Basic Sponge Cake Recipe

I use this sponge pretty much all the time. Very close to the kind of cake used in Chinese bakeries, and it's a good base for Birthday/Special Occasion Cakes, having a soft and light texture yet not too crumby for decorating. This type of cake is Low Fat, and not too sweet, suitable for people with special dietry requirements.

Will post recipe now, and pictures will come soon.

Basic Sponge Cake

Makes a 22cm Cake

4 Egg Yolks, room temp

60g Caster Sugar

50ml  Melted Butter

100ml Milk

1tsp Vanilla Extract

120g Cake Flour

1tsp Baking Powder

1/2tsp Salt

4 Egg Whites, room temp

100g Caster Sugar

1/2tsp Cream of Tartar

1. Preheat Oven to 180 Celcius. Line bottom of 22cm Spring form Cake pan with baking paper.

2. Seperate Eggs, placing Whites in a clean, dry bowl for later use. Whisk Yolks in a bowl with Caster Sugar until pale and creamy. Add Melted Butter, Milk, Vanilla Extract and blend. Sift in Flour, Baking Powder and Salt and mix until well incorporated, a smooth batter.

3. Make sure Beaters/Whisk is dry before whisking Egg Whites- hand whisk is not recommended unless you are prepared to have a sore arm. Add Cream of Tartar ( Helps whites reach Max Volume), Whisk until white and foamy, and Soft Peaks can be formed. Add Sugar gradually in by tablespoons while whisking until Stiff Peaks are formed.

4. With a Rubber Spatula, add 1/3 of Egg White mixture to cake batter, folding up and over gently. Repeat with the rest, mixing until just incorporated and no lumps are visible. It is crucial not to mix too much or too vigourously as the air previously incorporated will collapse out of the batter, and you will get a dense sponge.

5. Immediately pour into Cake Pan, shake and bang gently a few times to break big bubbles and level batter. Bake for roughly 35 Minutes on the middle rack of your oven, check it is cooked with a skewer which should go through cleanly if cake is cooked.

After taking it out, Invert/ Turn Upside Down on a wire rack- This will prevent cake from shrinking and air collapsing out of it. Leave to Cool Completely (about an hour) before using or serving.