Variations on the theme of a cake lifted, partially or wholly, by trapped air in the batter exist in most places where European patisserie has spread, including the French Génoise, the Anglo-Jewish "plava" and the possibly-ancestral Italian/Sephardic Jewish pan di Spagna ("Spanish bread" , from the Ladino pan d'Espanya). Derivatives of the basic sponge cake idea include the American chiffon cake and the Latin American Tres leches cake.
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Variations on the theme of a cake lifted, partially or wholly, by trapped air in the batter exist in most places where European patisserie has spread, including the French Génoise, the Anglo-Jewish "plava" and the possibly-ancestral Italian/Sephardic Jewish pan di Spagna ("Spanish bread" , from the Ladino pan d'Espanya). Derivatives of the basic sponge cake idea include the American chiffon cake and the Latin American Tres leches cake.
Making a sponge cake
A typical sponge cake is made by beating the eggs with sugar until they are light and creamyMary Berry's Ultimate Cake Book 1995 printing., then carefully sieving and folding in the flour (depending on the recipe, the flour may be mixed with a small amount of baking powder, though some recipes use only the air incorporated into the egg mixture, relying on the denaturing of the egg proteins and the thermal expansion of the air to provide leavening). Sometimes, the yolks are beaten with the sugar first while the whites are beaten separately to a meringue-like foam, to be gently folded in later. The mixture is then poured into the chosen cake tin and baked. As can be seen, both methods take great care to incorporate air in the beating, whisking and sieving stages. This makes a very light product, but it is easy to lose the air by removing the cake before it has finished in the oven.
Before the mixture has cooled, after cooking, it is still flexible. This allows the creation of rolled cakes such as the Swiss roll, or the Bûche de Noël. This basic recipe is also used for many treats and puddings, such as madeleines, ladyfingers and trifles, as well as some versions of strawberry shortcake. In addition, the sponge cake technique is used in angel food cake (where only egg whites are used) and some recipes for Belgian waffles (where the egg whites are separated from the yolk and folded into the batter at the end of preparation).
Victoria sponge
The Victoria sponge cake was named after Queen Victoria, who favoured a slice of the sponge cake with her afternoon tea. It is often referred to simply as sponge cake, though it contains additional fat. A traditional Victoria sponge consists of jam and whipped cream sandwiched between two sponge cakes; the top of the cake is not iced or decorated. But there is also a lemon filling option.
A Victoria sponge is made in two main ways. The traditional method involves creaming caster sugar with fat (usually butter, although margarine can also be used), mixing thoroughly with beaten egg, then folding flour and raising agent into the mixture. The modern method, using an electric mixer or food processor, involves simply whisking all the ingredients together until creamy. In the latter case, a little extra raising agent is normally used, and some recipes call for an extra-soft butter or margarine.Fact: date=February 2007 Both are relatively quick and simple, producing consistent results, making this type of mixture one of the most popular for children and people in a hurry. This basic 'cake' mixture has been made into an endless variety of treats and puddings, including fairy cakes, butterfly cakes, chocolate cake, Eve's pudding and many others.
