It has often been said that the measure of a good cook, is the lightness of their sponge cake. It is a classic recipe that can lend itself to so many possibilities. It can be filled with jam and cream, filled with lemon curd, or rolled into a Swiss roll.
Sarah made her first ever sponge cake on the weekend using this easy recipe. It tasted just like the ones my Grand mother used to make.
Ingredients:
3 eggs
3 extra egg yolks
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
pinch salt
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup plain (all-purpose) flour
1/4 cup corn flour (corn starch)
1. Cover the bottom of a 23 cm (9 inch) spring form pan with baking paper. Preheat oven to 180 deg C (350 F). Half fill a saucepan with water and put it on the heat until the water is simmering.
2. Combine eggs, egg yolks, vanilla and salt in the bowl of electric mixer. Whisk on low speed to until eggs are combined, and then gradually whisk in the sugar. Place the bowl over the simmering water and gently whisk until the mixture is luke-warm – 45 deg C (115 F).
3. Place the bowl back on the mixer and whip on medium high speed until the foam is tripled in volume and light in colour (3-4 minutes).
4. Mix the flours together. Sift 1/3 of the flour mixture over the egg foam. Use a large spatula to fold the flour through the egg mixture. Add the rest of the sifted flour in two lots, folding well after each addition.
5. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top. Bake until the sponge is well risen and feels firm when pressed in the centre, approx 25-30 minutes. Remove the cake from the tin and place on wire rack to cool.
Sarah brushed her cake with a vanilla syrup, and then covered it in butter cream frosting. It was a special afternoon tea treat.
I can’t believe I have never made one – I must try a sponge soon.
It looks yummy Lisa! A Sponge is something relatively foreign to us — I’m guessing it’s maybe a cross between our angel food cake and a pound cake? I’ve always been fascinated by Victoria Sponges though — I’d love to try one!
Great recipe!! I’ll be making this soon.
How refreshing a cake with no butter. How do you know when it’s luke warm, did you just guesstimate?
My Goodness,
Sponge cakes is a reminiscence of my childhood! My mom used to make this kind of cake when temperature was soaring outside.
The final cake looks lovely, by the way! 🙂
Looks delicious, with and without frosting! I’ve never made a sponge cake from scratch (just cheated with a box mix), so I’m going to save Sara’s recipe. It looks so easy!
What a sweet and pretty sponge! I shall have to wait til I get a new oven to try this one out…mine is slowly dying!
Looks great! One question though, what is vnilla syrup.