Have you had the ganache, torte or savarin yet?

Just heard of the basic chocolate or cheescake? There are actually so many varieties that can be enjoyed. Here's look at what each one has...

The definition of cake has certainly changed through the ages. While in ancient Roman times, it simply meant small bread with just some sugar, with the invention of the modern oven in the 19th century all that changed. Today, there seems to be a cake for all occasions and special ones for health aficionados too.

Difference between cake, gateau and torte...
While torte is the German word for cake, gateaux is the French word for it. It stands for a rich or fancy preparation made with delicate ingredients, and therefore best had as soon as it's made. A cake (fruit, plain sponge etc) is made with flour, sugar, eggs, and butter and has a longer shelf life.

Kinds of cakes
1. Truffle: This one is as luxurious as it gets! Tender and moist, it really is chocolate truffle layered between chocolate sponge, folded in with whipped cream. You can spike it with orange zest and add fruits like strawberries to it as well.

2. Cheesecake: Made with cream and soft cheese (usually cream, cheddar or ricotta), this one is a meal favourite as it's not as rich and goes well with a post meal beverage like green or jasmine tea. Food flavouring like vanilla essence or dark chocolate can be added and it is served cold with toppings like fresh fruit and whipped cream. Experts maintain that the cheesecake is really a pie.

3. Bundt: The cake gets its name after the Bundt pan or a round baking pan with a tube in the middle, in which it is made. The cakes can be made with a variety of ingredients, using sponge, fruits, raisins, creme and chocolate frostings.

4. Jelly roll: Easy to make, this cake is swirled with jam and fruit. To cook, you make the dough into a thin, flat square. Once it is cooled, spread the jam of your choice on it and roll it.

5. Savarin: Also called Baba au Savarin, the savarin is a circular yeast cake filled with pastry, fresh fruit and rum. You can use different glazes over it.

6. Red velvet cake: The colour of the cake lends to its name. A layer cake with ingredients like buttermilk, butter flour and cream cheese the cake is made with food colouring.

7. Pavlova: An Australian meringue-based dessert named after the Russian ballet dancer Anna Pavlova, this one has a crisp white exterior and a marshmallow centre. It is topped with strawberries and kiwis.

8. Tarte tatin: You'll be forgiven for calling this an upside-down cake, for the French dessert is served with the apples on the bottom and the crust on top. The story goes that it was prepared in a hotel in the French Lore Valley when two sisters - Caroline and Stephanie Tatin put the apples in the pan without the crust underneath, while preparing an apple tart. The apples caramelised and people loved it. The rest is history...

9. Madeira: Once served with Madeira wine in the 19th century, the Madeira is a plain loaf cake that's served with afternoon tea. The ingredients are made with just butter, sugar, eggs, and flour. Lemon rind can be added to it to give it a tangy taste.

10. Ganache: The Ganache is also a very rich cake with almost velvety icing. By definition itself, the ganache is a mixture of chocolate and cream, used to make chocolates or as a filling in pastries (when it is heated). When ganache is whisked with butter it's called ganache beurre.