Sugar Crust Sponge Recipes

MARY BERRY'S MADEIRA CAKE

Steps:

• Add the butter and sugar to a large bowl and use an electric mixer to beat everything well until creamy.
• Add the eggs one by one, beating well after each addition.
• In go the flour and ground almonds together with the lemon zest.
• Mix everything well to get a smooth thick batter.
• Grease and flour a 23 cm/9 inch round cake tin, and spread the batter evenly.
• Bake in the preheated oven at 180 degrees Celsius (350 Fahrenheit) for 30 minutes or until golden and a skewer inserted in the middle comes out clean.
• Leave to cool for 15 minutes, then carefully remove from the cake tin, and transfer to a cooling rack to be cooled down completely.

MOM'S SPONGE CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour a 9x13-inch baking pan.
• Beat eggs in a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment on high speed until thick and lemon-colored, about 3 minutes. Gradually add sugar, beating until mixture is thick, about 5 minutes. Fold flour, baking powder, and salt into the batter by hand.
• Microwave milk in a small microwave-safe bowl until it begins to bubble, about 1 minute. Stir in butter until melted. Add vanilla extract.
• Pour milk mixture into the batter; blend on low speed until well-combined and smooth. Pour into the prepared pan.
• Bake in the preheated oven until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, 25 to 30 minutes.

SUGAR CRUST SPONGE

Steps:

• TIN PREPARATION (VERY IMPORTANT).
• Lightly grease a 21cm wide, 5 - 6cm deep, cake tin. Put a disc of baking paper on the bottom, also grease this.
• Put one heaped tablespoon (maybe more) of caster sugar in tin and shake it around to coat the bottom and sides, tap out excess.
• Repeat with same amount of flour and tap out excess. If tin is not non-stick, also line the sides with paper.
• Preheat oven to 170degrees Celsius.
• MAKING THE CAKE.
• 1. Sift the flour and salt onto a piece of greaseproof paper. Break the eggs into a bowl and whisk with a hand held beater until they are frothy, then whisk in the sugar, a tablespoon at a time.
• 2. Whisk until the mixture is pale and thick. Continue whisking until it forms "ribbons" when you stop beating and lift the beaters out of the mixture (the mixture will fall off the beater in a thick trail).
• 3. Sift the flour (again) over the top and fold it into the whipped eggs, along with the lemon zest, using a large spoon or rubber scraper. Use the spoon to lift up mixture from the sides of the bowl, then let it cascade over the top. Do not beat as this will knock out the air.
• 4. Turn the mixture into the prepared tin and bake for 15 - 20 minutes (regular bake not fanbake) in the preheated oven, or until the cake is springy to the touch and is just starting to pull away from the sides of the tin (it may take as long as 25 minutes, but is better to keep the sponge soft and moist).
• 5. Cool five minutes in the tin then turn out onto a cooling rack and peel off the paper. Let the sponge cool thoroughly before assembling the cake.
• ASSEMBLY.
• 1. Whip the cream with the sugar and seeds from vanilla pod (or essence or paste).
• 2. Gently melt the redcurrant jelly over a gentle heat with the berries (if frozen heat till thawed and warm).
• 3. Split the sponge in half with a breadknife and fill with the cream. Brush the top of the cake with hot juices/melted jelly then arrange fruit on top.
• The sponge is best eaten on the day it is made soon after assembly but keep it refrigerated if you must make it ahead.