 So many cakes, so little time. This delectable mousse cake with a caramel topping is from FinancierPastries.com.
June 2008
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Cake Glossary
Page 5: L & M
There are thousands of different types of cakes in the world today; each culture has its specialties, most of which never reach our shores. Here, we present some of the more popular types one is likely to encounter—or at least hear about—in the U.S. If your favorite isn’t represented, tell us about it. After you’ve checked out the cakes, take a look at our other food glossaries—an easy way to get up to speed on more than fifty different food categories. Most related to this Cake Glossary are our Chocolate Glossary, Custard Glossary, Dessert Sauce Glossary, Ice Cream & Frozen Desserts Glossary and Sugar Glossary.
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LADY BALTIMORE CAKE
This imposing cake consists of tall layers of white cake topped with boiled white icing; the white filling contains chopped nuts and/or candied fruits. The cake is named after a character in a 1906 novel of the same name by Owen Wister. Following the success of the novel, two Baltimore locals opened a Lady Baltimore Tea Room and created the recipe, a variation of a Queen Cake. A specialty in the southern U.S., the Lady Baltimore Cake is popular for weddings.
LADYFINGER or SPONGE FINGERS or SAVOIARDI
Ladyfingers are very light, sweet sponge cakes. They have more flour, and are thus drier, than other sponges; before baking, powdered sugar is sifted over the top to provide a soft crust, and also a lighter cast to the final baked product. Although no lady has such a fat, flat finger, they are three to four inches long and most popularly used as the cake component in charlottes, tiramisu and trifles, where they acquire moisture from the custard, cream or other components (they are soaked in coffee liqueur for tiramisu). Ladyfingers originated in the late 15th century at the court of the Duchy of Savoy, to celebrate a visit of the King of France. They were given the name savoiardi. (The House of Savoy, which began in northern Italy, eventually ruled the entire kingdom until the end of World War II.) See a photo of ladyfingers in the charlotte.
LAVA CAKE
See Molten Chocolate Cake.
 LAYER CAKE
A cake consisting of two or more layers, held together by frosting, jam, whipped cream or other filling.
Chocolate layer cake represents the category of butter cakes. This one also represents cake mixes—here, from The King’s Cupboard, a NIBBLE Top Pick Of The Week.
LINZER TORTE
Probably second in fame in Austria to the Sacher torte, the Linzer torte, traced back to 1696 in the town of Linz, Austria, is actually a pie with a lattice crust top, not a cake. It is made with an almond short-crust pastry and traditionally filled with black currant preserves (some sources say red currant). In the U.S., where currant preserves are not easy to find, raspberry jam is usually substituted. Today, there are many varieties on the theme: apricot and cranberry, fig and orange Linzers, and hazelnut crusts,  which many bakers feel improve upon the original.
LOAF CAKE
A cake baked in a bread-shaped loaf pan, which enables easy, rectangular slices. These cakes can be frosted like the pound cake at the right, but they are often served plain or dusted with confectioner’s sugar. Carrot cake, ginger cake, marble cake, pound cake and zucchini bread are examples.
Photo of Plantation Pound Cake courtesy of American Egg Board. Find the recipe at aeb.org.
MADELEINE or PETITE MADELEINE
This small buttery cake, with a distinctive shell shape, originated in Commercy, a  commune in northeastern France. The name has religious significance: Madeleine is the French name for the Magdalen (Mary Magdalen), and Commercy once had a convent dedicated to her. It may be that the recipe originated with the nuns, as nuns traditionally raised money by baking and selling sweets. Many people liken the madeleine to pound cake, although it is actually a sponge. Some recipes include ground almonds, some have lemon or orange flower water flavoring. They are easy to bake, requiring only a special madeleine pan with its shell shaped depressions. In miniature form, they are often found on a petit fours plate (petit fours sec).
MADIERA CAKE
A plain loaf cake that was popularly served with Madeira wine in the 19th century; today it is served with tea. Madeira wine can be added to the cake batter. The top is often sprinkled with confectioner’s sugar, and garnished with whipped cream.
MARBLE CAKE
Often found as a chocolate-iced loaf cake, marble cake is made by swirling yellow and chocolate butter cake batters together to create a marbled effect. It originated in the U.S. or Canada around 1870.
MARZIPAN and ALMOND PASTE
Marzipan is a paste of sugar and ground almonds that is used as a pastry filling, and was traditionally popular in wedding cakes as a layer on top of the cake and under the fondant; it is sweeter than almond paste. Marzipan has more sugar and can be eaten directly as a confection, while almond paste would not be eaten directly but used as an ingredient. While European countries regulate the ratios of sugar:almonds that define marzipan and almond paste, these do not exist in the U.S. Because the ratios can vary significantly, try different brands to see what you like.
MERINGUE
A mixture of egg whites, sugar and cream of tartar, baked in a slow oven. Hard meringue is baked into crisp, white shapes such as drop cookies; cake layers; cups that hold mousse, custard, fruit and other ingredients; rings; and other forms. Soft meringue is browned and used as a topping for desserts such as lemon meringue pie and Baked Alaska.
 MERINGUE CAKE
There are numerous cakes made of layers of meringue, or circles of meringue, filled with mousse, custard, crème Chantilly (whipped cream) and/or fruit (see Pavlova). These can be considered a type of flourless cake.
The meringue cake at right is filled with lemon butter cream. The recipe is available from the American Egg Board, aeb.org.
 MEXICAN WEDDING CAKE or RUSSIAN TEA CAKE
These are not cakes but cookies: round balls of shortbread dusted in confectioner’s sugar. In the U.S., they are often called butter balls and made with finely-chopped nuts. The name “wedding cake” comes from the fact that the dusted-white cookies were traditionally served at weddings.
These cookies are available from Filgifts.com.
MOLTEN CHOCOLATE CAKE or MOLTEN CAKE or LAVA CAKE
Molten chocolate cake is a cross between an individual soufflé and flourless chocolate cake. It is cakey, yet has some airiness. When cut into, molten chocolate flows out (also referred to as the chocolate “lava” of the chocolate lava cake. The molten chocolate comes from not baking the cake all the way through, similar to a runny soufflé. The cakes are usually served with whipped cream and garnished with raspberries and mint leaves; some people prefer a side of ice cream. The cake has numerous other names, including chocolate decadence cake, falling chocolate cake, melting chocolate cake, molten lava cake, volcano cake and warm melting chocolate cake. New York chef Jean-Georges Vongerichten claims to have invented the cake in New York City in 1987, although New York chocolatier Jacques Torres claims that such a dish already existed in France (spontaneous generation is possible). An excellent cake mix is available from The King’s Cupboard, which produces the molten chocolate cake shown in the photo above.
 MOUSSE CAKE
A mousse cake consists of layers of mousse sandwiched with butter cake, sponge cake or meringue layers. The cake at the left consists of one layer of bittersweet chocolate mousse, one layer of milk chocolate mousse and three thin layers of chocolate butter cake, topped with a white chocolate ganache.
This German Chocolate Cake can be ordered from BlackHoundNY.com, one of New York City’s top bakeries.
MOUSSELINE
Buttercream that has been lightened with Italian meringue or crème pâtissière, used to fill cakes and pastries.
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