Best Ever Sponge Cake Recipes

BEST-EVER SPONGE CAKE

Steps:

• Position oven shelves; preheat oven to 180°C. Grease two deep 20cm-round cake pans.
• In a large bowl, beat eggs with electric mixer until thick and foamy. Gradually add sugar, about a tablespoonful at a time, beating until sugar is dissolved between additions. Total beating time should be about 10 minutes.
• Sift flour and cornflour together three times onto paper.
• Sift flour mixture over egg mixture. Then, using one hand like a rake, quickly and lightly fold and pull flour mixture through egg mixture, using the side of your hand as a scraper to make sure all the ingredients are combined.
• Pour combined butter and the water down side of bowl; using one hand, fold through egg mixture. Pour mixture evenly into prepared pans, using metal spatula, spread mixture to edges of pans.
• Bake sponges about 25 minutes. As soon as sponges are baked, turn onto wire racks covered with baking paper; turn top-side up to cool.
• Place one sponge on serving plate, spread with lemon butter and whipped cream. Top with remaining cake, dust with sifted icing sugar.

BEST EVER SPONGE CAKE

Steps:

• Prepare pans by greasing evenly (see list of pan sizes below). Sift dry ingredients together 3 times, to aerate and mix the flours. Have eggs at room temperature. Beat whole eggs in small bowl with electric mixer until thick and creamy (the small bowl is necessary to give maximum volume to eggs); beating time on a moderately high speed should be about 7 mins. Add sugar, about 1 tablespoon at a time, beating after each addition until sugar is dissolved. When sugar is dissolved, transfer mixture to larger basin; this makes it easier to fold the ingredients through the egg mixture (it is not necessary to transfer the 2 egg mixture to a larger basin). Sift the flours over the egg mixture, use a spatula to lightly fold the flours through; heavy handling at this stage will give a flat, tough sponge. Spread mixture evenly into pan, bake in moderate oven for cooking time specified below. When cooked, sponge will have shrunk very slightly from side of pan and top of sponge will feel springy when touched gently with fingertips. Turn sponge immediately onto wire rack to cool, then reverse sponge so that wire rack does not mark the top. Cake Pans and Cooking Times: For 2 egg: Deep 20cm round cake pan or recess pan about 20 mins. A deep pan is preferable rather than a sandwich pan as the sponge will be less crusty on top because the high sides protect the top during cooking. For 3 egg: 2 deep 17cm cake or sandwich pans about 15 mins, or 25cm x 30cm Swiss roll pan about 12 mins. For 4 egg: 2 deep 20cm round cake pans about 20 mins, or deep 23cm round cake pan about 40 mins. Fill and ice sponges as desired. Variations: 1. Citrus: Beat in 2 teaspoons of your favorite grated citrus rind with the sugar. Try lemon, mandarin, lime, orange or grapefruit. 2. Nut: Fold in 1/4 cup of any type of ground nuts with the flours. 3. Chocolate: Fold in 60g grated dark chocolate with the flours.

TRADITIONAL SPONGE CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 325°. Let eggs stand at room temperature for 30 minutes. Sift flour and salt; set aside. , In a large bowl, beat yolks until slightly thickened. Gradually add 1 cup sugar, beating until thick and lemon-colored. Blend in water and vanilla. Add dry ingredients to yolk mixture; mix well. , In another bowl, beat egg whites and cream of tartar on medium speed until soft peaks form. Gradually beat in remaining sugar, about 1 tablespoon at a time, on high until stiff glossy peaks form and sugar is dissolved. Fold a fourth of egg whites into the batter, then fold in remaining whites., Gently spoon into an ungreased 10-in. tube pan. Cut through batter with a knife to remove air pockets. Bake on the lowest oven rack until cake springs back when lightly touched, 55-60 minutes. Immediately invert the pan; cool completely. , Run a knife around side and center tube of pan. Remove cake to a serving plate. If desired, serve with ice cream topping.

BEST EVER CHOCOLATE SPONGE CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease a 9x13-inch baking dish.
• Stir butter, white sugar, and brown sugar together in a bowl; add vanilla extract and mix well. Stir eggs, 1 at a time, into butter mixture until smooth.
• Sift flour, cocoa powder, and salt together in a separate bowl. Stir flour mixture, alternating with buttermilk, into butter mixture until batter is smooth, adding more buttermilk if needed to thin out batter. Pour batter into the prepared baking dish.
• Bake in the preheated oven until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, 40 to 45 minutes.