A layered pound cake filled with raspberry jam and lemon curd, and finished with buttercream frosting

Cake is a form of food that is usually sweet and often baked. Pound cake denotes five related types of Dessert Cakes: Southern style A traditional American pound cake would contain one pound each of The raspberry (plural raspberries) is the edible Fruit of a multitude of plant species in the subgenus Idaeobatus of the genus Rubus Butter cream or buttercream or mock cream is a type of icing used inside cakes as a coating and as decoration. Icing, also called frosting, is a Sweet glaze made of Sugar that often also contains Butter, Water, Egg whites Food is any substance usually composed primarily of Carbohydrates Fats water and/or Proteins that can be eaten or drunk by an Baking is the technique of prolonged Cooking of Food by dry heat acting by conduction, and not by radiation, normally in an Oven, Cakes normally combine some kind of flour, a sweetening agent (commonly sugar), a binding agent (generally egg, though gluten or starch are often used by vegetarians and vegans), fats (usually butter, shortening, or margarine, although a fruit purée such as applesauce is sometimes substituted to avoid using fat), a liquid (milk, water or fruit juice), flavors and some form of leavening agent (such as yeast or baking powder), though many cakes lack these ingredients and instead rely on air bubbles in the dough to expand and cause the cake to rise. Flour is a powder made of Cereal grains It is the key ingredient of Bread, which is a staple food in many countries and therefore the availability A sweetener is a Food additive which adds the Basic taste of Sweetness to a food artificial sweeteners are Sugar substitutes Solubility of Pure SucroseTemperature(Cg An egg is a round or oval body laid by the female of many animals consisting of an Ovum surrounded by layers of Membranes and an outer casing which acts to nourish Gluten is a composite of the proteins Gliadin and Glutenin. These exist conjoined with Starch, in the Endosperms of some Starch, CAS # 9005-25-8 Chemical formula (C6H10O5n is a Polysaccharide Vegetarianism is the practice of a diet that excludes Meat (including game and slaughter by-products Fish (including Shellfish and other sea Fats consist of a wide group of compounds that are generally soluble in organic solvents and largely insoluble in water Butter is a Dairy product made by churning fresh or fermented Cream or Milk. Shortening is a semisolid Fat used in food preparation especially baked goods and is so called because it promotes a "short" or crumbly texture (as in Shortbread Margarine (ˈmɑrdʒərɨn /ˈmɑrdʒəriːn/ or /ˈmɑrgəriːn/ as a generic term can indicate any of a wide range of Butter substitutes Apple sauce (or applesauce) is a Purée made from Apples It can use peeled or unpeeled apples and a variety of spices or additives such as Cinnamon Milk is an opaque white liquid produced by the Mammary glands of female Mammals (including Monotremes. Water is a common Chemical substance that is essential for the survival of all known forms of Life. JUICE is a widely used non-commercial Software package for editing and analysing phytosociological data Alternate meanings Seasoning (cast iron; Seasoning (wood; Seasoning (slave Seasoning is the process of imparting or improving A leavening agent (sometimes called just leavening or leaven) is a substance used in Doughs and batters that causes a foaming action intended Yeasts are a growth form of eukaryotic Microorganisms classified in the kingdom Fungi, with about 1500 Species currently described Baking powder is a dry chemical Leavening agent used in cooking mainly baking Cake is often frosted with buttercream or marzipan, and finished with piped borders and crystallized fruit. Butter cream or buttercream or mock cream is a type of icing used inside cakes as a coating and as decoration. For the character in the animated internet cartoon see Homestar Runner. ^[1]

Cake is often the dessert of choice for meals at ceremonial occasions, particularly weddings, anniversaries and birthdays. A wedding is the Ceremony in which two people are united in Marriage. An anniversary (from the Latin anniversarius, from the words for year and to turn meaning (returning yearly known in English since c. Birthday is the name given to the date of the anniversary of a person's birth There are literally millions of cake recipes (some are bread-like and some rich and elaborate) and many are centuries old. Cake making is no longer a complicated procedure; while at one time considerable labor went into cake making (particularly the whisking of egg foams), baking equipment and directions have been simplified that even the most amateur cook may bake a cake.

Varieties of cake

German chocolate cake.

Cakes are broadly divided into several categories, based primarily on ingredients and cooking techniques.

• Yeast cakes are the oldest, and are very similar to yeast breads. Bread is a Staple food prepared by Baking a Dough of Flour and Water. Such cakes are often very traditional in form, and include such pastries as babka and stollen. Babka, or Bobka, also known as baba, is a sweet pastry yeast cake Stollen is a bread-like cake traditionally made in Germany, usually eaten during the Christmas season as Weihnachtsstollen or Christstollen.
• Cheesecakes use mostly some form of cheese (often cream cheese, mascarpone, ricotta or the like), and have very little to no flour component (though it sometimes appears in the form of a (often sweetened) crust). Cheesecake is a large family of sweet Cheese -based Custard pies Cheesecakes are generally made with soft fresh cheeses Cream cheese is a sweet soft mild-tasting white Cheese, defined by the US Department of Agriculture as containing at least 33% Milkfat (as marketed Mascarpone is a triple-cream Cheese made from Crème fraîche, denatured with Tartaric acid. Ricotta (pronounced in Italian) is an Italian Sheep milk Whey cheese. Cheesecakes are also very old, with evidence of honey-sweetened cakes dating back to ancient Greece.
• Sponge cakes are thought to be the first of the non-yeast-based cakes and rely primarily on trapped air in a protein matrix (generally of beaten eggs) to provide leavening, sometimes with a bit of baking powder or other chemical leaven added as insurance. Sponge cake is a cake based on Flour (usually Wheat flour Sugar, and eggs sometimes leavened with Baking powder, that derives its A leavening agent (sometimes called just leavening or leaven) is a substance used in Doughs and batters that causes a foaming action intended Baking powder is a dry chemical Leavening agent used in cooking mainly baking Such cakes include the Italian/Jewish pan di Spagna and the French Génoise. A Génoise Cake is a Sponge cake named after the city of Genoa and closely associated with French cuisine that does not use any chemical Leavening
• Butter cakes, including the pound cake and devil's food cake, rely on the combination of butter, eggs, and sometimes baking powder to provide both lift and a moist texture. A butter cake is a Cake in which one of the main ingredients is Butter. Pound cake denotes five related types of Dessert Cakes: Southern style A traditional American pound cake would contain one pound each of Devil's food cake is a rich chocolate Layer cake. Devil's food cake is aptly considered a counterpart to Angel cake, that is the two cake types are very different

A large cake garnished with strawberries

Beyond these classifications, cakes can be classified based on their appropriate accompaniment (such as coffee cake), contents (e. Garden strawberries are a common variety of strawberry cultivated worldwide The term coffee cake can refer to either of the following A cake often Sponge cake, which is made with Coffee or has a coffee flavour g. fruitcake or flourless chocolate cake), or occasion (wedding cake, birthday cake, or Passover plava, a type of Jewish sponge cake sometimes made with matzo meal). Fruitcake (or fruit cake) is a Cake made with chopped Candied fruit and/or dried Fruit, nuts and Spices and optionally soaked A flourless chocolate cake is a type of Cake made from an aerated Chocolate Custard. A wedding cake is the traditional Cake served to the guests at a Wedding reception (or in parts of England at a Wedding breakfast) after The birthday cake has been an integral part of the Birthday celebrations in Western cultures since the middle of the 19th century. Matza (also Matzah, Matzoh, or Matsah) מַצָּה in Ashkenazi matzo or matzoh, and in Yiddish, matze

Cakes may be small and intended for individual consumption (for example madeleines and cupcakes). The madeleine or petite madeleine is a traditional Cake (mistakenly translated as a Cookie in Polish) from Commercy, a commune A cupcake (the common US term or fairy cake (the common British term although it is now used interchangeably with the US term is a small Cake Larger cakes may be made with the intention of being sliced and served as part of a meal or social function. The cutting of a wedding cake constitutes a social ceremony in some cultures. A wedding cake is the traditional Cake served to the guests at a Wedding reception (or in parts of England at a Wedding breakfast) after The Ancient Roman marriage ritual of confarreatio originated in the sharing of a cake. The confarreatio was the ancient Patrician form of Marriage among the Romans especially necessary at the nuptials of those whose children were

Particular types of cake may be associated with particular festivals, such as stollen (at Christmas), babka and simnel cake (at Easter), or mooncake. Stollen is a bread-like cake traditionally made in Germany, usually eaten during the Christmas season as Weihnachtsstollen or Christstollen. Babka, or Bobka, also known as baba, is a sweet pastry yeast cake Simnel cake is a light Fruit cake, similar to a Christmas cake, covered in Marzipan, and eaten at Easter in The UK and Ireland Easter ( Greek: Πάσχα Pascha or Pasxa) is the most important religious feast in the Christian Liturgical year. Mooncakes are Chinese pastry traditionally eaten during the Mid-Autumn Festival.

Some varieties of cake are widely available in the form of cake mixes, wherein some of the ingredients (usually flour, sugar, flavoring, baking powder, and sometimes some form of fat) are premixed, and the cook needs add only a few extra ingredients, usually eggs, water, and sometimes vegetable oil or butter. Such mixes are available under a number of brand names, including Betty Crocker, Duncan Hines, and Pillsbury; while the diversity of represented styles is limited, cake mixes do provide an easy and readily available homemade option for cooks who are not accomplished bakers. Betty Crocker, an invented Persona and Cultural icon, is a Brand name and Trademark of American food company Duncan Hines ( March 26, 1880 &ndash March 15, 1959) was a US

Cake flour

A decorated birthday cake

Main article: Flour

Special cake flour with a high starch:gluten ratio is made from fine-textured, soft, low-protein wheat. The birthday cake has been an integral part of the Birthday celebrations in Western cultures since the middle of the 19th century. Flour is a powder made of Cereal grains It is the key ingredient of Bread, which is a staple food in many countries and therefore the availability It is strongly bleached, and compared to all-purpose flour, cake flour tends to result in cakes with a lighter, less dense texture^[2]. Therefore, it is frequently specified or preferred in cakes meant to be soft, light, and or bright white, such as angel cake. However, cake flour is generally not considered mandatory for good results, and its effect on the cake's texture can readily be simulated by adding corn starch and/or baking soda to all-purpose flour^{[3] [4] [5][6] [7]} Some recipes explicitly specify or permit all-purpose flour^[8][9], notably where a firmer or denser cake texture is desired.

Cake decorating

Main article: Cake decorating

A cake decorated with "chocolate plastic," a fondant rose and chocolate leaves. Cake decorating is one of the sugar arts that uses icing and other edible decorative elements to make otherwise plain cakes more visually interesting

A finished cake is often enhanced by covering it with icing, or frosting, and toppings such as sprinkles, which are also known as "jimmies" in certain parts of the United States and "hundreds and thousands" in the United Kingdom. Icing, also called frosting, is a Sweet glaze made of Sugar that often also contains Butter, Water, Egg whites Sprinkles (sometimes known as "jimmies" or "hundreds-and-thousands" see below are very small pieces of Confectionery Frosting is usually made from powdered (icing) sugar, sometimes a fat of some sort, milk or cream, and often flavorings such as vanilla extract or cocoa powder. Vanilla is a Flavoring derived from Orchids of the genus Vanilla native to Mexico. Chocolate ( pronounced or /-ˈələt/ comprises a number of raw and processed foods that are produced from the seed of the tropical Cacao tree Some decorators use a rolled fondant icing. Fondant is a cream Confection used as a filling or coating for Cakes, Pastries, and Candies or Sweets. Commercial bakeries tend to use lard for the fat, and often whip the lard to introduce air bubbles. Lard is pig Fat in both its rendered and unrendered forms Lard was commonly used in many cuisines as a Cooking fat or Shortening This makes the icing light and spreadable. Home bakers either use lard, butter, margarine or some combination thereof. Butter is a Dairy product made by churning fresh or fermented Cream or Milk. Margarine (ˈmɑrdʒərɨn /ˈmɑrdʒəriːn/ or /ˈmɑrgəriːn/ as a generic term can indicate any of a wide range of Butter substitutes Sprinkles are small firm pieces of sugar and oils that are colored with food coloring. A food coloring is any substance that is added to Food or Drink to change its Color. In the late 20th century, new cake decorating products became available to the public. The twentieth century of the Common Era began on These include several specialized sprinkles and even methods to print pictures and transfer the image onto a cake.

Special tools are needed for more complex cake decorating, such as piping bags or syringes, and various piping tips. Cake decorating is one of the sugar arts that uses icing and other edible decorative elements to make otherwise plain cakes more visually interesting A pastry bag is used to pipe semi-solid Foods by pressing them through a narrow opening at one end for many purposes including cake decoration. To use a piping bag or syringe, a piping tip is attached to the bag or syringe using a coupler. The bag or syringe is partially filled with icing which is sometimes colored. Using different piping tips and various techniques, a cake decorator can make many different designs. Basic decorating tips include open star, closed star, basketweave, round, drop flower, leaf, multi, petal, and specialty tips.

Royal icing, marzipan (or a less sweet version, known as almond paste), fondant icing (also known as sugarpaste) and buttercream are used as covering icings and to create decorations. Royal icing is a hard white icing, made from softly beaten Egg whites, Icing sugar (powdered sugar and sometimes lemon or lime juice For the character in the animated internet cartoon see Homestar Runner. Floral sugarcraft or wired sugar flowers are an important part of cake decoration. Cakes for special occasions, such as wedding cakes, are traditionally rich fruit cakes or occasionally Madeira cakes (also known as whisked or fatless sponge), that are covered with marzipan and either iced using royal icing or sugarpaste. Madeira cake (Bolo Inglês literally English Cake) is a popular Portuguese traditional type of English Cake, from the Madeira Islands For the character in the animated internet cartoon see Homestar Runner. They are finished with piped borders (made with royal icing) and adorned with a piped message, wired sugar flowers, hand-formed fondant flowers, marzipan fruit, piped flowers, or crystallized fruits or flowers such as grapes or violets. For the Tokyo University supercomputer see Gravity Pipe. GRAPE, or GRA phics P rogramming E nvironment is Viola, commonly called Violets, is a Genus of Flowering plants in the family Violaceae, with around 400-500 species distributed

References

See also

• List of cakes
• Pie
• Torte