Tips on making the perfect sponge cake
March 11th, 2015
Cake baking is a vital part of British and Irish cuisine. We are ardent bakers, who are most interested in baking the lightest of cakes. The sign of a good baker is mostly his creation of a light and airy sponge cake.
This has resulted in many myths surrounding the baking of a sponge cake. As such, many are deterred by the prospect of making a good sponge cake. But here are a few simple tips to make the perfect sponge cake:
- Groundwork:
Before you start out with mixing ingredients, it is wise to measure and keep ingredients ready so that you don’t waste too much time at the procedure for mixing. You can prevent over mixing the cake by working quickly. Also, if you waste too much time in weighing ingredients after starting to cook, the cake batter will start losing air.
- Preparing Cake Tins:
You need to grease tins and line the bottom with parchment paper. Doing this in advance makes it simple to fill in the cake mix. Less time spent in the kitchen for steps like preparing tins will result in a lighter cake.
- Preparing Oven:
Always pre-heat the oven for saving time. Additionally, arrange the shelves in advance since most sponge cakes do well to be baked in the middle shelf. This is not necessary if you have an ultra modern fan oven, which enables you to cook the cakes, keeping them anywhere.
- Temperature:
It is vital to keep all ingredients at room temperature. For instance, cold eggs may not whip easily and will not contain as much air as a slightly warm one.
- Sifting Flour:
Sift flour at least three times to remove lumps and aerate it. This enables you to create a light sponge cake. Always do sifting of flour into the cake mix or add baking powder and sifting thereafter. Air is added to the mix by sifting and makes it light.
- Beating The Mixture:
When you start beating the mix, utilize electric beaters at high speed to make air pockets. Now to keep it airy and light, downgrade speed to medium and beat for 5 minutes or till the beaters leave a ribbon trail when you lift them. Avoid beating for too long as it will result in making the mix thin and also lose its airiness.
- Adding Dry Ingredients:
During the process of adding dry ingredients, make use of a large metal spoon to slowly add the mixture till well combined. Avoid using a wooden spoon: it is heavy and thick and can cause the mixture to squander air.
- The Butter:
Ingredients of cake must be at temperature, but butter or the baking spread you use must be slightly warm (not hot). Butter must be soft but able to hold together. If butter is too soft, it will become oily and the cake, dense and heavy. If butter is cold, it will take a long time to mix in with eggs or sugar and result in over mixing and a heavy cake.
These are some tips for making a perfect, light and airy sponge cake. Above all, enjoy the baking process and get cakes delivered to the doorstep of your loved ones far away from you. Nothing could make for a better way to say you care!