Cake Glossary

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.

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. (Photo at right.)

PEAR WILLIAMS CAKE
Alternating layers of vanilla génoise and sliced poached pears.

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).

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.

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.

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.

RUM CAKE

A rum-soaked sponge cake or pound 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. Or, it can be a plain loaf or bundt. 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.

The king of rum cakes is this gourmet version by The Great Spirits Baking Company (read our review), a NIBBLE Top Pick Of The Week. It uses Pyrat rum, one of the finest brands of sipping rum, instead of an average or or below-average rum.