There are so many different things that are fascinating about food. There are the tastes, aromas, and textures, and how one ingredient affects another. The cooking methods can vary, and some foods and spices can even burn fat and stimulate weight loss.
This article is going to focus on different cakes, but they won’t be the usual examples like carrot, lemon drizzle, or Christmas cake. Instead, we’re going to discuss some of the more interesting and varied ones that you can find across the globe. If this has literally whetted your appetite, read on because a treat is in store!
Durian Cake
The durian is a very popular fruit in Asia, and it tastes sweet yet pungent. Durian cake is made with the custard-like flesh of the (creamy) texture of the fresh fruit. This makes for an exquisite dessert that has both earthy and nutty qualities. In terms of additional ingredients, you will need eggs, sugar, butter or margarine, and flour.
You can find this treat at many Asian bakeries in multiple locations. If you look online for the best durian cake in Singapore, you can discover a wide variety of soft sponge cakes that can either be home delivered or collected from stores. There are often ways to secure discounts, such as those offered to first-time customers or people who sign up for newsletters.
Victoria Sponge Cake
This cake is found mainly in the UK and the US. It is usually made with vanilla sponge cake layers, strawberry jam filling, and whipped cream icing. The key feature of this cake is that it has two or more flat layers, and it sometimes contains fresh strawberries.
The first ingredients you would need are flour, butter, and sugar – which should be creamed together until they become light and fluffy. Then eggs should be added one by one, followed by vanilla essence. Lastly, self-rising flour and baking powder need to be folded into the mixture. Then place it in a greased tin, so that each layer can bake properly.
Smultron Cake
This is a Swedish dessert that contains raspberries and whipped cream.
Here are the ingredients:
- raspberry jam (a tablespoon)
- heavy whipping cream (two cups)
- sugar to taste, if needed (e.g. one teaspoon)
- vanilla extract (one teaspoon)
You can also make a chocolate smultron cake by including dark chocolate cocoa powder (four tablespoons). There are many other flavour combinations that you could use, including blackberry and blueberry.
Black Forest Gateaux
This cake is a German chocolate layer cake with whipped cream and cherries between the layers. It was named after an area in Germany that has been famous for high-quality cuckoo clocks. The gateaux are also known as chocolate chiffon or chocolate sponge cake, and it is very moist and light.
The traditional version of this dessert contains only cocoa, sugar, eggs, flour, and butter. Nowadays, it can be found to contain many other ingredients such as dried fruit (e.g. raisins or currants) which add flavour to the sweet taste of the chocolate. The Black Forest Gateaux can be decorated with cherries between each layer to give it an attractive look when cut into pieces for serving on plates. It has been considered one of the finest gateaux due to its subtle flavour combination. This is created by combining black forest flavours such as kirschwasser (cherry brandy), whipped cream, and dark chocolate shavings.
Tres Leches Cake
This is a very popular cake in Central America, and it can be found anywhere from Mexico to Costa Rica. It features three different types of milk, hence the name “Three Milks”! The base for this cake comes from white bread soaked in sweetened condensed milk. The combination of different ingredients makes it unique, and you can really taste the different flavours.
There are many different ingredients you could, can add on top or inside the cake. For example, many people choose chocolate syrup as well as cherries, so they have both dark and red hues running through the cakes. This also gives them more flavour.
It has become very common for this type of torte to be served at weddings, birthdays, or even as a snack. The ingredients include condensed milk, evaporated milk, heavy (or light) cream, eggs (separated), vanilla extract, and (optional) cinnamon, nuts, or shredded coconut. The flavour can be chocolate or cherry.
The Tower Of Belem Cake
This cake was created for the Portuguese city of Lisbon’s 500th anniversary back in 1959. This is large and impressive-looking tower cake is actually made up of many different layers.
It starts with a base layer consisting mainly of eggs, then continues to six more layers filled with custard or fruit purée. There are real fruits embedded into the cake, and the top has a thin chocolate layer. It is decorated with spun sugar.
Kransekake
Kransekake is made from marzipan and almond paste. It was originally only served on special occasions, such as weddings and baptisms. These days it’s available all year round in many different countries like Norway or Denmark.
Its ingredients include sugar, almonds, and egg whites. Its flavour is sweet, like marzipan or almond.
Sachertorte
The Sachertorte is a famous Austrian chocolate cake. It was created by Franz Sacher in 1832, and it became well known when Emperor Francis Joseph I of Austria gave it as a present to other European rulers.
This torte has three layers:
- The bottom consists of dark chocolate sponge cake
- The middle layer has an apricot jam and vanilla buttercream filling
- The top has another piece of sponge cake covered with dark chocolate icing. It can be decorated with white or black fondant shaped like a wreath (representing Austrian greenery). Alternatively, you can add tiny pearls made from sugar paste (symbolizing jewels).
Hopefully, you have found this article informative and interesting, and there are more cakes you could look up as well. Two examples are Mont Blanc Cake and Brownie Layer Cake. Why not look them up on the internet and buy some ingredients? It might be worth trying your hand at producing one of these yourself.