Perfect Sponge Cake Food

SPONGE CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter two 9-inch round cake pans or two 12-by-17-inch rimmed baking sheets. Line bottoms with parchment; butter parchment and flour pans, tapping out excess flour. Whisk together egg yolks and 1 cup granulated sugar in a bowl set over a saucepan of simmering water until sugar has dissolved and mixture is warm, 3 to 4 minutes. Remove from heat and beat with a mixer on medium-high speed until pale and thick enough to form a ribbon that dissolves onto itself, 3 to 5 minutes. Beat in vanilla and salt; transfer to a large bowl.
• Beat egg whites until soft peaks form. Gradually add remaining 1/2 cup granulated sugar and beat on medium-high speed until stiff, glossy peaks form, about 2 minutes. Fold one third of egg whites into yolks, then gently fold in remaining whites. Sift flour over top and gently start to fold in. When nearly all is folded in, pour melted butter down side of bowl and fold just until incorporated and smooth.
• Divide batter among pans and bake until a toothpick inserted in centers comes out clean, about 25 minutes for rounds, or 15 minutes for sheets, rotating and switching racks halfway through. If baking in round pans, immediately invert cake and remove parchment, then reinvert and cool right side up. If using baking sheets and making a rolled cake, immediately invert cake onto a kitchen towel dusted with confectioner's sugar. Dust top of cake with confectioner's sugar and roll up in towel. Let cool completely, about 1 hour, before unrolling and spreading with filling.

PERFECT SPONGE CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 °F.
• Beat 5 eggs (no need to separate them) on low speed and then on high speed for about 5 minutes or until it's three times in volume.
• Using a spatula, fold in flour by thirds; be very gentle with the dough so you don't over mix it and lose the fluffiness.
• Add cake batter to an oiled baking sheet. Springform baking pan works amazing, size 9-12 inches is perfect.
• Bake at 350F for 30 minutes and check it using a wooden toothpick. If the cake is ready, the dough should not stick to the toothpick.

SPONGE CAKE

Steps:

• Heat oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4, butter and line the base of two 20cm spring-form cake tins with baking parchment.
• Using an electric whisk beat the butter and sugar together until pale and fluffy. Crack the eggs in one at a time and whisk well, scraping down the sides of the bowl after each addition. Add the lemon zest, vanilla, flour, milk and a pinch of salt. Whisk until just combined then divide the mixture between the two tins.
• Bake in the centre of the oven for 25-30 mins until a skewer inserted into the middle of each cake comes out clean. After 10 mins remove the cakes from their tins and leave to cool completely on a wire rack. Fill how you like. My personal favourite is a good dollop of lemon curd and some fresh cream, then dust the top with icing sugar. Will keep for 3 days.

BASIC SPONGE CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 325.
• Grease only the bottom of a 9-inch round cake pan and cover with a circle of parchment paper. Do not grease the sides of the pan.
• In a large bowl, beat egg yolks until light, gradually adding in the sugar. Add in vanilla and lemon and set aside.
• In a medium bowl, beat the egg whites until frothy, about 1 minute at high speed, then beat in the salt and cream of tartar. Continue beating until the eggs reach soft peaks. Fold egg whites, working in 3 or 4 batches, into the yolk mixture.
• Sift the flour over the egg mixture, again working in 3 or 4 batches, and gently fold it inches When the batter is uniform, pour into prepared cake pan and bake unil a tester comes out dry and the top of the cake springs back when gently pressed, about 35-45 minutes.
• Allow cake to cool in the pan before cutting around the sides with a sharp knife and turning it out.
• Slice the cake into 2 or 3 layers (or squares) and fill as desired.