between two sponge cakes; the top of the cake is decorated with a dusting of icing sugar.
A cake made without eggs, butter or milk. Wacky cake may have been created as the result of rationing during World War II, when milk and eggs were scarce.[38] The eggless batter means that the structure of the cake is entirely supported by gluten, which is strengthened by the acidic vinegar and salt.[39]
A cake that is traditionally served at weddings. In the UK, the wedding cake is served at a wedding breakfast, a shared meal held after the ceremony (not necessarily in the morning). In other Western cultures, the cake is usually on display and served to guests at the reception.
^Asian Folklore Institute; Society for Asian Folklore; Nanzan Daigaku. Jinruigaku Kenkyūjo; Nanzan Shūkyō Bunka Kenkyūjo (1997). Asian Folklore Studies. Nanzan University Institute of Anthropology. p. 267. Retrieved February 2, 2021.