In its liquid form, it can be poured over a cake for a shiny finish effective in sealing in freshness. When going to refrigerate a cake, replace two tablespoons of the cream with corn syrup to keep the ganache from becoming dull and cracking. Cold ganache can also be piped or rolled into truffles. Then there is whipped ganache, which is perfectly compatible with airy cakes. Pundits even assert that this cake is even better the following day as the time lapse causes the flavor to be enhanced.
Sponge cake is another versatile cake, with a multitude of types and recipes.
In general, sponge cakes are made of lots of eggs, resulting in their light, airy texture. Their leavening comes only from the air incorporated into the batter while beating the eggs, and they have little or no butter and thus have very little fat content. Among the more popular types are the European styled Biscuit and Genoise, which more often than not are moistened with syrups because of their tendency to be somewhat dry. The right amount of syrup results in soft and tender crumbs, too little can render the cakes dry or tasteless, while too much produces soggy units. Hardcore European versions have liqueur as part of their syrupy additives, resulting in notably enhanced flavors.