butterscotch is mainly made from butter and brown sugar, which is why it's so amazingly tasty.

Despite its name, this type of cake wasn't invented in the U.S., but it has gained lots of popularity here. These dense cakes are sturdy enough to hold thick icing and fillings and are perfect for rolled fondant. They may also be shortened with oil.

This cake gets its name because of how its ingredients can be measured: a pound of butter, a pound of sugar, a pound of eggs, and a pound of flour. The cake itself is extremely dense, since it doesn't rise as much as the American-style butter cake. Because of its richness, pound cakes typically have light flavors and are served plain or topped with a basic glaze. They're normally baked in a loaf or Bundt pant. Pound cake variations include some coffee cakes, sour cream cakes, and fruit crumb cakes.

Carrot Cake, like American-style butter cake, uses baking soda or baking powder for leavening. However, instead of butter, carrot cake uses oil for shortening purposes. This makes the cake longer-lasting, but also a little greasy. The combination of the rich cream cheese icing and the warm spices makes for an irresistible dessert.

There's no doubt about it — red velvet is a fan favorite. It's basically butter cake, but oftentimes it's made with oil instead. The distinct red velvet flavor comes from the added cocoa. Originally, the reaction between buttermilk and raw cocoa gave the cake its red hue. Today, the color is mostly the result of food coloring.

These light and airy cakes make for limitless variations. Foam cakes typically contain no fat or leavening, aside from the fat provided by eggs. It is important to remember when you are baking foam cakes that the batter needs to go in the oven as soon as it's ready in order to prevent the egg whites from deflating. They also need to be baked in a tall pan due to the rise the egg whites give them. These cakes are not going to hold up well against heavy frosting, so it's best to give them a light glaze or a dollop of whipped cream.

Technically any recipe that contains no baking powder or baking soda, but lots of whipped eggs or egg whites is a sponge cake. A traditional sponge cake has just three ingredients: flour, sugar, and eggs. As the name suggests, this cake takes well to being soaked with syrups. They are several different types of sponge cakes, and they may go by different names depending on where you are in the world.

Genoise is what a sponge cake is referred to in Italy or France. In this type of cake, the eggs are beaten with both yolk and white together, along with sugar until they are mousse-like. The flour is then folded in along with some oil or butter for added moisture. Due to the added butter, this sponge cake is more moist and tender than its sponge cake siblings.

In a biscuit sponge cake, the egg is separated and both the whites and yolks are whipped with sugar separately. The two mixtures are then folded together with flour. The result is a light batter that's drier than genoise, but that also holds its shape better. This is why biscuit cake batter is often used for piped shapes such as ladyfingers. In a slightly different variation, the flour is replaced with matzoh cake meal and potato starch to make the classic Passover sponge cake.

Angel food cake is made with only the egg whites, not the yolks. The beaten egg whites act as a leavening agent, and there is no added shortening in the recipe. This makes Angel food cake a delicious no-fat dessert. These cakes need to be baked in a tall pan because the egg whites create such a dramatic rise. The texture of these cakes tends to be slightly chewy and spongy due to its high sugar content. Top this delicate dessert with berries and whipped cream for the perfect flavor combination.

This classic American cake is a cross between a cake that has been shortened with oil, and a sponge cake. The recipe includes both baking powder and vegetable oil, but like many types of sponge cake, the eggs are separated and beaten before being folded into the batter. All of this gives you the rich flavor of an oil cake, but a lighter feel of a sponge cake. It's typically drizzled with a glaze or frosted with a lighter frosting.

Baked flourless cake includes baked cheesecakes, flourless chocolate cakes, or any other form of cake that is baked without flour. Flourless chocolate cake is a variation of the foam cake. These cakes are usually very rich because of the chocolate, egg yolk, and fat it contains. In order to prevent the bottom of these cakes from burning, they're often baked in a "water bath." This means that the cake is made in a springform pan, that is then placed in a larger pan that is partially filled with water, helping to give the cake its silky texture.

This includes unbaked cheesecakes, mousse cakes, or any type of cake that is typically molded in a dessert ring or springform pan before chilling and unmolding. These types of cakes often have crust that's baked before the filling is added. Try layering them with genoise or biscuit for a decadent treat that is perfect for summer.