*  Exported from  MasterCook  *

                             Best Ever Sponge

Recipe By     :
Serving Size  : 1    Preparation Time :0:00
Categories    : Cakes                            Low-Fat

  Amount  Measure       Ingredient -- Preparation Method
--------  ------------  --------------------------------
                        Two Egg Sponge:
   2                    Eggs
     1/3  c             Caster sugar
   2      tb            Corn flour
   2      tb            Plain flour
   2      tb            Self-raising flour
                        Three Egg Sponge:
   3                    Eggs
     1/2  c             Caster sugar
     1/4  c             Corn flour
     1/4  c             Plain flour
     1/4  c             Self-raising flour
                        Four Egg Sponge:
   4                    Eggs
     2/3  c             Caster sugar
     1/3  c             Corn flour
     1/3  c             Plain flour
     1/3  c             Self-raising flour

This is a favorite never-fail sponge recipe: it does not contain
liquid or butter, which makes it ideal for Swiss rolls. It is simple
to adapt to many flavors and will work as a cake or a roll.

Have eggs at room temperature. Beat whole eggs in small bowl with
electric mixer until thick and creamy (the small bowl is necessary to
give maximum volume to eggs); beating time on a moderately high speed
should be about 7 minutes. Add sugar, about 1 tb at a time, beating
after each addition until sugar is dissolved.

While eggs and sugar are beating, prepare pans by greasing evenly
(see lift of pan sizes below); and sift dry ingredients together
3 times, to aerate and mix the flours.

When sugar is dissolved, transfer mixture to larger basin; this makes
it easier to fold the ingredients through the egg mixture (it is not
necessary to transfer the 2 egg mixture to a larger basin). Sift the
flours over the egg mixture, use a spatula to lightly fold the flours
through; heavy handling at this stage will give a flat, tough sponge.

Spread mixture evenly into pan, bake in moderate oven for cooking
time specified below. When cooked, sponge will have shrunk very
slightly from side of pan and top of sponge will feel springy when
touched gently with fingertips. Turn sponge immediately onto wire
rack to cool, then reverse sponge so that wire rack does not mark the
top.

Cake Pans and Cooking Times:

Two Egg Sponge:

Deep 20 cm round cake pan or recess pan about 20 minutes. A deep pan
is preferable rather than a sandwich pan as the sponge will be less
crusty on top because the high sides protect the top during cooking.

Three Egg Sponge:

Two deep 17 cm cake or sandwich pans about 15 minutes, or 25x30 cm
Swiss roll pan about 12 minutes.

Four Egg Sponge:

Two deep 20 cm round cake pans about 20 minutes, or deep 23 cm round
cake pan about 40 minutes.

Variations:

Citrus:

Beat in 2 ts of your favorite grated citrus rind with the sugar. Try
lemon, mandarin, lime, orange, or grapefruit.

Nut:

Fold in 1/4 cup of any type of ground nuts with the flours.

Chocolate:

Fold in 60 g grated dark chocolate with the flours.

Fill and ice sponges as desired.

Keeping time: 2 days


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