 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 6: N - R
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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OPERA CAKE
 A cake of thin layers of a delicate almond sponge called joconde, sandwiched with layers of chocolate ganache and sometimes coffee buttercream, topped with a chocolate glaze. The recipe was created by pâtissier Louis Clichy, who called it the Clichy; but it was later popularized by the Parisian pâtisserie Dalloyau as the Opera Cake. There are many variations of the recipe, some having seven or more layers (14 total of cake and ganache), some far fewer (including Dalloyau’s). Modern versions include pistachio and green tea riffs.
This Opera Cake can be purchased online from FinancierPastries.com.
PANETTONE
Panettone is a medieval Italian Christmas yeast bread, filled with candied fruits and raisins. Panettone is tall, dome-shaped and airy, in contrast to the other famous Christmas bread, panforte, which is is short and dense (although there is a less common, flat version of panettone).
 PANFORTE
Panforte, or “strong bread” in Italian (so-called due to the strong spices—it was originally called spiced bread with honey), originated as a holiday bread in 12th century Siena, Italy, baked by nuns. A large, round, flat torte with a dense, sticky texture, panforte is a mixture of candied fruit, almonds, spices and sometimes cocoa, bound with a sugar and honey boiled syrup. The pan is lined with communion wafers. It is enjoyed by the family and given as gifts, like Panettone, and is now enjoyed year-round as dessert, with a glass of vin santo, a sweet dessert wine. Read more about panforte in our review of Sophia’s Gluten-Free Panforte.
Photo by Melody Lan.
 PAVLOVA
A dessert originating in New Zealand or Australia (both claim credit), named after the ballerina Anna Pavlova. A meringue circle is filled with fresh fruit and topped with whipped cream. One story says that the dessert was designed after a tutu worn by Pavlova, the meringue being the skirt and the kiwi and strawberry representing a rose decoration. Today, any variety of berries and fresh fruits are used, and, as you can see in the photo at the right, chocolate decor as well. Read more about the Pavlova in our review of Pav Lites Pavlovas.
PETIT FOUR
A petit four is a tiny cake served at the end of a meal with coffee—often after other desserts. The words are French for “small oven” but mean “small baked pastries.” There are many varieties of petit  four; the most familiar in the U.S. is a one-inch-square layered sponge cake, filled with butter cream and iced in a variety of colored fondants, often with tiny roses or other piped embellishments. In France, this style is not common; and there are confections which can be included on a petit fours plate that are not baked at all (e.g. glazed or chocolate-dipped fruit, marzipan, chocolates and nut clusters). There are two styles of petit-fours: glacée (iced) and sec (dry). Petit-fours glacées or frais (fresh) include filled and/or iced petit-fours, miniature babas, miniature éclairs, tiny iced cakes and tartlets. Petit fours secs include small cookies, macaroons, madeleines, meringues, palmiers and tuiles. The words mignardises (min-yar-DEEZ), from the French for “preciousness,” and friandises (free-yon-DEEZ), from the French for “delicate,” are often used instead of petit fours.
Typical American-style petit-fours from DivineDelights.com.
POUND CAKE
 The rich, dense, buttery pound cake was developed in England in the 1700s. The name comes from the simple fact that the recipe contained one pound each of butter, eggs, flour and sugar. Today, different extracts, liqueurs, flavorings such as chocolate, and additives such as chocolate chips and candied fruits are used to make many varieties of pound cake. Beyond the early flavorings—almond, lemon, orange and vanilla—pound cakes can be found today in cappuccino, chocolate, key lime, raspberry and anything else that appeals to the public. Read our review of Pound Cakes By Jane.
Photo courtesy of American Egg Board. Find the recipe at aeb.org.
POWDERED SUGAR
See Confectioner’s Sugar.
QUEEN CAKE
A white layer cake with caramel frosting.
RED VELVET CAKE
 A cake with roots in the Southern U.S. Originally made from beets or beet juice and cocoa (and the best recipes still are), the cake yields a reddish brown color with a mild chocolate flavor. A thick white frosting is traditional. Today, many recipes use red food color instead of beets, which leaves a rosy red and arresting color but a more bland flavor and texture. A light-textured chocolate layer-type cake with a deep reddish brown color.
The recipe for this Red Velvet Cake with a coconut pecan icing can be found in Southern Cakes: Sweet and Irresistible Recipes for Everyday Celebrations, by Nancie McDermott
ROBERT E. LEE CAKE or GENERAL ROBERT E. LEE CAKE
Obviously a cake of the American South, this sponge cake is made with 10 to 12 eggs in jelly roll pans. The layers are filled and frosted with a frosting flavored with orange and lemon juices (and in some recipes, the zest).
 ROULADE
The French word for what some Americans call a “jelly roll,” but much more. Baked in a sheet pan (jelly roll pan), this light and delicate sponge cake is rolled with and filled with buttercream, fruit or fruit puree, ganache, jam, lemon curd, nuts, whipped cream, etc. The Bûche de Noël is a roulade (see photo).
Photo by Chris Elwell | IST.
ROYAL ICING
A pure white, hard icing made from egg whites and confectioner’s sugar; sometimes lemon juice is added. Royal icing hardens to a thin, flat, smooth layer and is used on gingerbread, large, decorated cookies and a variety of cakes, including wedding cakes. The hard matte surface is preferred for complicated lettering and decorations on cookies, but it does not offer great flavor.
RUM CAKE
A rum-soaked sponge layer cake. There are numerous recipes for the cake assembly; it can be filled with buttercream, whipped cream or custard; fruit such as sliced strawberries can be added. One of our favorite recipes uses a boiled chocolate icing with pressed sliced almonds around the sides. The only constant is the rum-soaked sponge, which makes it a cake cousin to baba au rhum. Some bakers use a rum-flavored sugar syrup for a milder effect.
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