European Cakes

Cremeschnitte is a vanilla-flavored custard cream cake and an absolute classic among central and eastern European desserts. It is known by many names, most of which have ... READ MORE

The original Sacher-Torte is the most famous Austrian cake. It is a classic, layered chocolate sponge cake that is thinly coated with high-quality apricot jam and topped with chocolate icing. Sacher-Torte is said to taste the best when accompanied... READ MORE

Black Forest cherry cake is a popular German dessert consisting of chocolate sponges that are coated in whipped cream and dotted with kirschwasser-infused cherries. Some varieties use the kirschwasser brandy to soak the chocolate layers or to ligh... READ MORE

Pound cake is a British dessert consisting of one pound of each of the following ingredients: flour, butter, sugar, and eggs, hence the name. There is no leavening agent used in the preparation, except the air that is whipped into the batter. It d... READ MORE

Sernik is a cheesecake from Poland, stemming from old Christian and Jewish traditions. It is made with eggs, sugar, and twaróg - a type of curd cheese that has been used in desserts for hundreds of years. It is believed that sernik... READ MORE

Medovik is a popular Russian layered honey cake consisting of honey-infused, almost biscuit-like sponges that are coated with thin layers of cream. Although there are numerous variations of the cake, the custard is usually prepared with whipped cr... READ MORE

Arguably Sicily’s most famous dessert, this traditional cake consists of liqueur-drenched genoise sponge cake layered with sweetened ricotta and fruit preserves, decorated with a marzipan shell and colorful candied fruits. It is believed tha... READ MORE

Madeleines are the perfect accompaniment to afternoon tea - these buttery sponge cakes (often mistaken for cookies because of their small size) are slightly browned and crispy on the outside while remaining soft and tender on the inside. A typical... READ MORE

The Hungarian version of the famous cremeschnitte goes under the name krémes, meaning creamy. It combines two layers of puff pastry held together with a generous amount of smooth pastry cream. Though the recipe has been sl... READ MORE

One of the most popular Swedish desserts is a rich chocolate cake known as kladdkaka. This classic Swedish creation combines eggs, cocoa (or chocolate), butter, sugar, and flour into a dense and luscious dessert. During baking, the cake should alw... READ MORE

Ciambella is a traditional ring cake that is flavored with lemon zest, and sometimes a sweet, fruity liqueur. For holidays such as Christmas or Easter, ciambella is usually made from a firm dough that is braided and shaped into a ring, but there i... READ MORE

This elaborately decorated, rolled, and filled sponge cake is frosted with chocolate buttercream made to look like a tree bark. Some of the decorations might include marzipan sticks, sugar cobwebs, and meringue mushrooms. The origins of the cake c... READ MORE

Bublanina is a light sponge cake prepared with eggs, butter, sugar, flour, and a variety of different fruits such as cherries, strawberries, blueberries, apricots, and fragrant plums and pears. The sponge is occasionally lightly flavored with vani... READ MORE

Lemon drizzle cake is a traditional cake and a staple of afternoon tea. Although not much is known about its origin, it is believed that the first lemon drizzle was made by a Jewish woman named Evelyn Rose in 1967. This simple sponge cake is usual... READ MORE

Victoria sponge is an English layer cake filled with fruit jam (and sometimes, whipped cream). It was invented by Queen Victoria's cooks in the 19th century, when it was one of the main stars at the Queen's tea parties, along with sandwiches and s... READ MORE

German-style cheesecake is a traditional dessert consisting of a thin layer of shortcrust pastry that is topped with a creamy combination of quark cheese, eggs, and (occasionally) various fruits. Even though käsekuchen is often compared to th... READ MORE

Although it is known as a gingerbread, piernik is better described as a traditional Polish honey-spice cake that is mainly enjoyed as a popular Christmas treat. It appears in numerous varieties, but it usually consists of wheat or rye flour, honey... READ MORE

The German version of spit cake, known as baumkuchen, is just one of many similar cakes found throughout Europe. There are various conflicting theories about its origin—one points in the direction of a German town called Salzwedel in the 19t... READ MORE

German apple cake is a delightful combination of dense, buttery dough and sliced, halved, or diced apples. Depending on the region, the cake is often dusted with cinnamon sugar, covered in crumbly streusel, or doused in vanilla-flavored c... READ MORE

This popular Polish dessert is a variation of the classic cremeschnitte, a treat known under different names in many central and eastern European countries. In its simplest form, kremówka couples vanilla-flavored pastry cream that ... READ MORE

Dobostorta is a round cake consisting of six thin sponge cake layers and five layers of chocolate buttercream. As an attempt to make a cake that would be able to keep longer than usual, the Hungarian confectioner named József C. Dobos first... READ MORE

Mazurek is a flat cake with various bases and toppings, originating from Poland. It is traditionally baked for Easter, and is characterized by its low height of only 1 or 2 centimeters. Although not much is known about the history of mazurek, it i... READ MORE

This popular Polish cream cake usually consists of two layers of pâte à choux coupled with a thick layer of creamy, vanilla-flavored pastry cream. Occasionally, the bottom crust is replaced with shortcrust pastry, while the top is alw... READ MORE

Both crispy and creamy in texture, this French cake is traditionally made with almond or hazelnut meringue sponge cake separated with layers of whipped cream or buttercream. The cake takes its name from the French word dacquois, meaning <... READ MORE

Named after the Austrian city of Linz, Linzertorte is a short cake with a crumbly, buttery pastry shell that is accentuated by lemon juice, cinnamon, and either almonds, walnuts, or hazelnuts. It's also the oldest cake named after a city. This swe... READ MORE

Kouign-amann is a cake that originated in the 1800s in the French region of Bretagne. Its name is derived from the Breton words for cake (kouign) and butter (amann). The cake consists of layers of butter and sugar that are folded... READ MORE

This cake originated in 18th-century France as a sponge cake pressed into an elegant mold, filled with thick custard or crème Bavaroise flavored with cooked fruit, spices, or brandy. The cake is said to have been invented by a famous French... READ MORE

One of Russia's most beloved desserts, ptichye moloko is a decadent cake famous for its reversed cake-to-filling ratio: the thick, but exceptionally light, almost soufflé-like layers of silky custard are separated by thin, fluffy, ... READ MORE

Fraisier is a French cake, its name derived from the word fraise, meaning strawberry. Traditionally, the cake consists of layers of genoise sponge, vanilla-flavored créme mousselline, marzipan, and lines of fresh,... READ MORE

This classic French dessert is usually associated with northern and central France regions and belongs to the wide group of king cakes that are prepared and enjoyed on Epiphany—a Christian holiday celebrated on January 6, commemorating the a... READ MORE

ALTHOUGH THERE ARE CLAIMS THAT EATING SPACE CAKES CAN LEAD TO PSYCHOSIS OR PSYCHOSIS SYMPTOMS FOR SOME PEOPLE, THERE'S STILL NOT ENOUGH CONCLUSIVE SCIENTIFIC EVIDENCE TO SUPPORT THEM. Originating from Amsterdam, space cake is a notorious delicacy ... READ MORE

Known simply as tarta de queso or gazta tarta in its native Basque, this simple yet incredibly creamy cheesecake variation is a decades-old local specialty of the La Viña Bar in San Sebastián. The recipe is a simple... READ MORE

Commonly known as every Slovenian housewife's source of pride, potica is a traditional cake that is usually prepared for festivities and celebrations such as Christmas and Easter. The cake was derived from the older rolled dough cakes, and it was ... READ MORE

This decadent Hungarian dessert is said to have been invented by Budapest confectioners in the 19th century. It is named after a member of the Esterházy dynasty, Prince Paul III Anton Esterházy de Galántha, a nobleman and dipl... READ MORE

This classic German cake consists of a creamy filling that is enclosed between two layers of yeasted pastry dough. The cake is topped with a gooey combination of sugar or honey, cream, and slivered almonds, while the fillings typically include swe... READ MORE

This layered, chocolate-topped apricot and walnut cake was invented by a Swiss chocolatier named Émile Gerbeaud—pronounced zserbó in Hungarian, hence the name—who moved to Budapest in 1884 to take charge of Kugle... READ MORE

Amandine is a traditional chocolate cake that's filled either with chocolate or almond cream. The cake has four components – the sponge cake, the syrup, the filling, and the glaze. The sponge cake is made with eggs, sugar, water, flour, oil,... READ MORE

Wuzetka is a traditional cake originating from Warsaw. The cake consists of chocolate sponge cake that's filled with whipped cream and covered with chocolate icing. It's usually made with a combination of flour, eggs, sugar, butter, cocoa powder, ... READ MORE

Tarta de Santiago is a sponge cake made with eggs, almonds, and sugar, flavored with either lemon zest, grape marc, sweet wine, or brandy. Optionally, the cake can have a base layer made from puff pastry or shortcrust pastry. The earliest referenc... READ MORE

Boterkoek is a traditional cake made with a combination of butter, flour, sugar, eggs, and vanilla. If desired, almond extract, almond shavings, and lemon zest can be added to the ingredients for extra flavor. The sticky dough is simply brushed wi... READ MORE

Mađarica, meaning Hungarian girl, is a traditional layered cake that is usually associated with festive occasions. The layers are coated in a velvety, chocolate-infused cream, and the whole cake is finished with a dark chocolate glaze. Al... READ MORE

This traditional Greek dessert consists of layered or torn phyllo sheets that are blended with a creamy, orange-flavored yogurt custard. When baked, the cake is doused in a thick, sugary, orange-spiked syrup. Portokalopita is a classic that comes ... READ MORE