I spent a quiet Sunday this weekend making four sponge recipes. It was a really nice way to spend an afternoon – I am one of those odd people that finds cooking relaxing.
The first recipe I made was the Edmonds Fielders Classic Sponge on page 71. This recipe is straight forward to assemble. As with any sponge recipe the recipe relies on good technique, keeping as much air in the mixture as possible. I can’t stress enough how important keeping the mixture aerated is. The air is what gives it the light…well, spongy texture 🙂
The finished sponge was beautifully light and even though it had deflated ever so slightly as it cooled it was what I would expect from a sponge. It was the favourite of all the recipes I tried.
The second recipe I tried was the Light-As-Air Sponge on page 72. This recipe was an absolute disaster. It was not spongy as in light and airy it was spongy as in it had the texture of a rubber kitchen sponge. I have tried this recipe before and the end result has been the same every time. This is on my never do again list.
Number three was the Sponge Cake also on page 72. Sponges unlike cakes have a finer crumb so as this has cake in the title I wasn’t expecting that fine crumb and as light a texture. This sponge cake has all the flavour of a sponge but in cake form. It’s a great recipe if you want to make a quick birthday cake or afternoon tea cake. It is definitely worth having up your sleeve.
Sponge recipe number 4 (Page 74) is the lazy persons sponge basically. You literally toss everything into a bowl and beat the living daylights out of it for 3 Minutes. The resulting sponge is kind of a cross between recipe 1 and recipe 3. Once again it’s a great recipe to have up your sleeve as its super quick to make and looks impressive when it’s sandwiched with cream and raspberry jam or whatever your chosen fillings are. This recipe can be made into lemon or orange sponge with the addition of grated rind into the mixture.
So basically, out of the 4 recipes I made, there was only one that resulted in something I would consider a sponge. 2 were close but not really what I look for in a sponge texture wise and the fourth one…well…let’s not talk about that disaster again!
Number one is the definite winner of the sponge cake recipes in the Edmonds for sure. Although (and please don’t growl) I don’t really think any of these recipes hit the mark completely. Here is a recipe that I think you may like. Also here are some tricks I use when making sponges (except when I am following the Edmonds recipes to the letter of course):
- Always make sure your eggs are at room temperature.
- Always sift your flour and/or baking powder twice. A lot of people will say you don’t really need to sift flour these days which is sort of true but when baking cakes or things that need to be nice and light it really does make a difference to the finished product.
- Adding the sugar gradually will help make it nice and voluminous 🙂
- After you grease your tins you should give them a light dusting with flour to make sure they separate from the tin nicely.
- You can tell a sponge is cooked when one, the sponge shrinks away from the sides ever so slightly and two the sponge bounces back when you lightly touch the middle.
- When you turn the sponge out. Turn it out onto a wire rack covered with a tea towel. That will minimise the rack marks on the sponge and prevent it from sticking to it.
Sponges make a perfect addition to any gathering for example birthday parties. There is a real art to sponge making but once you get the technique down pat you will find they are actually very easy to make. Practice, practice, practice 🙂
Until next time. Happy cooking 🙂