Jared Derrera
Mrs. Boreson
Expos., 6
2/4/09
Classifaction Essay

Dessert. That one little world can cause many people to salivate uncontrollably. All these different people have different tastes and luckily for them there is a type of dessert for every palate. There are four main categories of desserts to enjoy, these being cakes, cookies, pastries, and ice cream. Each of these has distinct flavors and characteristics which necessitate in-depth study in order to understand and appreciate them fully.

According to whatscookingamerica.com, “cakes are made from various combinations of refined flour, some form of shortening, sweetening, eggs, milk, leavening agent, and flavoring”. You may know cake as that delicious dessert presented to you at birthdays and other important events such as weddings. What you may not know is that cake can be divided into two separate groups, sponge cakes and butter cakes. Sponge cakes are made from beating eggs and then folding the other ingredients in to the egg foam. Tres Leche, Victoria cake, Genoise, and angel food cake can all proudly claim to be part of the sponge cake family. The second category of cakes is the butter cake, which as the name suggests, have butter as a main ingredient. The butter cake family can claim ownership of various pound cakes and devil food cake, angel food cake’s arch-nemesis.

While cakes are the go-to dessert for special occasions, cookies are a treat that can be enjoyed on a day to day basis. Cookies go their start from cake, and contain many of the same ingredients. They are made with milk, eggs, sugar, flour, and various ingredients depending on what the recipe calls for. Cookies are a wonderful dessert because of the variety they offer, and this variety can be categorized in 4 different groups. These groups are drop cookies, molded cookies, bar cookies, and sandwich cookies. Drop cookies are the most recognized of the group, and are made from spoonfuls of batter dropped onto the pan. The ever popular chocolate chip cookie is the poster boy for this group. Molded cookies are made from stiffer dough than drop cookies, and are molded into their desired shape. Snicker doodles and peanut butter cookies represent molded cookies. Bar cookies are different from the norm as the batter is poured into a pan, baked, and then cut. Brownies and Rice Krispie treats are official members of this family of cookies. The last category of cookie is the sandwich cookie, home of the Oreo. These are cookies that contain some sort of filling. Clearly, the almighty cookie has a great variety but they’re not the most diverse desert by far.

The king of dessert diversity is by far the pastry. Containing similar ingredients to the cake and cookie, pastries are different by being made from thing dough used as a base for fillings. There are five main types of pastry, the short crust, rough puff, puff, choux and filo pastry. Short crust pastries are the most common pastry and are little more than baked dough. Pies and tarts are the staples short crust pastry. Rough puff pastries are layered, and because of this are crisp and puffy. Puff pastries are similar to rough puff pastries due to their many layers, but take longer to bake. They contain many types of turnovers. Choux pastries are usually filled with cream and topped with chocolate, but can contain meats and cheeses. Doughnuts, éclairs, and crullers all are part of the choux pastry family. The last group of pastries is filo pastries, which are very thin and brittle. Baklavas and strudel are both considered to be filo pastries. Pastries are generally baked and are best when served warm, but not all desserts need to be hot to be enjoyed.

The last category of desserts is ice cream. Ice cream has been enjoyed on hot summer days throughout history, even by founding fathers Thomas Jefferson and Benjamin Franklin. There are three different types of ice cream dishes, the cone, the sundae, and the banana split. The ice cream cone simply consists of ice cream and the waffle-like cone that it rests in. It’s generally devoid of any toppings except for the occasional sprinkle. Sundaes, however, are different. Sundaes are usually served in a dish and are eaten with a spoon. Common sundae toppings include sauces, nuts, cherries and whipped cream. The last type of ice cream dish is the banana split, which is similar to a sundae in a few ways. It is served in a long dish called a boat, has strawberry, chocolate, and vanilla ice cream, hot fudge, strawberry sauce, and caramel, whipped cream, nuts and the eponymous banana.

The world of desserts is filled with many variations that are sure to satisfy any taste you may have. Cakes, cookies, pastries, and ice cream all do a part to satisfy the hungry masses all over the world who demand dessert. Now armed with incredible knowledge of desserts I urge to go out and experience it in the only way possible; by eating! Bon appétit.