A wonderfully, super- light and soft sponge cake, which is perfect for special occasions and everyday enjoyment.
Ingredients
35g (3 tbsp) butter
a pinch of salt
33g (3 tbsp) milk
20g (2 tbsp) sugar
52g (6 1/2 tbsp) plain flour
2 large eggs, separated
1/2 tsp lime / lemon juice or 1/4 tsp cream of tartar
38g (4 tbsp) sugar
softened butter – for greasing the cake pan
Prepare 6-inch cake pan / 23cm square baking pan or loaf tin. Rub a little butter around it, and cut a round piece of greaseproof/parchment paper to fit to your pan. Take a small handful of flour and sprinkling it evenly around the inside of the greased pan and remove excess.
Pre-heat oven 150°C (130°C fan).
Heat the butter in a saucepan, over low heat. Add a pinch of salt, milk and sugar until it dissolves. Turn off the heat. Sift the flour, add the egg yolks and mix by hand until just combined. do not over mix! Never use an electric mixer.
In a separate clean, dry bowl, whisk egg whites until foamy (do not over or under-beat the egg whites) then squeeze in a little lime or lemon juice, and sugar a little bit at a time, beating until to a thick and stiff peak stage.
Turn the egg whites into the batter, using a whisk, gently fold the egg whites until just incorporated. Tip into prepared tins, use a spatula and smooth the surface. Bang the cake pan a couple of times to get the air bubbles out of your cake batter.
Prepare a water bath. pour enough cold water in a larger pan until water level comes 3cm / 1 inch to reach halfway up the side of the pan.
Bake for 50 minutes or until the cake is set in the centre, test the cake by poking it with a skewer, if it’s cooked the skewer will come out clean. if not pop it back in the oven and bake until it’s ready. Baking time will depend on the size of your cake pan. (Baking at a lower temperature will help the cake rise much higher and bake more evenly.)
Bang the cake pan once again to prevent the cake shrinking too much during cooling. Once the cake is cool, remove the lining. Transfer the cake to a plate for serving. Cut to the shape you desire. Sprinkle with icing/powdered sugar. Any leftover cake can be covered and kept in the fridge for 2 days.