30 Types Of Cake, Explained

Cake is a popular dessert across the globe. According to the Webstaurant Store, Americans spent over $140 million on cakes alone in 2016.

An article by The Nibble notes that the ancient Egyptians were the first society to figure out that the natural yeast floating around in the environment was the key to making their dough rise. The first cakes were descendants of yeasted bread risen on hot stones. The modern cake began to take shape in the 19^th century with the invention of leavening agents like baking soda and baking powder — as well as the increased affordability of sugar and conventional home ovens.

Like other regional cuisines and dishes, cakes are shaped by the cultures and ingredients that surround them. Here are some of the most popular cakes and what makes them unique!

The pineapple upside-down cake is a retro baking classic. According to Alto Hartley, societies have cooked with cast iron skillets over open flames for hundreds of years. For a sweet treat, early societies would add sliced fruit to the bottom of the pan, pour on the batter, and flip the cake over once it was finished. Since early cast-iron pans featured tiny "spider legs," fruit upside-down cakes were dubbed "spider cakes."

Pineapple became more popular in America with the establishment of the Hawaiian Pineapple Company (now Dole). This tart cake is the perfect addition for family gatherings and holidays.

Cupcakes are a uniquely American dessert. The Hummingbird Bakery reports that the first reference to the dessert may have been in a cookbook from 1796, calling it "a cake baked in small cups." Another possibility is that cupcakes may have been referred to as a measurement technique memorized in volumes — similar to the pound cake. During the 18^th century, queen cakes were also common; these individually-portioned cakes were easily distributed and without the need for utensils.

Per ThoughtCo, commercial paper cupcake liners became widely distributed in the 1950s by the James River Corporation. The first cupcake bakery, Sprinkles Cupcake, opened in 2005, and Sprinkles now sells over 45,000 cupcakes daily.

Cupcakes in general come in almost every flavor as traditional cakes, so you can customize your batch to your liking.

The angel food cake is a light, airy cake made with an absurd amount of eggs. It is categorized as a "foam cake" because it derives its structure from heavily beaten egg whites rather than oil, yolks, or butter, per Martha Stewart.

Angel food cake is highly versatile. Although vanilla is the most traditional flavor, bakers can substitute citrus or almond extracts, as well as add unsweetened cocoa powder for a chocolate angel food cake. Cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves can be used for a spiced undertone to angel food cake.

For an ideal light texture, use sifted ingredients and caster sugar rather than granulated sugar. A stand mixer is also a handy appliance when making an angel food cake because it provides consistent movement when fluffing up meringues. You'll want to ditch the stand mixer when you're ready to fold the egg whites into the batter, though; using a stand mixer may beat the air out of the angel food cake and render it dense.

The history of the pound cake is relatively simple. In 18th century Britain, illiterate home bakers relied on memorized recipes to produce consistent bakes. Classic pound cake is made of a few simple ingredients: butter, sugar, eggs, and flour. The bakers used a pound of each to make the original pound cake recipe. Pound cake eventually made its way to the southern United States and became a baking staple for many households.

Modern iterations of the pound cake recipe profile new flavors and textures. Chef Stephanie Prida's recipe for olive oil pound cake with glazed apples utilizes oil instead of butter with the addition of chopped walnuts, brandy, and cider-glazed apples. Rhubarb pound cake maintains its soft texture via Greek yogurt and its flavors through the addition of ground cardamon, sliced rhubarb, and orange zest. The black tea cream on top of this springtime pound cake is delectable and one you'll want on your kitchen table.

The King Arthur Baking Company notes that genoise sponge cake is enriched with butter and egg yolk, as well as flavored with a brush of flavored syrup. Adding the perfect brush of syrup rather than sopping the cake is the key to creating a flavorful, yet light sponge that can be layered in a torte.

The Genoise sponge cake is a frequent flyer on the Great British Bake Off. Self-proclaimed "queen of cake" Mary Berry had bakers make mockatines on Season 6, Episode 8's technical round. These small genoise sponge cakes are flavored with coffee icing and a crème beurre au moka: a French coffee icing. Prue Leith's Le Gâteau Vert appeared a few seasons later; this cake is filled with a pistachio-flavored genoise sponge and covered with pistachio marzipan and a spinach-based, boozy crème au beurre.

Opera cake is a traditional French dessert with three layers: almond sponge, espresso buttercream, and chocolate ganache. The Good Life France notes opera cake was named after French pastry chef Cyriaque Gavillion's wife, who said that his chocolate creation resembled the Paris Opera House.

The sophisticated layers of this cake are integral to getting every flavor in each bite. The flour is traditionally made of a mix of almond flour and white pastry flour. This combination gives the cake its nutty undertone. Moreover, a boozy layer of espresso-brandy syrup is soaked into the cake for flavor before the entire cake is covered in the espresso buttercream and delicate chocolate ganache.

Flourless chocolate torte cake is a gluten-free favorite prepared and baked in less than an hour. The recipe combines dark chocolate, almond meal, eggs, and butter together for a dense, chocolatey slice that pairs well with mascarpone, cream, or fresh fruit slices.

Chef Nigella Lawson's grown-up spin on flourless chocolate cake combines the same ingredients with the added nuttiness of chopped pistachios, rosewater, and softened pears. The pears provide a significant amount of moisture to the cake without significantly skewing its flavor. This recipe can be made quickly in a food processor and baked in under an hour for an elaborate celebration or post-dinner treat.

The Brooklyn blackout cake was the brainchild of the Ebinger Baking Company, according to the Kitchen Project. This chocolate cake has a chocolate pudding filling with a pudding and chocolate-piece frosting. It was named after blackout drills during World War II in which the borough of Brooklyn would run emergency procedures that effectively "blacked out" the city.

Although the bakery shut its doors in 1972, home bakers can still rejoice in the chocolate wonder that is the blackout cake. Half Baked Harvest's recipe amplifies the chocolate flavors in the cake with the use of instant coffee. Buttermilk is used as a leavening agent (in tandem with baking soda) to keep the cake moist.

The fruit cream cake is a staple for birthdays, anniversaries, and Christmas celebrations in both Japanese and Korean cultures. Unlike the cakes commonly seen in American bake shops, the fruit cream cake is not as sweet or as dense. Baker Polly Chan explained on her Instagram that the Chinese sponge cake is flavored with sweet cream, jam, and fresh fruit –- making it a light counterpart to an often-filling main course.

Eva Bakes' Chinese bakery-style cake recipe utilizes a soft sponge layer, custard filling, and whipped topping stabilized with gelatin for a soft dessert experience. The cake is artistically decorated with sliced strawberries, blueberries, and grapes for a summery, fresh garnish.

Cheesecake was invented by the Greeks in the fifth century, according to Junior's. The cheese itself is made of soft cheese, eggs, sugar, and flavoring, while the cake is made of a cookie or pastry base. The cake can be either raw, such as the French cheesecake, or baked, such as the New York Cheesecake. Although cream cheese is the commonly used soft cheese in cheesecake, ricotta, quark, and cottage cheese can be used in other variations.

Cheesecake can come in a variety of flavors. A no-bake chocolate cheesecake contains cream cheese, sour cream, melted semi-sweet chips, and a pre-made graham cracker crust. These ingredients keep the custard moist and delicious — especially with a sprinkle of flaky sea salt on top. Cheesecake can also be served with fresh fruits like cherries, blueberries, or strawberries.

The Basque cheesecake is similar to its Americanized counterpart except for one important component: the crust! The Basque cheesecake is crustless, so it is dependent on a naturally hot oven to caramelize a crust layer. The La Viña cheesecake from the San Sebastián region of Spain is made of heavy cream, sugar, cream cheese, egg, flour, and vanilla; this is one of the most traditional Basque cheesecake recipes. Chocolates and Chai's chocolate variation uses melted 75% dark chocolate baked in a warm oven to emulate the same flavors as the traditional recipe — just with a chocolate twist. These cheesecakes can be garnished with fruit or cream and served at almost any event or gathering.

Bundt cakes are less about what's in them and more about their shape. According to chef Alton Brown, ensuring that the batter does not stick to the walls of the doughnut-shaped mold is essential to getting the perfect bundt shape. He recommends coating the bundt pan with butter and a layer of flour before covering the pan with plastic wrap and vigorously shaking it. This ensures all corners of the pan are covered and will prevent your bundt from sticking.

Bundt cakes are popular at all times of the year, but most are made and elaborately decorated during the holidays. Glaze, icing, and garnishes give bundt cakes their intricate appearance. Jessica Morrone recommends baking her moist chocolate zucchini cake in a bundt pan for a crispy edge — and it's the perfect canvas for intricate decoration.

Ice cream cake is a nostalgic childhood creation that combines the best desserts out there: ice cream and cake. Ice cream cakes are typically assembled by layering ice cream and cake with chocolate, fruit, or candy. Ice cream cakes can come in a variety of themes and flavors that inspire creativity and imagination. 

A traditional Spumoni ice cream cake is made from the Italian flavors of pistachio, cherry, and chocolate ice cream along with the crunch of a chocolate waffle cone crust. S'mores ice cream cake combines decadent layers of homemade marshmallows, chocolate graham crackers, vanilla ice cream, and chocolate ice cream for a frozen campfire classic.

Honey cake is commonly served on the Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year. The Russian version of the recipe, medovik, dates back to Emperor Alexander I, according to Russian Kitchen. Honey cake is a simple recipe sweetened with, you guessed it, honey. This simple honey cake recipe derives its moisture from Greek yogurt, eggs, and unsalted butter. The recipe can either be made in a cast iron skillet or a nine-inch cake pan. The skillet has some advantages for honey cake because it increases the crusty surface area while keeping the inside of the cake moist. The cake is finally garnished with fresh fruit and chopped pistachios.

King cake is a staple of the Mardi Gras tradition. The cake, which can be made into a circular loaf or a braided ring, is just as extravagant as the Mardi Gras celebration. The cake is decorated in purple, green, and gold sugar; these colors are symbolic of power, faith, and justice and were designated by the Rex parade in 1892, according to Mardi Gras New Orleans. The last important element of the king cake is the inclusion of a small trinket inside (often a plastic baby). It is said that whoever chooses the piece with the trinket is king for that day — and responsible for purchasing all of the cake for the following year's Mardi Gras celebration.

Although you can make king cake at home with colored sprinkles, white vanilla icing, and sweet dough, it is a much better idea to place an online cake order at one of New Orleans' king cake bakeries for the occasion. Although these bakeries have different takes on the king cake recipe, they all emulate the extravagance of the king cake tradition.