Sponge Cake with Raspberry Jam and Fresh Cream
This sponge cake is moist, airy and easy to make. The recipe calls for only seven simple ingredients and the most challenging step is beating the eggs to the right consistency. Yet, the result is heavenly.
Many recipes for sponge cake include butter; this one does not and I did not miss it. Butter in the batter combined with the whipped cream filling would have been too rich, I think. This is the first time I have made a sponge cake.
While researching the baking method, I learned that it's important to have the eggs at room temperature. One useful tip I found for this is to take the eggs out of the refrigerator three hours before making the recipe. I also improvised with the whipped cream a bit, later finding out I had unknowingly made chantilly cream. While this sounds fancy, it is also simple - just the addition of a little sugar (only about a tablespoon) and vanilla to the whipping cream as it is beating. This is a modification I would repeat as it added a mild, pleasing dimension to the filling. There is one modification I made which I would not repeat. I made too much whipped cream - 1 cup. While this seemed like a good idea at the time, when I assembled the cake (as the picture above attests) the abundance of the cream threatened to overwhelm.
Again, I found simplicity matters even in this aspect. Oh, and I did add an eighth ingredient - fresh raspberries. They were in season and I simply could not resist!
Sponge Cake with Raspberry Jam and Fresh Cream
Ingredients:
3 eggs
1/4 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup flour
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
3-4 tablespoons raspberry jam
2/3 cup heavy cream, whipped
confectioners' sugar, to dust
Raspberry jam and whipped cream goodness
Method:
Grease two 6-inch pans and dust with a mixture of flour and granulated sugar. Put the eggs and sugar in a large ovenproof bowl. Set this over a pan of hot water and whisk until light and creamy. The mixture should be stiff enough to retain the impression of the whisk for a few seconds. This will take about 5-8 minutes. Remove from the heat and whisk until cool.
Sift the flour and baking powder together and very lightly fold into the whisked mixture, one third at a time. Divide this between the two 6-inch pans and bake near the top of the oven for 20 minutes. Leave in the pans until cool.
Sandwich the cakes together with the jam and cream and dust with lifted confectioners' sugar. For speed and convenience the eggs and sugar can be beaten in an electric mixer until thick and creamy.
For an 8-inch cake use two 8-inch pans, 4 eggs, and cook for an extra 15 minutes.
Preparation time: 15 minutes | Cooking time: 20 minutes | Oven temp: 350º F
Source: Irish Food & Folklore by Clare Connery, published by Laurel Glen Publishing, September 15, 1997