Sponge Cake Golden
Submitted by Leon
Golden orange sponge cake leavened entirely with whipped eggs, flavoured with fresh orange juice and pulp plus a hit of lemon extract. A light, fat-free cake baked in a springform pan and inverted to cool.
YIELD
8 servingsPREP
30 minCOOK
60 minREADY
90 minA true sponge cake gets its rise from whipped eggs alone, with just a touch of baking powder for insurance. There’s no butter, no oil, no milk. This golden version leans on fresh orange juice and pulp for moisture and flavour and a teaspoon of lemon extract to amplify the citrus brightness against the egg-heavy structure.
The technique is fussier than a butter cake but the payoff is a fine, airy crumb that holds together for layered desserts or eats beautifully as-is with a dusting of powdered sugar. Whip the whites with half the sugar to a soft, frothy peak. Beat the yolks separately with the rest of the sugar until thick and pale. Combine, then fold in the sifted dry ingredients gently.
The seven-minute beat after adding the orange and lemon is what gives the cake its volume. Don’t shortcut this step; the air you whip in is the rise.
Pro Tips
- Sift the cake flour three times as the directions specify. Triple-sifting aerates the flour and is the difference between a tender sponge and a dense one.
- Use an ungreased springform pan. The batter needs to climb the sides as it rises; greased pans give it nothing to grip.
- Invert immediately when out of the oven. Cooling a sponge cake right-side-up causes it to collapse under its own weight. Most springform pans can sit upside-down balanced on the centre tube or perch on inverted ramekins.
- Use room-temperature eggs. Cold whites don’t whip to full volume.
Variations
- Swap the orange and lemon extract for a tablespoon of grated lemon zest and an extra splash of lemon juice for a lemon sponge cake.
- Layer the cooled cake with whipped cream and fresh berries for a simple summer dessert.
- Drizzle a thin lemon-orange glaze (powdered sugar and citrus juice) over the cooled cake instead of dusting with powdered sugar.
Ingredients
Directions
Beat the egg whites until froth, add ½ cup of the sugar and continue to beat.
Set aside.
Beat the yolks well, and add the rest of the sugar, beating until light and fluffy.
Add the yolks to the whites and then add the orange juice and pulp, and lemon extract.
Beat for 7 mins.
Sift the cake flour three times with the salt and baking powder.
Fold this into the egg mix very gently.
Bake in an ungreased spring form pan, in a slow oven of 325℉ (160℃) for 1 hour.
Invert to cool, before removing sides.
To serve sprinkle with some powder sugar, or you can frost with a powder sugar frosting.
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