Soft and tall Sponge Cake. It is part of the classic recipes of Italian cuisine: it is the most used base in pastry and thanks to its soft and light consistency, it serves particularly as a base for layered cakes, but can also be used in other more complex preparations, such as elaborate birthday cakes, special desserts, and so on.
The recipe itself is very simple and requires few ingredients: in this version, we will use potato starch, which will help make everything softer and more supported during baking.
It only requires the use of a bowl and electric whisks, or a stand mixer.
In fact, the secret is to work the eggs with sugar for at least 15/20 minutes to obtain a light and very frothy mixture.
Another fundamental step is that the flour must be sifted and incorporated very gently with a spatula with gentle movements from bottom to top, being very careful not to deflate the mixture.
Dairy-free: perfect to enjoy with powdered sugar or a simple jam filling.
Versatile to use as a base for the elaboration of more complex cakes, perhaps for a birthday.
Here’s an idea for you cream-and-strawberry-cake.
Once completely cooled, it can be cut and filled for stuffed cakes or spoon desserts.
- Difficulty: Very easy
- Cost: Cheap
- Preparation time: 15 Minutes
- Portions: 10/12
- Cooking methods: Oven
- Cuisine: Italian
- Energy 160.95 (Kcal)
- Carbohydrates 32.92 (g) of which sugars 19.56 (g)
- Proteins 4.38 (g)
- Fat 2.17 (g) of which saturated 0.95 (g)of which unsaturated 1.15 (g)
- Fibers 0.26 (g)
- Sodium 343.48 (mg)
Indicative values for a portion of 50 g processed in an automated way starting from the nutritional information available on the CREA* and FoodData Central** databases. It is not food and / or nutritional advice.
* CREATES Food and Nutrition Research Center: https://www.crea.gov.it/alimenti-e-nutrizione https://www.alimentinutrizione.it ** U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. https://fdc.nal.usda.gov
Ingredients for the Sponge Cake
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup potato starch
- 4 eggs
- 1 pinch salt
- Half teaspoon baking powder (1 pinch)
Tools
- Mold
- Stand Mixer
- Kitchen Scales
- Parchment Paper
- Spatula
- Sifter
Preparation of the Sponge Cake
First, prepare the 9.5-inch springform pan by putting parchment paper on the bottom while the sides should be buttered and dusted with a thin layer of flour. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Static mode.
Put the 4 whole eggs in the bowl (the eggs must be at room temperature).
Add the sugar and a pinch of salt (vanilla flavoring is optional).
Turn on the whisks and whip the mixture.
The mixture should be fluffy and light.
(To achieve this result, the whisks should whip for 10/15 minutes.)
Gently add the sifted flour, potato starch, and a pinch of baking powder.
Mix with a spatula from the bottom up.
Pour the obtained batter into the buttered and floured mold.
Bake in a static preheated oven at 350°F for about 40 minutes (or in a ventilated oven, at 320°F for about 30-35 minutes), until the surface of the sponge cake is golden (if it tends to darken too much, cover the cake pan with parchment paper and a sheet of aluminum on top).
(Always do the toothpick test, avoiding pulling the cake completely out of the oven)
Wait for it to cool before removing it from the base.
Once cooled, we can proceed with the filling of your choice.
Enjoy your meal.
Tips for Sponge Cake of Various Diameters
For a 8-inch sponge cake (150g sugar, 100g all-purpose flour, 50g potato starch, 3 eggs)
For a 10-inch ………. (200g sugar, 130g flour, 65g potato starch, 4 eggs).
Unmold, let cool for 15 minutes in the pan. Detach the cake sides with a knife, open the pan, and let cool on a cake rack.
You can store the Sponge Cake for 2/3 days at room temperature wrapped in plastic wrap. You can also freeze it for 1 month.
Lemon zest further perfumes the sponge cake, especially for fruit cakes or sponge cake desserts with custard.
If you use a chocolate filling, I recommend flavoring your Sponge Cake only with vanilla, or consider using orange zest instead of lemon.
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Do I absolutely have to add the baking powder?
You can definitely skip it but I feel more secure using it.
Can I use rice flour?
Yes, if needed, I have the recipe on the blog.
