I would really love to learn to make sponge cake. I usually make wasc cake and although it is very good it's different than sponge cake (heavier and doughier, I think) Can anyone give me some good advice on sponge cakes and recipes? I REALLY want to learn!!!

...I'm all ears.

...really no sponge cake experts?

I remember making sponge cake for my grandmother.

It shouldn't be too hard to make because I used to make them in my teenage years. I'll search for a recipe.

i use a victoria sponge recipie - 8oz self raising flour, 8 oz butter (r margerine), 8 oz caster sugar, 4 eggs, some vanilla.
the quick method is mixing it all together, in one go, the other way which is a little fluffier is to cream the butter and sugar together, beat the eggs before adding them gradually, and sifting in the flour.
in a 7inch pan it takes about 20 mins to bake at gas 4.
it does pretty well at carving, but i havent attempted anything too fancy!
xx

Here are two recipes that I found,

http://uktv.co.uk/food/recipe/aid/516400

http://www.deliaonline.com/cookery-school/how-to/how-to-make-all-in-one-sponge,13,AR.html

HTH.

Thanks for your responses! I'll have to give some of those recipes a go. Any other success tips would be appreciated. Some of the comments I have read on others making sponge cake say, "the cake didn't raise when they made theirs. Any tips about that problem would also be appreciated. Thanks again!

brincess, what is gas 4?

Gas Mark 4 is 180C or 350F.

well now I'm intrigued...

what separates a sponge cake from a regular cake? is it more moist, or light, or what? also, what is caster sugar?

tia!

i think caster sugar is what you would call superfine sugar?
xx

Sponge cake is pretty popular here in Aus and I must say that our version would never handle carving at all!

Sponge cakes are feather-light in weight, very airy, super soft and delicately moist - they literally melt away to almost nothing when you eat them (yum!!).

The secret to a perfect sponge is all in the method - overmixing will prevent the cake from rising well or, worse still, sink and turn into a chewy mess!

Here's a basic sponge recipe you may like to try, just remember GENTLY does it

1/3 cup (50g) cornflour
1/3 cup (50g) plain flour
1/3 cup (50g) self-raising flour
4 x 60g eggs, at room temperature
2/3 cup (150g) caster sugar

Method
Grease 2 x deep, 20cm round cake tins and line bases with baking paper. Sift flours and 1/4 tsp salt together three times to aerate (this is important!).
Preheat oven to 180C. Using an electric mixer, beat eggs and sugar in a large bowl on medium-high speed for 6 minutes, or until mixture is thick, pale and tripled in volume.
Gradually sift flour mixture over egg mixture while simultaneously folding in with a large metal spoon until just combined. Use a gentle action so as not to lose too much air from the mixture.
Divide mixture between prepared tins. To level batter, gently spin tins on kitchen counter. Bake for 20 minutes, or until cakes have shrunk away from the sides slightly and spring back when gently touched.

HTH, Good luck

I'm English and we refer to a regular cake as a sponge cake. It's like a generic term I think. Fruit cakes are also popular here so it differentiates between the two. We also don't have as many cake mixes available to us so we often make cakes from scratch. A regular cake would be a sponge cake unless it was something particular like pound cake or madeira cake. Hope that makes sense.

i've tried sponge cake recipe twice in the last couple of months. first was an italian cassada, and the second just a typical generic "sponge cake"...the first was a complete monumental disaster, full of tiny little worm holes, yellowey in color, and tasted like egg...gross!!! this second one was a little better, still had a few holes, and while milder in egg flavor than the first, still there....still yuck!!

i'd love some tips! i was as gentle and delicate as i could be i think...must have had my nose turned wrong!

FairyPoppins, I would love to know the "sponge" cake recipe that works best for you. Would you mind sharring?

charmed_one, what is 4 x 60g eggs. Is that like 4 large eggs?
Also, no butter? Just wondering.

I think the difference between our sponges and the European versions is the lack of butter - over here if it has butter in the recipe it isn't a sponge. The butter weighs it down, so to speak
This is what is traditionally used to make lamingtons (cubes of cake dipped in chocolate & rolled in coconut).

mixinvixen, the colour is a very pale yellow and doesn't taste at all like egg. You may be right about holding your nose wrong lol

Yep, a 60g egg is a large egg.

Most of my cakes are sponge cakes. Classical sponge cake is made only from eggs, flour and sugar. No baking powder or self rising flour.

These days, I make sponge cake without recipe. Well - it is 1 egg, 1 tablespoon of water, 1 tablespoon of sugar (not powdered), 1 tablespoon of flour and 1 tablespoon of cornstarch

Multiply as desired for your pan size.

You can substitute flour and corn starch for cake flour, take flour only or take more flour and less cornstarch.

My last sponge cake went this way:

Line a pan with parchment paper only, don't grease.

Start oven to preheat it - it is better when oven waits for this cake then the other way round.

Separate 4 eggs. In a bowl, mix (beat) egg yolk with 3 tablespoons of sugar and 3 tablespoons of water till it changes the color to paler yellow.
Beat egg whites with 1 tablespoon sugar and pinch of salt till stiff peaks.

Add a little from the egg whites to the egg yolk mix, stir. Add 1 tablespoon of flour and 1 tablespoon of starch (or 2 tablespoons of cake flour) and part of the egg whites. Fold. Continue till all the flour and cornstarch and all egg whites are folded in.

Give the batter in the pan, bake.

Troubleshooting:
tiny little worm holes - bang your pan with batter on counter, or take a knife and make an "S" path through the batter. You want to take out all the big air bubbles.

Bake the cake on 320 F, don't peak in the oven till min. 1/2 to 2/3 baking time is over. It deflates the cake. If the cake "sings" - you can hear it - it need more baking time.

Yellowey in color, and tasted like egg - not enough mixing. I suppose that the egg has set on bottom (sometimes in a layer) and you get something like scrambled eggs.

Good luck with your next sponge cake!