Cake facts for kids
A cake is a yummy, often sweet, baked treat. It's a type of dessert that people usually bake in an oven. Long ago, cakes were more like bread, but today they are much sweeter and softer.
People often make cakes for special events. You might see them at birthday parties or weddings. There are many different kinds of cakes, some sweet and some even savory. Some savory cakes are cooked on a griddle or frying pan.
Contents
How Cakes Are Made
Cakes start as a soft mixture called batter. To make batter, you mix wet things like milk and eggs with dry things like sugar and flour. Then, you bake this batter in an oven. This way of baking is similar to how muffins are made.
Just like bread, cakes grow bigger when they bake. This happens because they have many tiny air bubbles inside. As the cake bakes, these air bubbles get bigger. This makes the cake batter expand, sometimes to twice its original size! There are two main ways these air bubbles are formed, leading to different types of cakes.
Creamed Fat Cakes
These cakes are made using butter or another type of fat, like vegetable shortening. First, you mix the fat and sugar together. This step creates many very small air bubbles. Then, you add eggs, and finally, the flour.
The fat should be soft, not hard or melted. Most birthday cakes and cupcakes are made this way. They are often rich and moist.
Egg Foam Cakes
These cakes are different because they don't use solid butter or shortening. Some might use melted butter or vegetable oil. The main idea is to mix the eggs and sugar first. This step traps a lot of tiny air bubbles. Then, you add the flour and other ingredients.
Egg foam cakes are often taller and lighter. They can be very spongy. Angel food cakes and chiffon cakes are good examples. Angel food cakes are made by beating egg whites with sugar to create lots of air.
Decorating Cakes
You can make a cake look amazing with different decorations! People often use icing (also called "frosting"), chocolate, or fruit. A layer cake is made by stacking several cakes with icing or filling between each layer.
Birthday cakes often have candles on top. Cakes can also be served with fresh berries or other kinds of fruit. Sometimes, a very fancy or rich cake is called a "gâteau." This is a French word for cake. These cakes might have a lot of cream. Some cakes even have edible paper designs on top!
Gallery
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Black Forest cake
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Modern style wedding cake
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Pandan cake
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Angel food cake
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Matcha tiramisu cake
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Chocolate cake
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Rainbow coloured cake
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Honey cake
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Images for kids
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Birthday fruit cake
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Raisin cake
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Cake mix in plastic packets
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Gooey butter cake
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Steamed sponge cake called ma lai gao
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A strawberry cake prepared as a layer cake
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Cake made for a baby shower with edible decorations, an example of edible art
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A chocolate sour cream bundt cake
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Cake decoration – buttercream swirls being piped onto the sides of this cake with a pastry bag
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A well decorated mango flavoured cake during birthday celebration
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A decorated birthday cake
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A Halloween cake shaped like a pumpkin
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Wedding cakes at a bridal show
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A plate of white chocolate cake balls
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The kransekage is an example of a conical cake
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Dobos torte is an older form of layer cake.
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A large cake garnished with strawberries
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A slice of strawberry cake with garnishing of strawberry
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Chocolate layer cake with chocolate frosting and shaved chocolate topping
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See also
In Spanish: Pastel para niños
