Iconic Cakes That Every Dessert Lover Should Try

Picture a generous slice of your favorite cake on a plate in front of you. Fork in hand, you dig in and take that very first bite — it's heavenly. You wonder, Is this the best slice of cake in the world? Rich and layered in chocolate or light and filled with meringue, cake, no matter what kind it is, is a universally irresistible dessert.

15 Iconic Cakes That Every Dessert Lover Should Try (Slideshow)

Cultures all over the world have their own recipes for chocolate cake, banana cake, lime cake, maple syrup cake, etc.; the list goes on. Cake is a sweet, fluffy treat made with all kinds of fillings, frostings, and toppings, depending on the recipe. We just can't get enough of cake and neither can the rest of the world. Many of the iconic cakes that we know and love originated outside the U.S.

Sacher torte, a double-layered chocolate cake with apricot jam filling, is one of the most famous (and delicious) chocolate cakes in the world. The cake was invented in 1832 by Austrian baker Franz Sacher for the Viennese prince Klemens von Metternich.

Cheese is the main ingredient in quesadilla salvadoreña, a sweet cheese pound cake found in bakeries in El Salvador. The cheese used is traditionally Salvadoran queso fresco, a fresh farm cheese, but Parmigiano-Reggiano is often substituted.

Castella (also known as kasutera), a specialty cake from Nagasaki, is based on a cake introduced to Japan by Portuguese traders in the sixteenth century and has since become a dessert staple in Japan. It's made simply with sugar, flour, and eggs, and is often flavored with green tea, brown sugar, or honey.

These and more cakes from around the world will have you running to your local bakery for a taste.

Basbousa — Egypt

This sweet, syrupy cake, made with almonds, honey, and usually lemon or orange-flavored syrup, is a traditional Middle Eastern treat

Pastel de Tres Leches — Mexico

Rich and sweet, pastel de tres leches is a sponge cake baked with three kinds of milk (usually condensed milk, evaporated milk, and fresh milk or cream), as its name — "cake of three milks" in Spanish — reveals.

Haley Willard is The Daily Meal's assistant editor. Follow her on Twitter @haleywillrd.