This Quiz Really Takes the Cake

Answer: Red velvet cake

Red velvet can be a vanilla cake but most commonly, it's chocolate. Vinegar or buttermilk is used in the batter to help bring out the natural red tones in the cocoa powder, and red food colouring (or beets, though the use of beets is far less typical these days) makes it nice and vibrant.

In addition to the cream cheese frosting, some red velvet cake recipes call for the cake's sides to be covered in chopped pecans. White buttercream frosting may also be used in place of the cream cheese frosting.

Answer: Carrot cake

While grated carrot is usually part of the carrot cake recipe, not all cakes billed as "carrot cake" actually contain carrots! The carrots are more for texture, moistness and natural sweetness than for adding flavour; the cake's main flavour comes from the spices added to the cake batter (which is actually much more like a muffin batter), such as cinnamon and nutmeg.

Other add-ins to the cake vary from recipe to recipe and can include almonds, pecans and pineapple. Missing from the photo here is the typical frosting or marzipan carrot(s) that tops most professionally-made carrot cakes.

Answer: Boston

This is the Boston cream pie, official dessert of the state of Massachusetts. The cake was invented in Boston, by a pastry chef at the Parker House Hotel, in the 19th century. Though it was originally just like this, two layers of cake with one layer of filling, some bakers make their Boston cream pies much higher, with several thin layers of cake and filling.

A Boston cream donut is extremely similar to this cake, with a custard filling and a chocolate coated top.

Answer: Black Forest cake

Black Forest cake's (or Black Forest gateau's) original German name is Schwarzwälder Kirschtorte, which translates to Black Forest cherry torte. The cake was named after Schwarzwälder Kirschwasser, a cherry liquor from the Black Forest mountain region of Germany. Other liquors are frequently used in the preparation of the cake in other countries, and no booze at all is also common.

Answer: King cake

In Europe, the King cake is most associated with Christmas and/or Epiphany (which occurs at the end of the Christmas season). It was named for the three kings who visited baby Jesus upon his birth. There is often a small plastic baby figurine hidden somewhere in the cake, said to represent Jesus.

The cake pictured for this quiz is most definitely a Mardi Gras King cake, as Mardi Gras King cakes are decorated with sprinkles or sugars in the traditional Mardi Gras colours - gold, purple and green. The Mardi Gras King cake also features a hidden trinket, sometimes the plastic (or ceramic) baby, sometimes a small king figurine, or simply just a bean.

Some traditions say that the person who uncovers the trinket in their piece of cake (which is usually more of a deep-fried sweetened bread) becomes king or queen for the day.

Answer: Cheesecake

Cheesecakes are made all around the world with some variations, including the choices for crust and the type of cheese used in the batter. New York style cheesecake is made with cream cheese and bakes up quite dense and firm. Though shown here very plain, it is also often topped with a sauce, such as strawberry or chocolate.

The most common bane of cheesecake bakers is probably the tendency this dessert has to develop cracks in the surface, making for an unattractive presentation. Some tips to avoid cracking in cheesecakes include to bake it slowly at a low temperature, avoid extreme changes in temperature (i.e. let it cool very slowly) and to use a water bath or bain marie to bake it in. Or, you can take the easy way and make a no-bake cheesecake, which has an acid such as lemon juice added to the batter to 'cook' the ingredients and is chilled until set.

Answer: Pineapple

This is a pineapple upside down cake! Pineapples, maraschino cherries and a sweet syrup are poured in the bottom of a pan, and then white cake batter is added over the topping and baked. It is then turned out of the pan and left 'upside down' to serve. Though the technique of making an upside down-style cake with the topping on the bottom has been in use for centuries, pineapple upside down cake was not invented until the early 20th century when canned pineapple in syrup became available.

The recipe became extremely popular among home bakers in the 1920s when the Hawaiian Pineapple company (later Dole) advertised the recipe nationally.

Answer: Tiramisu

To make the cookies (typically Ladyfingers) soft and moist like cake, they are first soaked in coffee and liqueur (usually coffee-flavoured, though something such as plain rum can be used as well) before layering with the mascarpone cream. Traditional tiramisu has the cream made with mascarpone and whipped raw egg yolks, though it nowadays is often made with no eggs due to concerns over salmonella poisoning.

The cocoa powder is dusted over the top for a hint of chocolate flavour and for presentation.

The exact origins of tiramisu are disputed, but it first became popular worldwide in the 1980s.

Answer: Milk

Pastel tres leches is Spanish for 'three milk pastry' or 'three milk cake'. The three milks are heavy cream, evaporated milk and sweetened condensed milk, and they are poured over a light sponge cake. Cooked sweetened condensed milk, or dulce de leche, is also sometimes added, turning it into a cuatro leches cake.

The cake is typically served with whipped cream and may have other add-ins or toppings such as fruit and nuts. The origin of tres leches cake is unclear, though the Nestle company claims to have helped invent it when they brought canned evaporated milk to Mexico during the Second World War.

The concept of a cake soaked in a sweet liquid had already been around in Latin America, however, descended from European baking ideas.

Answer: Strawberry shortcake

The dessert strawberry shortcake is made by making a crumbly cookie-like dough for the shortcake, though thin pieces of sponge cake may be used in place of true shortcake. The cake/pastry pieces are then layered with sweetened strawberries and whipped cream. While strawberries are the most popular, the dessert can be made in the same fashion with many other fruits.

Strawberry Shortcake, the animated character, is licensed by American Greetings. Strawberry Shortcake and her friends (such as Raspberry Tart and Pupcake) were featured in toy lines and TV specials in the 1980s, and the characters were revived in the early 21st century.