Lately, I have dedicated myself to making some birthday cakes, so I decided to share my yeast-free sponge cake recipe. It is one of the basic pastry recipes, essential for classic birthday cakes with cream and whipped cream, but also perfect for recipes like trifle or zuccotto.
Many recipes include yeast, often because the sponge cake does not come out tall enough or loses volume after baking. In reality, the original sponge cake does not include yeast at all, and there are two fundamental secrets to make it tall, fluffy, and without any surprises. Want to find out what they are? Follow the process!
- Difficulty: Easy
- Cost: Very economical
- Preparation time: 15 Minutes
- Portions: 10
- Cooking methods: Oven
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: All seasons
- Energy 147.38 (Kcal)
- Carbohydrates 27.85 (g) of which sugars 16.49 (g)
- Proteins 4.65 (g)
- Fat 2.66 (g) of which saturated 1.19 (g)of which unsaturated 1.44 (g)
- Fibers 0.17 (g)
- Sodium 80.23 (mg)
Indicative values for a portion of 100 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
- 2/3 cup all-purpose flour
- 2/3 cup potato starch
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 5 eggs (room temperature)
- 1 pinch salt
Tools
- Hand Mixer
- Baking Pan
Preparation
To prepare the classic yeast-free sponge cake, start by separating the egg whites from the yolks. In a large bowl, place the egg whites with half of the sugar and beat them to stiff peaks with the mixer for at least 10 minutes.
N.B.: This is the first secret. For a good result, this step is crucial: so air is incorporated, making yeast unnecessary.
In another bowl, pour the yolks with the remaining sugar and beat them with the mixer until you get a cream. At this point, incorporate the whipped egg whites into the yolks. Work at medium and constant speed for 5 minutes, and gradually add the flour and then the potato starch. Work a couple of minutes until you get a frothy mixture.
Take a 9-inch round or 8.5 x 8.5-inch square pan, butter and flour it, then gently pour the mixture into it. Bake in a static oven at 350°F for 40-45 minutes. For a convection oven, set it to 340°F for the same time.
It’s important not to open the oven during baking, otherwise the sponge cake will deflate and there will be no way to make it rise again. Once the time has elapsed, turn off the oven and leave it closed for about fifteen minutes. This way, the sponge cake will not undergo a drastic thermal shock and will not deflate. This is the second secret.
Once the time has elapsed, remove and let cool completely before removing the sponge cake from the pan.
Tips and Storage
With these quantities, you will get a sponge cake for a two-layer cake if sliced thickly, or three layers if sliced slightly thinner.
The sponge cake keeps well covered for up to 3 days.
