When mid-afternoon hunger strikes and we’re ready for tea time or a coffee break, we can’t resist a slice — or two — of cake. Whether it’s layer cakes, sponge cake, or pound cake, we’ve never had a cake we don’t like. But have you ever wondered what the differences are between sponge cake vs angel food cake vs pound cake? We have.
Sponge cake and angel food cake are non-yeasted cakes made with eggs, flour, and sugar. These cakes tend to have fewer calories than traditional cakes and pound cakes because they aren’t made with butter. Pound cake is a rich, buttery cake made with the same ingredients plus butter. The ingredients are the only thing that make each cake unique.
No matter how these delicious cakes are made, biting into them bakes our day. We take a slice at explaining the difference between sponge cake, angel food cake, and pound cake.
Image Credit: Anikona/Istockphoto.
Is angel food cake and pound cake the same thing?
No, angel food cake and pound cake are not the same thing. Angel food cake is made with egg whites, flour, and sugar. Pound cake is made with butter, eggs, flour, and sugar.
Cloud-like angel food cake has no fat and no cholesterol. Angel food cake originated in the United States in the 19th-century. Its name is believed to come from the foam cake’s lightness — so light that angels could eat it without being weighed down. Contrast this with buttery pound cake, which is heavy and calorie dense.
Pound cake is named for the amount of each of its four ingredients: butter, eggs, flour, and sugar. The loaf-shaped bread originated in Northern Europe in the mid-18th century. Pound cake has a rich, buttery taste.
Both cakes come in a variety of flavors like Weimar, Texas’ Gladys’ Bakery‘s Lemon Angel Food Cake and Strawberry Angel Food Cake, Maspeth, New York’s Grandpa’s Original Morrisons Pastry‘s Iced Lemon Loaf, Marble Yogurt Loaf, and Pumpkin Yogurt Loaf, and Tyler, Texas’ Janie’s Cakes‘ Berry Jane Pound Cake, Italian Jane Pound Cake, and Red Velvet Jane Pound Cake.
Image Credit: Grandpa’s Original Morrisons Pastry.
Is angel food cake and sponge cake the same thing?
No, angel food cake and sponge cake are not the same thing. Angel food cake is a type of sponge cake. The difference between angel food cake and sponge cake is that angel food cake is made with egg whites and sponge cake is made with egg whites and egg yolks. Both angel food cake and sponge cake are delicate cakes that each have a subtle flavor.
Sponge cake was first made in Spain during the Renaissance. Many countries around the world have their own versions of sponge cake, including British Victoria sponge, Filippino mamón, and Japanese castella.
Sponge cake is the foundational recipe for many popular desserts like madeleines, ladyfingers, and strawberry shortcake. Famous examples of sponge cake are Hostess Snacks’ Twinkie, Boston’s Omni Parker House Hotel‘s Boston Cream Pie, and Philadelphia’s TastyKake’s Krimpets.
Like sponge cake, angel food cake does not contain butter. Angel food cake is leavened with egg whites and baking powder. Angel food cake is delicate and baked in an ungreased tube pan to help it rise. This foam cake is inverted when it is cooled to keep it from collapsing.
Image Credit: Omni Parker House Hotel Boston Cream Pie.
What cake is similar to sponge cake?
The cake that is similar to sponge cake is angel food cake. Sponge cake and angel food cake are made with eggs, flour, and sugar. The only difference between the cakes is the part of the egg used. Angel food cake only has egg whites and sponge cake has egg whites and egg yolks.
Angel food cake is lighter than sponge cake because it isn’t made with egg yolks. Both have a mild flavor although some sponge cake recipes include a flavor like Los Angeles’ Valerie Confections‘ Blum’s Coffee Crunch Cake with two layers of sponge cake slathered with coffee whipped cream frosting and New York City’s Veniero’s Red Velvet Cake with 3 layers of red velvet sponge cake topped with cream cheese frosting.
Image Credit: Veniero.
Is pound cake or angel food cake better for strawberry shortcake?
Sponge cake is better for making strawberry shortcake because sponge cake easily soaks up the flavor of fresh strawberries. Traditional strawberry shortcake is made with shortcake, a crumbly cake made with butter. However, many home chefs find it more convenient to make strawberry shortcake with delicate sponge cake.
Pound cake is also used to make strawberry shortcake. You really can’t go wrong when pairing strawberries and cream with cake, so pick your favorite and enjoy!
This article originally appeared on Goldbelly.com and was syndicated by MediaFeed.org
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