Because I’ve been reading the overnight discussion. I had difficulties with finding a good sponge cake recipe for years and despite having a Kenwood Major. Then I found this recipe, which is easy and apparently foolproof. I’ve also written on my recipe card “this mix is quite a lot, use large tins, or three small tins”.

BASIC SPONGE CAKE

4×60g eggs at room temperature
2/3 cup caster sugar (I always reduce the sugar in cakes, I’d use 1/2 cup)
1/3 cup plain flour
1/3 cup SR flour
1/3 cup corn flour
1/4 tsp salt

Prepare sponge tins
Preheat oven to 180C
Beat eggs and sugar until mixture is thick, pale and tripled in volume
Gradually sift in the flours and fold in with a large metal spoon. Divide mixture into the tins
Bake for 20 minutes or until the cakes have shrunk slightly away from the sides and spring back when gently touched.
Turn out onto baking paper lined wire racks and cool

Thanks buffy. I will play around with that ‘perfect sponge cake’ recipe again today using SR flour, then switch to another if it’s still not working.

As it turns out, assembling the trifle using the dud sponge cake from last night, I have discovered that my recipe instead made ‘perfect those long Italian biscuits they use to make tiramasu’, complete with that stale flavour :)

buffy said:

Because I’ve been reading the overnight discussion. I had difficulties with finding a good sponge cake recipe for years and despite having a Kenwood Major. Then I found this recipe, which is easy and apparently foolproof. I’ve also written on my recipe card “this mix is quite a lot, use large tins, or three small tins”.

BASIC SPONGE CAKE

4×60g eggs at room temperature
2/3 cup caster sugar (I always reduce the sugar in cakes, I’d use 1/2 cup)
1/3 cup plain flour
1/3 cup SR flour
1/3 cup corn flour
1/4 tsp salt

Prepare sponge tins
Preheat oven to 180C
Beat eggs and sugar until mixture is thick, pale and tripled in volume
Gradually sift in the flours and fold in with a large metal spoon. Divide mixture into the tins
Bake for 20 minutes or until the cakes have shrunk slightly away from the sides and spring back when gently touched.
Turn out onto baking paper lined wire racks and cool

No butter. I’m surprised.

But mrs m confirms, no butter.

Speedy said:

Thanks buffy. I will play around with that ‘perfect sponge cake’ recipe again today using SR flour, then switch to another if it’s still not working.

As it turns out, assembling the trifle using the dud sponge cake from last night, I have discovered that my recipe instead made ‘perfect those long Italian biscuits they use to make tiramasu’, complete with that stale flavour :)

you can make self rising flour by combining 1 cup of plain flour and 2 teaspoons of baking powder in a glass bowl and mix together.
corn flour adds the cake’s spongy elasticity that creates its special crumb

the stale flavour might indicate that purchasing fresh flour may put you right.

Ogmog said:

Speedy said:

Thanks buffy. I will play around with that ‘perfect sponge cake’ recipe again today using SR flour, then switch to another if it’s still not working.

As it turns out, assembling the trifle using the dud sponge cake from last night, I have discovered that my recipe instead made ‘perfect those long Italian biscuits they use to make tiramasu’, complete with that stale flavour :)

you can make self rising flour by combining 1 cup of plain flour and 2 teaspoons of baking powder in a glass bowl and mix together.
corn flour adds the cake’s spongy elasticity that creates its special crumb

the stale flavour might indicate that purchasing fresh flour may put you right.

Thanks Ogmog.

We go through plenty of plain flour here, so I am almost certain that it isn’t the flour that is stale. The baking powder that I had in the cupboard for many years got thrown out a couple of years ago, so I won’t bother stocking that again, as we also always have SR flour (though that may not be as fresh as the plain). It’s good to know what the corn flour actually does.

I finally made the chocolate version of the original ‘perfect sponge cake’ recipe using SR flour instead of plain, and although it was better it still wasn’t great. This was fixed somewhat by adding whipped thickened cream with even more cacao after it cooled, but I will not be using that recipe again.

Next attempt will be buffy’s recipe, I think.

Speedy said:

I finally made the chocolate version of the original ‘perfect sponge cake’ recipe using SR flour instead of plain, and although it was better it still wasn’t great. This was fixed somewhat by adding whipped thickened cream with even more cacao after it cooled, but I will not be using that recipe again.

Next attempt will be buffy’s recipe, I think.

:) I hope it is as good for you as I have found it. I have passed it on to several people since I found it some years ago and decided to just try it (when my chooks were all in lay and I had eggs to spare!)

Speedy said:

Ogmog said:

Speedy said:

Thanks buffy. I will play around with that ‘perfect sponge cake’ recipe again today using SR flour, then switch to another if it’s still not working.

As it turns out, assembling the trifle using the dud sponge cake from last night, I have discovered that my recipe instead made ‘perfect those long Italian biscuits they use to make tiramasu’, complete with that stale flavour :)

you can make self rising flour by combining 1 cup of plain flour and 2 teaspoons of baking powder in a glass bowl and mix together.
corn flour adds the cake’s spongy elasticity that creates its special crumb

the stale flavour might indicate that purchasing fresh flour may put you right.

Thanks Ogmog.

We go through plenty of plain flour here, so I am almost certain that it isn’t the flour that is stale. The baking powder that I had in the cupboard for many years got thrown out a couple of years ago, so I won’t bother stocking that again, as we also always have SR flour (though that may not be as fresh as the plain). It’s good to know what the corn flour actually does.

I find it simpler to use and vary basic ingredients to both pare down the pantry & to yield a fresher product, Modifying basic flour that gets used for so many recipes gets purchased frequently enough to always be in peek condition, then adding baking soda, which is inexpensive yet also can be used in so many quick bread, muffin and biscuit recipes that it’s worth keeping on hand. or lighten the same flour with the addition of a bit of corn flour/corn starch which also keeps forever, and can be used as a thickener or even a pie filling(or even baby powder)

Likewise, regular cane sugar can be pressed into service for anything from superfine caster sugar or confectioner’s sugar with the use of a food processor or blender, to light or dark brown sugar with the addition of a spoonful of molasses which would otherwise go rock hard in the pantry.

Ogmog said:

Speedy said:

Ogmog said:

you can make self rising flour by combining 1 cup of plain flour and 2 teaspoons of baking powder in a glass bowl and mix together.
corn flour adds the cake’s spongy elasticity that creates its special crumb

the stale flavour might indicate that purchasing fresh flour may put you right.

Thanks Ogmog.

We go through plenty of plain flour here, so I am almost certain that it isn’t the flour that is stale. The baking powder that I had in the cupboard for many years got thrown out a couple of years ago, so I won’t bother stocking that again, as we also always have SR flour (though that may not be as fresh as the plain). It’s good to know what the corn flour actually does.

I find it simpler to use and vary basic ingredients to both pare down the pantry & to yield a fresher product, Modifying basic flour that gets used for so many recipes gets purchased frequently enough to always be in peek condition, then adding baking soda, which is inexpensive yet also can be used in so many quick bread, muffin and biscuit recipes that it’s worth keeping on hand. or lighten the same flour with the addition of a bit of corn flour/corn starch which also keeps forever, and can be used as a thickener or even a pie filling(or even baby powder)

Likewise, regular cane sugar can be pressed into service for anything from superfine caster sugar or confectioner’s sugar with the use of a food processor or blender, to light or dark brown sugar with the addition of a spoonful of molasses which would otherwise go rock hard in the pantry.

Excellent advice!

Perhaps it is best to ditch the SR flour, and to instead stock the baking powder as of all the flours, SR we use the least. Corn flour is a pantry staple here, as is normal white sugar, caster, pure icing, soft icing, light and dark brown. The caster and brown sugars are used often, so I will continue to stock them. It would be great to ditch the white sugar entirely (it’s only there for visiting tea and coffee drinkers) and to instead use caster. Would our visitors notice the swaparoo? I presume I could also make icing sugar using caster sugar. Would this set hard or soft?

Ogmog said:

Speedy said:

Ogmog said:

you can make self rising flour by combining 1 cup of plain flour and 2 teaspoons of baking powder in a glass bowl and mix together.
corn flour adds the cake’s spongy elasticity that creates its special crumb

the stale flavour might indicate that purchasing fresh flour may put you right.

Thanks Ogmog.

We go through plenty of plain flour here, so I am almost certain that it isn’t the flour that is stale. The baking powder that I had in the cupboard for many years got thrown out a couple of years ago, so I won’t bother stocking that again, as we also always have SR flour (though that may not be as fresh as the plain). It’s good to know what the corn flour actually does.

I find it simpler to use and vary basic ingredients to both pare down the pantry & to yield a fresher product, Modifying basic flour that gets used for so many recipes gets purchased frequently enough to always be in peek condition…

I see.

Speedy said:

Ogmog said:

Speedy said:

Thanks Ogmog.

We go through plenty of plain flour here, so I am almost certain that it isn’t the flour that is stale. The baking powder that I had in the cupboard for many years got thrown out a couple of years ago, so I won’t bother stocking that again, as we also always have SR flour (though that may not be as fresh as the plain). It’s good to know what the corn flour actually does.

I find it simpler to use and vary basic ingredients to both pare down the pantry & to yield a fresher product, Modifying basic flour that gets used for so many recipes gets purchased frequently enough to always be in peek condition, then adding baking soda, which is inexpensive yet also can be used in so many quick bread, muffin and biscuit recipes that it’s worth keeping on hand. or lighten the same flour with the addition of a bit of corn flour/corn starch which also keeps forever, and can be used as a thickener or even a pie filling(or even baby powder)

Likewise, regular cane sugar can be pressed into service for anything from superfine caster sugar or confectioner’s sugar with the use of a food processor or blender, to light or dark brown sugar with the addition of a spoonful of molasses which would otherwise go rock hard in the pantry.

Excellent advice!

Perhaps it is best to ditch the SR flour, and to instead stock the baking powder as of all the flours, SR we use the least. Corn flour is a pantry staple here, as is normal white sugar, caster, pure icing, soft icing, light and dark brown. The caster and brown sugars are used often, so I will continue to stock them. It would be great to ditch the white sugar entirely (it’s only there for visiting tea and coffee drinkers) and to instead use caster. Would our visitors notice the swaparoo? I presume I could also make icing sugar using caster sugar. Would this set hard or soft?

Caster sugar is just white sugar cut finer. My mother used to put some in the blender with a bit of dry vanilla bean and blend it to fine. Vanilla sugar.

buffy said:

Speedy said:

Ogmog said:

I find it simpler to use and vary basic ingredients to both pare down the pantry & to yield a fresher product, Modifying basic flour that gets used for so many recipes gets purchased frequently enough to always be in peek condition, then adding baking soda, which is inexpensive yet also can be used in so many quick bread, muffin and biscuit recipes that it’s worth keeping on hand. or lighten the same flour with the addition of a bit of corn flour/corn starch which also keeps forever, and can be used as a thickener or even a pie filling(or even baby powder)

Likewise, regular cane sugar can be pressed into service for anything from superfine caster sugar or confectioner’s sugar with the use of a food processor or blender, to light or dark brown sugar with the addition of a spoonful of molasses which would otherwise go rock hard in the pantry.

Excellent advice!

Perhaps it is best to ditch the SR flour, and to instead stock the baking powder as of all the flours, SR we use the least. Corn flour is a pantry staple here, as is normal white sugar, caster, pure icing, soft icing, light and dark brown. The caster and brown sugars are used often, so I will continue to stock them. It would be great to ditch the white sugar entirely (it’s only there for visiting tea and coffee drinkers) and to instead use caster. Would our visitors notice the swaparoo? I presume I could also make icing sugar using caster sugar. Would this set hard or soft?

Caster sugar is just white sugar cut finer. My mother used to put some in the blender with a bit of dry vanilla bean and blend it to fine. Vanilla sugar.

I’m not quite sure what pure icing sugar is, but I suspect it’s just even finer. Icing mixture is cornflour and icing sugar if I remember correctly.

buffy said:

buffy said:

Speedy said:

Excellent advice!

Perhaps it is best to ditch the SR flour, and to instead stock the baking powder as of all the flours, SR we use the least. Corn flour is a pantry staple here, as is normal white sugar, caster, pure icing, soft icing, light and dark brown. The caster and brown sugars are used often, so I will continue to stock them. It would be great to ditch the white sugar entirely (it’s only there for visiting tea and coffee drinkers) and to instead use caster. Would our visitors notice the swaparoo? I presume I could also make icing sugar using caster sugar. Would this set hard or soft?

Caster sugar is just white sugar cut finer. My mother used to put some in the blender with a bit of dry vanilla bean and blend it to fine. Vanilla sugar.

I’m not quite sure what pure icing sugar is, but I suspect it’s just even finer. Icing mixture is cornflour and icing sugar if I remember correctly.

Sorry, soft icing sugar is a mix of cane sugar and tapioca starch. (I went and looked at the pack).

I’ve actually never worried about flour going stale. I buy quite large quantities and it doesn’t seem to go off. I’ve only had to throw any out when I got pantry bugs once.

buffy said:

Because I’ve been reading the overnight discussion. I had difficulties with finding a good sponge cake recipe for years and despite having a Kenwood Major. Then I found this recipe, which is easy and apparently foolproof. I’ve also written on my recipe card “this mix is quite a lot, use large tins, or three small tins”.

BASIC SPONGE CAKE

4×60g eggs at room temperature
2/3 cup caster sugar (I always reduce the sugar in cakes, I’d use 1/2 cup)
1/3 cup plain flour
1/3 cup SR flour
1/3 cup corn flour
1/4 tsp salt

Prepare sponge tins
Preheat oven to 180C
Beat eggs and sugar until mixture is thick, pale and tripled in volume
Gradually sift in the flours and fold in with a large metal spoon. Divide mixture into the tins
Bake for 20 minutes or until the cakes have shrunk slightly away from the sides and spring back when gently touched.
Turn out onto baking paper lined wire racks and cool

It’s my MIL’s birthday and she is stuck at home in one of the LGAs of concern. We called her this morning to wish her a HB and then agreed to make a chocolate sponge birthday cake for her, and celebrate via Skype later tonight.

How strange.

This recipe has now been printed as BUFFY’S BASIC SPONGE CAKE, so here we go…

Why does the spoon have to be metal?

Arts said:

Why does the spoon have to be metal?

I don’t know, but it’s one of those things the Ancients knew. There is probably a chemical explanation somewhere.

Apparently it is to minimize the tendency to beat the hell out of the air bubbles in the egg froth.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/food/techniques/how_to_fold_egg_whites_into_a_mixture

Oh, and another site suggests that this is because the edge is sharp on the metal spoon, so doesn’t cut into the bubbles.

I see. Thanks for checking into that.

Arts said:

I see. Thanks for checking into that.

You made me wonder why. I think I wondered why years ago and forgot what I found out. It was something that was Very Important when I did Home Ec at high school in the 1970s. You always used a metal spoon to fold in a mixture (sponge, meringue etc)

Arts said:

I see. Thanks for checking into that.

Mum used a spatula from memory.

Bogsnorkler said:

Arts said:

I see. Thanks for checking into that.

Mum used a spatula from memory.

Yeah I remember sending an email to a company asking why they insisted we use a wooden spoon. It was not a cake mix.. possibly brownie or something similar. I can remember their response but it had to do with the mixing of it… similar to a metal spoon for cake…. These are the intricacies of, and probably the difference between, cake and bloody delicious cake.

Arts said:

Bogsnorkler said:

Arts said:

I see. Thanks for checking into that.

Mum used a spatula from memory.

Yeah I remember sending an email to a company asking why they insisted we use a wooden spoon. It was not a cake mix.. possibly brownie or something similar. I can remember their response but it had to do with the mixing of it… similar to a metal spoon for cake…. These are the intricacies of, and probably the difference between, cake and bloody delicious cake.

A brownie mix is more of a batter, and probably mixes better with a wooden spoon. I use the Kenwood to do most of my mixing, but for a sponge the Kenwood beats the eggs and sugar for me and I fold in the flour with a big metal spoon. Mostly I just make melt and mix cakes. You put the eggs and flour and stuff in the Kenwood bowl, melt the butter, whack it in, turn on the Kenwood and let it beat everything together for 3 to 5 minutes. Put it into the cake tin and bake. Pretty much like a packet mix, but “made from scratch”.

Arts said:

Bogsnorkler said:

Arts said:

I see. Thanks for checking into that.

Mum used a spatula from memory.

Yeah I remember sending an email to a company asking why they insisted we use a wooden spoon. It was not a cake mix.. possibly brownie or something similar. I can remember their response but it had to do with the mixing of it… similar to a metal spoon for cake…. These are the intricacies of, and probably the difference between, cake and bloody delicious cake.

Mum used to beat me with the wooden spoon*.

*may not be true.

buffy said:

Arts said:

Why does the spoon have to be metal?

I don’t know, but it’s one of those things the Ancients knew. There is probably a chemical explanation somewhere.

Apparently it is to minimize the tendency to beat the hell out of the air bubbles in the egg froth.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/food/techniques/how_to_fold_egg_whites_into_a_mixture

no-one wants to be awarded a wooden spoon.

Buffy, this recipe was much better than the other one.

I will be using it again soon to make trifle (again) :)

Speedy said:

Buffy, this recipe was much better than the other one.

I will be using it again soon to make trifle (again) :)

:)

(I’ve been out to the bush block getting firewood. Well, I was wandering around with the camera while Mr buffy played with the Bobcat tractor getting firewood. Photos shortly)