Cakes have many different flavours and styles, but there are a number of subtle differences in composition and cooking style which are notable. Below we have listed some of the main types which you can find at Gibraltar confectioneries:
Butter cakes: Mixing eggs, flour and sugar with the creamed butter makes this cake special. The secret here is to beat the butter and sugar for longer so that batter becomes much more airy. This ensures the cakes are light and fluffy, as it is combined with baking powder. Rich and moist, they get dry when put in a fridge, so it is necessary to fill or frost before serving instead of in advance. It comes from the English pound cake, so-called because a pound of each of the main ingredients is used in the mix.
Sponge cakes: This version makes the most of the air trapped in whipped eggs as a way of making the cakes rise. Although baking powder can sometimes be added to the sugar and flour it is the eggs that are the main ingredient here. Considered as one of the most traditional forms of baking without yeast, sponge cakes are common in Gibraltar bakeries. Other ingredients that are sometimes added are clarified butter as the French Genoise or egg whites to make like the Angel Food cake. Sponge cakes can be decorated lavishly to be turned into gateaux.
Flourless cakes: Cheesecakes are the most popular cakes that do not use flour as their base ingredient. But despite their name they are not cakes at all. Instead they are custard pies, filled with cream cheese, mascarpone or ricotta, that use very little flour. Popular as event cakes or in catering for corporate events, birthday parties and social gatherings, they might use flour in their cracker crust. Cheesecakes are by no means a modern invention, however, with evidence that the Greeks were big fans thousands of years ago.
Traditional cakes: Layer cakes are most often used in for birthday parties in Gibraltar. Baking powder or baking soda are used to make birthday cakes Gibraltar likes soft and easier to eat, with many different flavours possible. Even older are yeast cakes, that resemble bread in their form. These are are especially typical in places like Eastern Europe in the shape of the babka or stollen of German origin.
