The world of cakes is one of the most diverse corners of baking, with endless variations in shape, appearance, flavour and crumb. Today we introduce the different types of cake texture.
Most people who love cake have a favourite style. Beyond flavour preferences, what often sets cakes apart is the crumb itself, which shapes how a cake feels to eat. The main types of cake texture are as follows.
1. Chiffon Cake (Chiffon Crumb)
This is a texture Thai people know very well, from young coconut chiffon, vanilla chiffon and foi thong (golden egg-yolk threads) chiffon. It is soft and fluffy, light in the mouth, and springs back when pressed. The key ingredients are egg yolks and egg whites whipped separately, with vegetable oil used instead of butter. Chiffon sponge can be adapted into the many kinds of cake you see for sale everywhere.
2. Sponge Cake (Sponge Crumb)
A familiar sight in bakeries, sponge cake is soft, fluffy and light, with a moist, distinctly buttery aroma. It is similar to chiffon cake but heavier and more buttery. It is used for birthday cakes, roll cakes, cupcakes and cream-decorated cakes. The method centres on whipping the yolks and whites together until fluffy. Most sponge cakes are made by beating the eggs with sugar until light, folding in the flour, then adding melted butter, usually in fairly small amounts.
3. Butter Cake (Butter Crumb)
Butter cake has a dense, moist, buttery crumb that is soft and rich. It has three main components: butter, flour and sugar, though each bakery may tweak its recipe. It is made by creaming the butter and sugar until fluffy, beating in the eggs, and finally adding the flour and remaining ingredients. Butter cake is usually eaten plain because it is already rich and fragrant on its own, and it is a very popular style.
4. Cheesecake (Cheese Crumb)
A newer style that has become hugely popular, cheesecake comes in familiar versions such as burnt (Basque-style) cheesecake, blueberry cheesecake and strawberry cheesecake. The texture is soft and silky and melts in the mouth with the full flavour of cream cheese. Because it is quite rich and can become cloying in large amounts, it is often served with a sweet-and-sour fruit sauce to cut the richness.
These four textures cover most of the cakes that bakers commonly make. There is also the egg-white cake, which uses no yolks at all, unlike the other styles; it is still not widely known in Thailand.
