Most classic layer cakes, from birthday cakes to red velvet cake to even carrot cake, fall into the category of shortened cakes. Usually, layer cakes are prepared in one of three ways:
1) creaming method: the butter or fat is creamed with sugar to create pockets of air before adding the wet and dry ingredients to the batter.
2) one-bowl method: the ingredients are mixed together in the same bowl, without any special creaming
3) cream-and-whip method: similar to the creaming method, this variation is characterized by whipping the egg whites separately and then incorporating them into the batter shortly before it is poured into baking pans. This results in a light texture.
Nestled under this category are cakes such as angel food cake, genoise, dacquoise or jelly roll-style cakes. Eggs are the name of the game with fluffy foam or sponge cakes.
Usually, air is beaten into the eggs (sometimes just the whites, sometimes the whole egg), and then they are folded into the batter. During the baking process, this creates steam in the batter, causing the cakes to rise.
Angel food-cake, or angel cake, is a type of sponge cake made with stiffly beaten egg whites with no butter added.
