SPONGE CAKE

This was the kind of cake sold in bakeries when I was a kid. If you follow the rules, sponge cake has no fat other than the fat from the eggs. No chemical leavening agents(baking powder or baking soda) are used. The egg whites are whipped until stiff and that is the base of a sponge cake.  I have just tweaked my chiffon cake recipe to make a classic sponge cake.

INGREDIENTS

1. 3 eggs , white and yolks separated
2. 3 Tbsp water
3. 3/4 cup all-purpose-flour( can use whole wheat flour(chappathi flour))
4. 1/2 cup granulated sugar
5. 1/2 tsp salt
6. 1 tsp vanilla essence

METHOD

• Line a 6 inch cake pan with parchment paper.
  
• Whisk the flour and salt and keep aside.
  

• Pour vanilla essence into the separated yolks and keep aside. Don't forget this step.

• Pre-heat oven to 225 degree F for 15 minutes.
• Take the separated egg whites into a bowl big enough , because it is in that bowl that the rest of the ingredients will be combined. 

• Beat the egg whites  using a cake mixer on high speed  until frothy and the volume has increased  ,about a minute.

• Now while beating the egg whites ,gradually add the sugar , maybe 2 Tbsp. at a time .Put in all the sugar. The egg whites should be whipped till stiff peaks are formed . Not just stiff peaks, the mixture should be glossy and firm. There will be friction , to swirl the cake mixer around. That's when you should stop.(about 6-7 minutes) Egg whites whipped to this extent will keep the cake from deflating when taken out of the oven.

• Put in the egg yolks and essence all at once and beat on high speed for about 5  seconds.

• Add the flour mixture all at once and beat on lowest speed for 5 seconds, then gradually increasing the speed to maximum .Beat until the flour is just incorporated . Add the 3 Tbsp. water and beat until mixed about 3 seconds on high speed. Don't over mix.
  

          

• Pour the batter into the prepared pan.
  
  
  
  

• Bake at 225 degree F for 50 minutes and at 300-degree F for 20 minutes. The cake is golden brown and springs back when pressed at the center.
  
• Cover the cake pan with the cake with a thick towel. It will help  to retain the cake's moisture while cooling down.
• When the cake is cool , run a knife along the sides and invert it into a plate.
  
  
  
  

         

CHOCOALTE SPONGE CAKE


INGREDIENTS

1. 3 eggs , separated
2. 6 Tbsp  flour
3. 1/4 cup(4 Tbsp) cocoa powder(natural )
4. 1/2 cup sugar
5. 1/2 tsp salt
6. 3 tbsp. water

• Swap 6 Tbsp. of flour for 4 Tbsp. of cocoa powder. The rest of the ingredients are the same.

NOTES

• I have used 4 Tbsp. for the chocolate sponge which gives a slight overpowering taste of cocoa. If you don't like that , use only 2 Tbsp. of cocoa powder and 9 Tbsp. of flour. You can always increase the cocoa powder as you like. Substitute 2 Tbsp. of cocoa powder for 3 Tbsp. of flour.
• The sponge cakes I used to make earlier , would always sink in the middle , when taken out of the oven. So I tried keeping it at a lower temperature and then increasing the temperature. Its like creating a genoise sponge,  at a lower temperature and then making sure the inflated cake is set , by increasing the temperature. It still sinks , but just a little.

• The cake has a shelf life of only 3 days. Refrigerate it for later use.
• This cake is not moist and soft like the butter cakes or cakes containing fats. It's rather dry with nice air pockets which calls for some nice syrup .
• Some like the cake as is , though its good for soaking with  syrup and topping with whipped cream.
• Beat the egg whites nicely until stiff. It will slightly deflate after the yolks and all purpose flour is added. So the extra whipping helps.
• For 3 eggs, a minimum of 1/2 cup sugar is necessary for whipping it stiff. The amount of flour used can start from 1/2 cup but the cake is very sweet for me. Because I can't reduce the sugar to reduce the sweetness , I increased the amount of flour. If you like a sweeter cake , reduce the flour to 1/2 cup , keep the salt at 1/4 tsp and skip the 3 Tbsp. of water. This less flour cake yields a more softer and lighter sponge cake. If using 1/2 cup flour , bake at 225 degree F for 40 minutes and 300 degree F for 20 minutes.

Baking Times

• 6 inch pan -50 minutes at 225 degree F and 20 minutes at 300 degree F.
• 8 inch pan - 40 minutes at 225 degree F and 20 minutes at 300 degree F.(The cake tends to deflate less in a wider pan. Deflated less compared to the cake in 6 inch pan)
• For double the recipe , in a 9 by 13 inch pan - 50 minutes at 225 degrees F and 20 minutes at 300 degrees F.
• Note on baking times : I have used a conventional oven for baking. That said, different ovens vary in temperature. While baking this sponge cake, the first 50 minutes should help lift the cake, and the last 20 minutes should be such that the risen cake is baked to perfection and does not sink much. With this in mind, change your oven temperature accordingly. When we changed ovens, I had to increase the baking temperature by 25 degree F for the new oven.