11 Cake Varieties You Should Know — and How to Recognize Them

The Two Primary Cake Categories

Cakes generally fall into two main categories: butter cakes (also known as shortened cakes) and foam cakes. The key difference between these two types is the fat content. Foam cakes typically contain little to no fat, relying heavily on eggs for their light, airy texture (think angel food or sponge cakes). Butter cakes, however, use butter, margarine, or vegetable shortening to create the dense, moist cakes we love. Each category has numerous variations — keep reading to learn more.

Featured: Strawberry Lemonade Cake

Category: Butter or Shortened Cakes

Here's a useful tip: if the recipe instructs you to "cream butter and sugar," you're making a butter cake. After the creaming process, you'll typically add eggs, flour, and either baking powder or soda for leavening.

Butter cakes come in a variety of flavors, including chocolate, white, yellow, and marble. Other cakes in this category may also be "shortened" with oil, such as in carrot cake or red velvet cake.

Featured: High-Altitude Buttermilk Devil's Food Cake

Classic American-Style Butter Cake

Although its name suggests otherwise, this cake wasn't originally created in the U.S., but has become quite popular here. These dense cakes are strong enough to support thick icing and fillings, making them ideal for rolled fondant. They may also incorporate oil for a lighter texture.

Dark Chocolate Cake I

"As a pastry chef, this is the only chocolate cake I will ever make from now on." — ZZZORBA.

Favorite Butter Cake Recipes:

• Heavenly White Cake
• David's Yellow Cake
• German Marble Cake

Pound Cake

Pound cake gets its name from the traditional method of measuring its ingredients: one pound each of butter, sugar, eggs, and flour. The result is a very dense cake that doesn't rise as much as American-style butter cakes. Due to its richness, pound cakes usually feature mild flavors and are served either plain or with a simple glaze. They're typically baked in a loaf or Bundt pan. Variations of pound cake include coffee cakes, sour cream cakes, and fruit crumb cakes.

Lemon-Buttermilk Pound Cake with Aunt Evelyn's Lemon Glaze

"My mother's award-winning pound cake recipe. It always receives glowing reviews." — Sarah Copeland Sawicki

Favorite Pound Cake Recipes:

• Coconut Cream Pound Cake
• Strawberry Cream Cheese Pound Cake
• Grandmother's Pound Cake II
• More Pound Cake Recipes

Carrot Cake

Like the American-style butter cake, carrot cake uses baking soda or baking powder for leavening. However, instead of butter, carrot cake typically uses oil, which helps the cake stay moist longer but can also make it a bit greasy. The pairing of rich cream cheese frosting and warm spices creates a truly irresistible treat.

Isaac's Carrot Cake

"This carrot cake is lighter and wonderfully moist, made with canned mandarin oranges instead of pineapple," says Kali Peacock. "It tastes even better if you let it chill in the fridge overnight."

Favorite Carrot Cake Recipes:

• Grandma's Carrot Cake
• Carrot Cake
• Mom's Pineapple-Carrot Cake
• More Carrot Cake Recipes

Red Velvet Cake

There's no denying it — red velvet is a crowd-pleaser. It's essentially a butter cake, though it's often made with oil instead of butter. The signature red velvet taste comes from the added cocoa. Originally, the red color came from the chemical reaction between buttermilk and cocoa, but nowadays, food coloring is primarily used. Pair it with Chef John's Cream Cheese Frosting for the ultimate red velvet experience!

Moist Red Velvet Cupcakes

This highly rated recipe provides the perfect individual-sized servings of cake, making it ideal for bake sales, potlucks, or simply a personal treat!

Top Red Velvet Cake Recipes:

• Gluten Free Red Velvet Cake
• Red Velvet Cake III
• Southern Red Velvet Cake
• More Red Velvet Cake Recipes

Category: Foam Cakes

These delicate and airy cakes offer endless possibilities for variation. Foam cakes usually contain no added fat or leavening, relying on the natural fat from eggs for structure. When baking foam cakes, it's crucial to get the batter into the oven immediately to prevent the egg whites from collapsing. They also need to be baked in a tall pan to accommodate the rise from the egg whites. Since these cakes are too light to support heavy frosting, they are best served with a simple glaze or a spoonful of whipped cream.

Featured: Fruit Galore Sponge Cake

Sponge Cake

A sponge cake is any cake that relies heavily on whipped eggs or egg whites, with no baking powder or soda. A classic sponge cake typically consists of just three ingredients: flour, sugar, and eggs. As its name implies, sponge cake absorbs syrups well, making it perfect for soaking. There are many variations of sponge cake, and they may go by different names depending on the region.

Walnut-Cream Roll

"This recipe deserves 10 stars, without a doubt!" praises Kim. "It offers a wonderful nutty flavor with a subtle hint of vanilla, balanced with just the right level of sweetness! A fantastic and easy recipe to follow!"

Favorite Sponge Cake Recipes:

• Strawberry Cream Roll
• Victoria Sponge Cake
• Nannie's Hot Milk Sponge Cake
• More Sponge Cake Recipes

Genoise Sponge Cake

In Italy and France, a sponge cake is known as Genoise. In this version, the eggs are beaten whole—yolks and whites together—with sugar until they achieve a mousse-like texture. Flour is then gently folded in, along with butter or oil for extra moisture. Thanks to the added butter, Genoise cake is more moist and tender compared to its other sponge cake varieties.

Top Genoise Cake Recipes:

• Genoise
• Genoese Sponge

Biscuit Sponge Cake

In a biscuit sponge cake, the egg whites and yolks are beaten separately with sugar, then gently folded together with flour. This creates a light batter that is drier than Genoise but holds its shape more effectively. As a result, biscuit cake batter is often used for piped shapes like ladyfingers. In a variation for Passover, the flour is substituted with matzo cake meal and potato starch to create a classic Passover sponge cake.

Top Biscuit Cake Recipes:

• Passover Chocolate Sponge Cake
• Passover Sponge Cake
• Glorious Sponge Cake

Angel Food Cake

Angel food cake is made with only egg whites—no yolks. The whipped egg whites act as a natural leavening agent, and the recipe contains no added fat, making it a fat-free dessert. These cakes require a tall pan because the egg whites cause a significant rise. The texture is slightly chewy and spongy, enhanced by its high sugar content. For the perfect finishing touch, top this airy treat with fresh berries and whipped cream.

Angel Food Cake I

"Making your own angel food cake is absolutely worth the effort," says Syd. "It’s far moister than the overly sweet, airy versions you find in grocery stores. A tube pan with a removable bottom is strongly recommended for the best results."

Favorite Angel Food Cake Recipes:

• High-Altitude Angel Food Cake
• Homemade Angel Food Cake
• Angel Food Cake III
• More Angel Food Cake Recipes

Chiffon Cake

This traditional American cake blends the richness of an oil-based cake with the light texture of a sponge. The recipe combines both baking powder and vegetable oil, but like a sponge cake, the eggs are separated and beaten before being folded into the batter. This results in the deep flavor of an oil cake with the airy texture of a sponge. It's often topped with a glaze or a lighter frosting for added sweetness.

Mocha Chiffon Cake

"This fluffy, airy cake carries the wonderful taste of coffee and makes a perfect treat for dessert or an afternoon snack," shares Lola.

Popular Chiffon Cake Recipes:

• Chiffon Cake
• Lemon Chiffon Cake
• Banana Chiffon Cake

Baked Flourless Cake

Baked flourless cakes include variations like flourless chocolate cakes, cheesecakes, and other desserts that skip the flour. Flourless chocolate cake is a type of foam cake. These cakes tend to be incredibly rich, thanks to their high chocolate, egg yolk, and fat content. To prevent the bottom from burning, they are often baked in a 'water bath'—a springform pan placed in a larger pan filled with water, which helps achieve the smooth, silky texture.

Flourless Chocolate Cake I

This flourless chocolate cake recipe is perfect for those avoiding gluten, offering a dense and indulgent texture.

Popular Flourless Cake Recipes:

• Hungarian Flourless Hazelnut Cake
• Perfect Flourless Orange Cake
• White Chocolate Raspberry Cheesecake

Unbaked Flourless Cake

This category includes no-bake cheesecakes, mousse cakes, and any dessert typically molded in a ring or springform pan, then chilled and unmolded. These cakes often feature a pre-baked crust before adding the filling. For a special treat, try layering them with genoise or biscuit for a rich, summer-friendly dessert.

Strawberry Chocolate Mousse Cake

An elegant yet simple dessert made with eggless chocolate mousse, poured into a cookie crumb crust and topped with fresh strawberries and cream.

Popular Unbaked Flourless Cake Recipes:

• Strawberry Chocolate Mousse Cake
• No Bake Lemon Cheesecake
• No Bake Lime Mousse Torte

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