sponge cake

A slice of lemon sponge cake

Sponge cake is a cake based on flour (usually wheat flour), sugar, and eggs, sometimes leavened with baking powder,^[1][2] that derives its structure from an egg foam into which the other ingredients are folded. The sponge cake is thought to be one of the first of the non-yeasted cakes, and though it does not appear in Hannah Glasse's The Art of Cookery in the late 18th century, it is found in Lydia Maria Child's The American Frugal Housewife^[3], indicating that sponge cakes had been established at Grenada in the Caribbean, by the early 19th century.

Variations on the theme of a cake lifted, partially or wholly, by trapped air in the batter exist in most places where European patisserie has spread, including the French Génoise, the Portuguese pão-de-ló, the Anglo-Jewish "plava" ^[4] and the possibly-ancestral Italian/Sephardic Jewish pan di Spagna ("Spanish bread" , from the Ladino pan d'Espanya)^[5][6]. Derivatives of the basic sponge cake idea include the American chiffon cake and the Latin American Tres leches cake.^[7]

Making a sponge cake

SPONGE CAKE

Preparation Time : 10 mins. Baking Time : 20 mins.

Makes 1 cake.

Ingredients

½ can (400 grams for full can) condensed milk 
1 ¼ cup plain flour (maida) 
1 level teaspoon baking powder 
½ teaspoon soda bi-carb 
½ cup melted butter or margarine 
1 teaspoon vanilla essence 

Method

1. Sieve the flour, baking powder and soda bi-carb together.

2. Mix the flour mixture, condensed milk, melted butter, essence and 75 ml. water and beat well.

3. Pour the mixture into a greased and dusted 150 mm. (6") diameter tin.

4. Bake in a hot oven at 200°C (400°F) for 10 minutes. Then reduce the temperature to 150°C (300°F) and bake for a further 10 minutes.

5. The cake is ready when it leaves the sides of the tin and is springy to touch. When ready, take out from the oven and leave for 1 minute and unmould.

Tips

Variaton : CHOCOLATE SPONGE CAKE Add 2 tablespoons of cocoa powder at step one and proceed as specified

Victoria sponge

The Victoria sponge cake was named after Queen Victoria, who favoured a slice of the sponge cake with her afternoon tea. It is often referred to simply as sponge cake, though it contains additional fat. A traditional Victoria sponge consists of jam sandwiched between two sponge cakes; the top of the cake is not iced or decorated.

A Victoria sponge is made in two main ways. The traditional method involves creaming caster sugar with fat (usually butter), mixing thoroughly with beaten egg, then folding flour and raising agent into the mixture. The modern method, using an electric mixer or food processor, involves simply whisking all the ingredients together until creamy.^[1][2][8] In the latter case, a little extra raising agent is normally used, and some recipes call for an extra-soft butter or margarine.^{[citation needed]} Both are relatively quick and simple, producing consistent results, making this type of mixture one of the most popular for children and people in a hurry. This basic 'cake' mixture has been made into an endless variety of treats and puddings, including fairy cakes, butterfly cakes, chocolate cake, Eve's pudding and many others.^[1][2][8]

Sponge cakes can also be made suitable for vegan, lacto-ovo intolerant and low cholesterol diets. Most often this is done by using plant based milk instead of dairy (such as rice or soya) and vegetable oil instead of eggs (although many alternatives to eggs are used such as flax seeds, bananas and powdered egg replacers).

Other names for the Victoria Sponge are Victoria Sandwich and, less commonly, Victorian Cake.

Although simple to make, Victoria sponge recipes are notoriously sensitive to cooking times and temperatures. As such, oven manufacturers often use a Victoria sponge recipe to test their ovens.^[9]

Sponge cakes during Passover

Since Sponge cakes are not leavened with yeast, they are popular dessert choices for the Passover feast.^[10] Typically, Passover sponges are made with matzo meal or matzo flour since raw wheat products may not be used.^[11] So popular is the sponge cake at Passover that most families have at least one recipe they pass down through generations which is referred to as the Passover Sponge Cake, and companies such as Manischewitz even make matzo meal-based cake mixes. Typical passover sponge flavorings include almonds, lemon, poppyseeds, apples, and chocolate.

See also

• Castella
• Génoise cake
• Lamington
• Lekach

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Sponge cake

References

1. ^ ^{a b c} Be-Ro flour Home recipes 40th edition
2. ^ ^{a b c} Delia Smith's Book of Cakes Sixth Impression 1981.
3. ^ Child, Lydia Maria, The American Frugal Housewife, 12th ed., Boston: Carter, Hendee &co, 1832 (Project Gutenberg edition)
4. ^ Roden, Claudia, The Book of Jewish Food, New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1996, ISBN 0394532589, p 187-8.
5. ^ The Silver Spoon, US ed., New York: Phaidon Press, 2005, ISBN 0714845310, p. 1013.
6. ^ Roden, 1996, p. 595.
7. ^ King Arthur Flour Co, King Arthur Flour Baker's Companion, Woodstock, VT: Countryman Press, 2003, ISBN 0881505811.
8. ^ ^{a b} Mary Berry's Ultimate Cake Book 1995 printing.
9. ^ Gas Installation Technology By Roy Treloar Published by Blackwell Publishing, 2005 ISBN 1405118806, 9781405118804.
10. ^ FOOD; Healthful Tips for Passover Favorites by Florence Fabricant, New York Times, March 28, 1993. Accessed October 20 2007
11. ^ FOOD; Meeting the Challenge of a Dessert for the Passover Meal by Florence Fabricant, New York Times, April 8, 1990. Accessed October 20 2007