Sponge Cake

If you want to eat something with the texture of a sponge but much better flavor, then this is the cake for you. It is rather easy to make and doesn't involve any non-standard baking ingredients. Your sponge can even have any flavor you want as long as you have the extract for the flavor desired.

I have never made a sponge cake before this baking venture. The cake seems like a more dense version of an angel food cake. I used vanilla extract for my sponge cake even though the recipe calls for orange extract. I think I would have liked it better if I added lemon juice instead. I'm not really sure what people do with sponge cake. Do they frost them? Do they pour fruit and juice over a slice? If you know, please tell me!

Sponge Cake (Printer-friendly PDF Version)

4 eggs, separated

3 T cold water

1/2 t salt

1/2 t cream of tartar

1 1/2 C granulated sugar

1 3/4 C sifted flour

1/2 t baking powder

1/2 C boiling water

1 t orange extract

In a mixing bowl, beat together the egg yolks and cold water for 10 minutes. I used a medium speed. The egg yolks will be nice and fluffy (the soft peak stage) after 10 minutes.

If you have another mixer, beat togeter the egg whites, salt, and cream of tartar until stiff. If you don't have multiple mixers, just prepare the ingredients for later.

In yet another bowl, stir together the sugar, flour, and baking powder.

Once the egg yolks have beat for 10 minutes, alternate adding the dry ingredients and the boiling water. I made three additions of dry ingredients and two addtions of water. Stir between each addition until well blended.

(At this point, clean the beaters and beat the egg whites until they are stiff if you only have one mixer. Yes, I know, not everyone has a stand mixer and a hand mixer.)

Fold the stiff egg whites into the egg yolk batter until just blended. The batter will be nice and fluffy.

Pour this nice and fluffy batter into an ungreased angel food cake tube pan.

Bake at 350 degrees for one hour. Check at 50 minutes to see if it is done. My cake only took 52 minutes to bake.

Note: I'm not sure if this kind of cake requires it, but I cooled the cake (in the pan) upside down on top of a narrow neck bottle. This is what you do for angel food cake so it doesn't fall. It can't hurt to do this for the sponge cake, too!

Enjoy!