Traditional Sponge Cake
Prep Time:
20 mins.
Cook Time:
40 mins.
Yield:
1 (9-inch) aluminum springform or 2 (9-inch) cake pans
Sponge cakes are beloved for their simplicity and versatility and surely belong in every home baker’s cake-baking skill set. Because their main (or in our recipe’s case, the only) leavening agent is frothy whisked eggs, they’re sturdy and easy to shape and mold. True to their name, they’re great for soaking up syrups, flavors and fillings.
Ingredients
- 6 large eggs, room temperature
- 3/4 cup sugar
- Pinch of salt
- 1 1/2 cup + 2 tablespoons sifted Swans Down® Cake Flour
Directions
- Preheat oven to 350℉. Line a 9-inch aluminum springform pan or 2 (9-inch) cake pans with parchment paper. Do not grease pan(s).
- Whisk eggs, sugar and salt together in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with whisk attachment. Whisk until batter triples in volume and reaches ribbon stage. (When ribbons of batter are drizzled over bowl, they should sit on top for at least 5 seconds before sinking into batter.)
- Release bowl from mixer. Sift flour into batter in 3 stages, gently folding together with rubber spatula or balloon whisk after each addition. Pour batter into prepared pan and bake for 35 to 40 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.
- Remove from oven and let cool in pan for 10 minutes. Run knife around edges and invert cake onto wire rack to cool completely.
KITCHEN TIPS
- To give the egg a surface to adhere to and maximize volume of cake as it rises, do not grease pan(s).
- Eggs should be well whipped, since they are the only source of leavening.
- Fold the flour into the batter very gently, to keep as much air in the batter as possible.
- True to its name, sponge cake takes well to being soaked in syrup!
- The recipe calls for an aluminum pan because dark pans absorb heat too quickly, which would make the outside of the cake bake too quickly and become dry. Cake strips can be used to prevent this.
