Sponge cake
From Free net encyclopedia
Sponge cake is a type of soft cake based on wheat flour, sugar, baking soda and eggs. The only fat present is from the egg yolk, which is added separately to the white. It is often used as a base for other types of cakes and desserts.
A basic sponge cake is made by beating the egg yolks with caster sugar until they are light and creamy, then carefully sieving and folding the flour and raising agent (which may be included in the flour) into the mix. Finally, the egg whites are whisked in a separate bowl until stiff, and carefully folded into the yolk mixture. The combined mixture is poured into the chosen cake tin and baked. As can be seen, this method takes great care to incorporate air in the beating, whisking and sieving stages. This makes a very light product, but is easy to lose the air by banging the mixture before it is cooked, or removing the cake before it has finished in the oven.
Before the mixture has cooled, after cooking, it is still bendy and flexible. This allows the creation of such puddings as swiss roll.
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, although it contains additional fat. A traditional Victoria sponge consists of jam and whipped cream sandwiched between two sponge cakes ; traditionally the top of the cake was not iced or decorated in any way.
A Victoria sponge is made in two main ways. The traditional method involves creaming caster sugar with fat (usually butter), mixing thoroughly with beaten egg, then folding flour and raising agent into the mixture. The modern method, using an electric whisk or food processor, involves simply whisking all the ingredients together until creamy. 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.
Although simple to make, Victoria sponges recipes are notoriously sensitive to cooking times and temperatures. Because of this oven manufacturers often use a Victoria sponge recipe to test their ovens.
Other names for the Victoria Sponge are Victoria Sandwich and, less commonly, Victorian Cake.