About Sponge Cakes

New Zealand Listener, Volume 30, Issue 775, 28 May 1954, Page 22

About Sponge Cakes

HERE is a never-ending demand for recipes for sponge cake, which has been called New Zealard’s national cake. Although sponges do seem to require a knack, they have the advantage of being quickly made and also quickly baked, thus saving fuel, and also what may be called "cake-sitting," or staying on hand for a lengthy time. Most of our home-makers are adepts at scones and sponges, and make them neatly every day. For my own part, I always found it safer to line the tins with greased paper than to rely on the "sponge turning out cleanly and easily; although all the demonstrators I know can deftly butter the tin, sprinkle with flour, shake off the surplus, and bake the sponge with every confidence that it will turn out neat and whole. Of course, it is well to let the sponge cool slightly before inverting it and shaking it out. Mocha Spice Sandwich Half a cup butter, 3% cup sugar, 2 eggs, 2 tablespoons treacle or golden syrup, % cup milk, 24% cups flour, 242 teaspoons baking powder, 1 teaspoon cinnamon, 1% teaspoon mace, good pinch ground cloves. Cream butter, add sugar, and cream again. Add eggs one by one, beating thoroughly. Add treacle and blend. Add flour alternately with milk -flour sifted with other ingredients. Bake in two greased 8-inch square tins, moderate oven 25 to 30 minutes. When cold spread frosting between layers, and all outside. Sprinkle with chopped nuts. Fluffy Mocha Frosting: One tablespoon butter beaten to a cream. Add 2 cups sifted icing. sugar, 1 tablespoon cocoa, 1% teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon vanilla, about 2 tablespoons strong coffee. Beat until smooth and spreading consistency. Add more coffee if necessary. Totara Sponge This is a beautiful sponge and has never been known to fail. Separate the whites and yolks of 4 eggs (3 will do). Beat yolks 5 minutes with 1 teacup sugat; beat whites to stiff froth and add to yolks and sugar and beat all for 20 minutes. Sift in 1 level breakfast cup flour with 1 teaspoon cream of tartar and 14 teaspoon baking soda and fold into mixture; add grated rind of 1 orange. Boil 4 tablespoons orange juice with 1 good tablespoon butter. Pour this over mixtute (it must be boiling) and fold in carefully. Mixture will be fairly thin. Bake in a moderate oven 20 to 25 minutes. A large meat dish is the best fot this as it makes a large cake. Ice to suit taste. One Egg Sponge Four ounces sugar, 1 egg, 1 tablespoon melted butter, 1 teaspoon baking soda in 1% cup milk, 5 oz. flour, 1 teaspoon cream of tartar, pinch of salt, vanilla to taste. Beat sugat atid egg well together with egg-beater, add soda dissolved in milk, flour and cream. of tartar sifted together, salt and flevouring, and stir all together, and lastly add the melted butter. Put together with the following filling: Two tablespoons sugar, 2 tablespoons butter, 2 tablespoons boiling water, beaten to a cream. Sponge 5-4-3-2-1 Five tablespoons sugar, 4 tablespoons flour, 3 eggs, 2 tablespoons boiling

water, 1 teaspoon baking powder. Beat eggs, add sugar and beat till very frothy. Add sifted flour, then 2 latge table-

spoons boiling water. Baking powder lastly. Cook in sandwich tins. Wee Wyn’s Sponge Beat 3 egg whites till very stiff, add 3 ege yolks, and beat. Then add 6 oz. sugar and beat till sugar is dissolved. Sift 1 level cup flour, 2 level teaspoons baking powder, and a pinch of salt. Fold in flour, and add 1 tablespoon butter in 3 tablespoons boilitig water. Bake about 17 minutes. Fill with mock cream, or whipped cream and raspberry jam. Two Minute Sponge Put into a basin 3 slightly beaten eggs, 344 cup sugar, 1 tablespoon melted and cooled butter, 2 tablespoons miilk. Mix slightly. Then sift in 1 cup flour, 1 teaspoon baking powder, and a pinch salt. Beat now for 2 full minutes, and bake in two sandwich tins for 15 to 20 minutes. Put together with filling. Duck Egg Sponge Three duck eggs, % ctp sugar, 1 breakfast cup flour, 1 teaspoon cream of tartar, 2 teaspoon baking soda, 1 sinall tablespoon butter, 2 tablespoons milk, pinch salt. Beat eggs and sugar till stiff. Sift flour and cream of tartar and fold in lightly. Bring butter and milk to boiling point, add baking soda and beat, then fold into sponge mixture very lightly. Bake 20 to 25 minutes in modetate oven. Chocolate Roll Three eggs, 1 teacup flour, 2 tablespoons warm water, stall teacup castor sugar, a bare 4 teaspoon baking powder, 3 teaspoons cocoa. Line swiss roll tin with greased papert. Beat yolks and sugar in a basin, ovér pan of warm water, till thick and crearny. Add water. Stir in sifted flour, baking powder, and cocoa-stir in lightly. Then fold in stiffly beaten whites. Pour into prepared tin. Bake in sponge oven about 375 degrees, 12 to 15 minutes. Turn on to sugared paper, roll up, hold a minute. Unroll, spread with warm raspberry orf apricot jam, then roll up again. Cinnamon Sponge Three eggs, % cup sugar, % cup flour, 1 teas cinnamon, 1 teaspoon baking powder, pinch salt, 1 tablespoon butter dissolved in 2 tablespooris boiling water. Beat eggs well; then beat in sugar until thick and creaty. Add dry ingredients folding in gently. Add hot water and melted butter last. Put oven on to 375 degtees, top switched off, bottom switched on to low atid bake about 20 minutes. A mixture of cinnamon and castor sugar may be sprinkled on the top of the cake before it is cooked. It will not need icing. ‘Orange Sponge Beat 3 eggs with nearly a breakfast cup of sugar for 10 minutes. All the beating need not be done at once. Add juice and grated rind of an orange and beat again. Then add 1 heaped breakfast cup flour, 1 teaspoon baking powder and pinch of salt. Bake in greased tin in fairly hot oven (400 degrees) about 30 minutes.