Confusingly in France, a cake is not a gâteau, but a gâteau is nearly always a cake. Some of the most popular ones include:
Forêt noire: (Black Forest, pictured above). The chocolate classic.
gâteau à étages: layer cake
gâteau au noix: walnut cake from southwest France
gâteau au yaourt: a fluffy yogurt cake, often made for an afternoon gouter.
gâteau Nantais Made since the 17-century in Nantes and recently revived: made with almonds, dark rum, vanilla and cinnamon, with a lime and light rum icing. Because it kept a long time, thanks to all the rum, it was also known as a gâteau de voyage
Image by mcouty@2devs.com - http://www.2devs.com