Cakes are a universally accepted symbol of celebration and at the same time, an irresistible part of our diet everywhere in the world. Moreover, each culture has its own variation of this traditional yet reformed delicacy. What follows is a collection of cake types from around the world that demonstrate the variety of baking traditions globally and are the results of the creativity of the human mind.
1. Tiramisu – Italy
Tiramisu is a traditional Italian sweet made of layers of coffee-soaked ladyfingers, mascarpone cheese, and cocoa powder. The compactly creamy texture and pungent aroma of coffee are the very characteristics that rank Tiramisu high on the list of favorite Italian dishes.
2. Black Forest Cake – Germany
Black Forest cake was born in Germany and it is a cake that combines layers of whipped cream and chocolate sponge cake with cherries. Mostly people use chocolate shavings and some cherries as a decoration.
3. Mille-Feuille – France
Mille-feuille also named Napoleon is an elongated French puff pastry consisting of thin, flat layers of puff pastry alternating with cream. The top of the pie is usually covered with icing and sometimes sprinkled with powdered sugar.
4. Chiffon Cake – United States
Chiffon cake is a name that indicates the cake is normally fluffy and light in the US. Usually, it is a hybrid of a butter and a sponge cake, which brings together the lightness of the sponge cake with the ritchness of the butter cake, and to top it off, one may flavor them with a taste of orange, vanilla, or chocolate.
5. Victoria Sponge – United Kingdom
Queen Victoria back in those days is the person after whom the Victoria sponge was named as. It was just a simple goodness of light and fluffy sponge cake and a thin layer of jam and cream but it was a cake every Brit couldn’t do without.
6. Castella – Japan
Castella is a Japanese sponge cake that was introduced by Portuguese merchants in the 16th century. It’s a simple cake, the ingredients of which are only four – flour, sugar, eggs, and starch syrup, and the final product is a wet, soft cake.
7. Tres Leches Cake – Latin America
Tres leches cake, a dessert from Latin America, is a sponge cake made by soaking in it the three kinds of milk, the evaporation of water, the addition of concentrated sweetened milk, and the mixing of the heavy cream, and then it is also a moist, sweet, and creamy cake.
8. Kardinalschnitten – Austria
Kardinalschnitten is an Austrian dessert that is primarily made up of layers of meringue and sponge cake, and in between those, there is a coffee-flavored cream. It’s a light cake that goes well with a cup of coffee.
9. Gâteau Basque – France
Gâteau Basque is a cake that is a specialty of the Basque people of France. The dessert, a thick buttery dough that is commonly filled with either pastry cream or cherry jam, is very sweet, rich, and satisfying in its character.
10. Pavlova – Australia/New Zealand
Pavlova is named after the Russian ballerina Anna Pavlova, it signifies a meringue cake with a crusty exterior and a delicate, fluffy inside that is usually famous for being decorated with a piece of fresh fruit and a dollop of whipped cream by the person who serves it. Originally from New Zealand, this dish has now spread even to Australia and has been adopted by the local people as a celebration meal.
These cakes are made in several continents, and they show the traditional cakes each culture prefers because more and more people from all over the world love to bake and eat pastries. In this global collection of cakes, everyone can find the one that satisfies even the most demanding palate, be it chocolate, fruit, or cream flavors.