True Sponge Cake Food

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.

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.

TRUE SPONGE CAKE

Steps:

• Measure all ingredients.
• Sift sugar through fine sifter one to four times before measuring.
• Sift flour once before measuring.
• Separate yolks and whites of eggs.
• They will beat easily if at room temperature.
• Beat egg whites until stiff but not dry and beat in gradually 1 tablespoon sugar for each egg white (out of sugar called for in recipe) and set aside.
• It is unnecessary to wash beater before beating yolks.
• Add liquid to egg yolks and beat until lemon-colored and so thick that beater turns with difficulty.
• Add lemon rind.
• Beat in remaining sugar.
• Combine yolks and whites and fold together with spoon until mixture is even.
• Mix and sift remaining dry ingredients and cut and fold into egg mixture.
• Do not beat after adding flour, to avoid breaking air bubbles.
• Pour into un buttered tube pan (9-inch), two 9-inch layer pans, or 12 to 18 muffin tins.
• Cut through mixture several times to break large air bubbles.
• Bake 1 hour or more in moderately slow oven (3250 F.), if in angel-cake or other deep pan.
• Bake 25 to 30 minutes in moderate oven (350F.) if in layer-cake pans or individual tins.
• Invert on wire cooler and let stand until cold.
• Loosen with spatula or knife.

VICTORIA SANDWICH - CLASSIC ENGLISH SPONGE CAKE FOR TEA TIME

Steps:

• The measurements for this recipe are equal amounts of sugar, flour and fat to the weight of the eggs; Recipezaar will not allow me to post that as a measurement. Therefore, weigh the eggs first - if the eggs weigh 8 ounces, you will use 8 ounces of sugar, 8 ounces of butter or margarine and 8 ounces of flour. If the eggs weigh 6 ounces, all the other ingredients will be 6 ounces - easy!
• Set oven Gas 4 160C (fan oven), 180C or 360F: grease and base line the bottom of 2 x 8" sandwich tins - cake tins.
• Cream margarine or butter together with the sugar, until light and fluffy.
• Beat the eggs, and then add them to the mixture, gradually and beating well after each addition.
• Sieve the flour and fold into the mixture with a metal spoon.
• Divide equally between the 2 prepared tins and bake for 25 minutes in the middle of the oven.
• Remove and allow to cool for 1-2 minutes.
• Remove from the tins and fill with raspberry jam (and cream if using) when cold, to avoid the cream melting or the jam seeping into the sponge.
• A light dusting of caster sugar or icing sugar on the top will finish it.
• Place on an attractive cake stand or plate, and serve in dainty wedges with freshly brewed tea.
• Cook's Notes.
• If you use butter remove from the fridge to soften before using. This is not necessary with soft margarine.
• If large eggs are used they may weigh 7 ½ ozs/210g. If so make sure you use this weight for the other ingredients.
• A smaller sandwich cake can be made with 2 medium eggs. Weight about 4 oz/55g. If so, use 2 x 7" sandwich tins and the cakes and the cakes will need less time in the oven - probably 20mins.
• Alternative measurements:.
• 3 eggs.
• 6 ounces soft margarine or butter.
• 6 ounces caster sugar.
• 6 ounces SR flour.
• Proceed as above for method.

SWEET POTATO ROLL CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Spray a 10-by-15-inch jelly roll pan with cooking spray then line with parchment paper. Using a food safe marker, write the word "Grateful" directly in the center, widthwise, of the parchment. Flip the parchment over so that you can see the word, but it will be backwards.
• Make the cake: Process the sweet potato in a food processor until very smooth. Transfer to a small bowl and set aside.
• Whisk together the baking powder, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, 1 cup flour and 1/2 teaspoon salt in a medium bowl.
• Add the granulated sugar and eggs to a large bowl and beat with an electric mixer on medium-high until the eggs are very light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Add the sweet potato, bourbon and lemon extract and mix to combine. Fold in the flour mixture with a rubber spatula until just combined.
• Remove 1/4 cup of the batter to a medium bowl and stir in the molasses, gel food coloring and the remaining 3 tablespoons flour until smooth. Transfer to a pastry bag fitted with a small round tip and trace "Grateful" on the parchment with the batter. Freeze the pan until the batter is hardened, about 10 minutes (alternatively, refrigerate for 20 minutes).
• Quickly spread the batter in the bowl over the traced word and bake until the cake springs back when touched and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, 14 to 16 minutes.
• Lay a clean tea towel on a flat work surface and lightly dust with confectioners' sugar. Carefully flip the cake out onto a wire rack and remove the parchment. Flip the cake back over onto the towel so that the word is facing down. Starting at the short end, roll the cake up with the towel and let cool completely on a wire rack (still wrapped in the towel), about 1 hour.
• Meanwhile, make the frosting: Beat the cream cheese, butter and orange zest in a medium bowl with an electric mixer on medium-high speed until smooth and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Reduce the speed to low, then slowly mix in the confectioners' sugar until smooth and combined. Add the bourbon just to combine.
• Whip the heavy cream in a separate medium bowl with an electric mixer on medium-high speed until stiff peaks form, 2 to 3 minutes. Gently fold into the cream cheese mixture until just combined.
• Unroll the cake from the towel and, with the word-side down, spread the frosting over the top of the cake. Roll the cake back up, without the towel, and trim the ends so they are clean. Transfer the cake to a serving platter with the seam-side down. Decorate the platter with autumn sprinkles, if desired.

VICTORIA SPONGE CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Grease an 8-inch springform pan.
• Sift the flour and baking powder into a medium bowl and set aside.
• Beat butter and sugar with an electric mixer until light and fluffy. The mixture should be noticeably lighter in color. Add room-temperature eggs one at a time, allowing each egg to blend into butter mixture before adding the next. Beat in vanilla. Pour in the flour mixture alternately with the milk, mixing until just incorporated. Pour batter into prepared pan.
• Bake in the preheated oven until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 20 minutes. Cool the cake in the pan for 10 minutes, then turn the cake out onto a wire rack to cool completely.
• This cake can be served as is, just dusted with confectioners' sugar. Alternately, cut the cake in half horizontally and sandwich the layers together with jam or custard.

4-INGREDIENT SPONGE CAKE (VIDEO RECIPE)

Steps:

• Preheat Oven to 350˚F. Line bottoms of two 9″ cake pans with parchment paper (do not grease the sides).
• In the bowl of an electric stand mixer fitted with whisk attachment (this is the one I have), beat 6 large eggs for 1 minute on high speed. With the mixer on, gradually add 1 cup sugar and continue beating 8-10 minutes until thick and fluffy.
• Whisk together 1 cup flour and 1/2 tsp baking powder then sift this mixture into fluffy egg mixture one third at a time. Fold with a spatula with each addition just until incorporated. Scrape spatula from the bottom to catch any pockets of flour and stop mixing when no streaks of flour remain. Do not over-mix or you will deflate the batter.
• Divide evenly between prepared cake pans (it helps if you have a kitchen scale to weight the pans). Bake at 350˚F for 23-28 minutes (my oven took 25 min), or until top is golden brown. Remove from pan by sliding a thin spatula (here's the one I love for cakes) around the edges then transfer to a wire rack and remove parchment backing. Cool cakes to room temperature then slice layers equally in half with a serrated knife.