Sponge Cake Recipes

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Angel Food Cake

Angel Food Cake

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Sponge Cake baking technique

Several types of cakes are combined here with the overall name 'sponge cake'. The reason for that is that all of these cakes are made of 3 main ingredients: eggs, sugar and flour.

Angel food cake is often classified separately since it contains only egg whites, has a lighter texture and less fat, however the technology is similar.

Classic sponge cake or biscuit is made of both egg whites and egg yolks. Egg whites are beaten separately with several tablespoons of sugar and then mixed with the rest of the ingredients.

The main feature of each of these cakes is leavening solely by the air beaten into egg whites, with no baking powder or baking soda added. Sponge cake seems to be one of the easiest to make in terms of ingredients, but there are a few need-to-know to succeed:

 - Beating egg whites to stiff peaks: this is a key success factor for baking a sponge cake. It is important to make sure that there is no water or any other liquid in a bowl where you are beating the egg whites. Also avoid even a small amount of yolks in the mixture: it will not allow the egg whites to reach the right consistence. Having beaten the egg whites till soft peaks, start adding confectioner's sugar gradually, continuing the process. And when almost ready sprinkle the mixture with a few drops of lemon juice or cream of tartar, it will help to keep the egg whites stiff.

 - The second part of the batter, consisting of egg yolks, sugar and part of flour is prepared separately. If you mix flour together with egg yolks, don't use all the flour the recipe calls for: the mixture will be too thick. A couple of tablespoons is usually enough.

 - The final step in preparing sponge cake batter is combining together egg whites and egg yolks mixture. Do not use mixer when folding in the egg whites! The aim of this step is to make the cake batter homogeneous keeping the egg whites bubbles 'alive' at the same time. So the process should be smooth, careful and fast, done with a spatula or a tablespoon.

And if you have done everything right the strong egg whites foam will raise up your cake to the heights of homemade baking masterpiece! A few words about baking to guarantee this:

 - Baking should start in a preheated oven, not to let the egg whites bubbles settle down. The temperature should be about 350°F (175°C) or slightly less.

 - Do not open the oven while baking. Sponge cake batter is very sensitive to temperature changes. Cold air inflow at an early stage of baking may ruin all the efforts.  If you want to check readiness do it when you feel the cake is almost done. In 40-45 minutes the crust on the top will solidify enough not to let the cake settle down. The cake should spring back lightly when touched.

 - After turning off the oven you may leave the cake inside for 10-20 minutes. Then take it out and let cool completely.

Release the cake from the baking form and free your imagination for assembling and decoration! Sponge cake recipe makes a perfect basis for multi-layered cakes, for a birthday party or any other special occasion. The main benefit is that classic sponge cake recipe is relatively low fat, which means you can play with various types of fillings and frostings made of whipped cream, cream cheese or butter. They will not make it 'too fat' and will balance the taste perfectly.

Enjoy Your Fabulous Baking!

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