Types of Cake

I thought it was time to impart a little more information that I learned at culinary school. Today, a briefing about different types of cakes.

There are four main types and three other, slightly less main, varieties:

1. Whole egg foam
2. Separated egg
3. Creamed butter
4. Liquid fat
5. High ratio
6. Hybrid
7. Flourless

Whole egg foam cakes use whole egg foams (like a pâte a bombe) as the main fat and form of leavening. The most common whole egg foam cake is a genoise. These tend to be light and a bit on the dry side (good for soaking).

Separated egg foam cakes, like whole egg foam cakes, use egg foam to leaven the cake. However, as the name suggests the egg yokes and whites are separated. Sometimes both the whites and yokes are used, as in biscuit à la cuillère (ladyfingers), while other times just the whites are used (typically as a meringue), as in an angel food cake. These tend to be very light cakes.

Creamed butter cakes, surprisingly, use creamed butter as the main fat and leavening ingredient. A pound cake is a good example of a creamed butter cake. Also many common white cakes are made with creamed butter. They tend to be quite moist and sweet.

Liquid fat cakes use liquid fats such as vegetable oil or sour cream as the main fat in the cake. These are typically very moist and tender. Carrot cake, the Guinness chocolate cake I have made so often, cake and chiffon cakes (like the one I made for my final exam) are made with liquid fat.

High ratio cakes tend to be made with liquid fats and/or creamed butter. They have an exceptionally high ratio of sugar to flour. They are very moist cakes with a tender dense crumb. This is a less common mixing method than the first four, but produces a delicious cake like the high ratio white cake.

A hybrid cake is a cake that use two or more mixing methods. For example the olive oil cakes have a creamed butter base with liquid fat (olive oil) added in. The white cake I used for my wedding cake and devil's food cake are also hybrid cakes.

Flourless cakes are, as the name suggests, cakes made without flour. Flourless chocolate cakes and cheesecakes are the most common examples.

These types are not set in stone, but by knowing the different methods and the types of cakes they produce will help you look at a recipe and decide to make it or not. Also, knowing an egg foam cake is light and dryer than a liquid fat cake also tells you that the former will not last quite as long and will lend itself to different applications than the latter. I hope this sheds some light on cake types and mixing methods. Happy baking!