February Recipe: Orange Sponge Cake

It’s time for another recipe! First, the recipe. Then, me blathering onward about my occasionally questionable culinary capabilities and the memories this particular feast holds for me.

• The Ingredients
  • 6 Egg Yolks
  • 2 tablespoons orange zest
  • 1/2 cup orange juice
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 1 1/2 cups white sugar
  • 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
  • 6 Egg Whites
  • 1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar
• The Way of Preparing
  1. Oven to 325°F, 165°C, oven mark 3.
  2. In a medium bowl, beat the egg yolks on high speed for about five minutes or until thick and light in color.
  3. Add the orange zest, juice, and vanilla and beat on low speed until well combined.
  4. Also at low speed, beat in one cup of the white sugar.
  5. Increase to medium speed and beat until thick and doubled in volume, about five minutes.
  6. Add flour, 1/4 cup at a time, folding in until completely combined. Set aside.
  7. In separate large bowl, whip cream of tartar and egg whites until soft peaks form. Add the remaining 1/2 cup of white sugar and whip until stiff peaks form.
  8. Fold 1/3 of the egg whites into the yolk mixture, folding until no streaks remain.
  9. Add the yolk mixture into the remaining egg whites and fold to combine.
  10. Pour into a ten inch, ungreased tube pan.
  11. Bake for 55 to 60 minutes or until the cake springs back lightly when touched near the center.
  12. Cool by immediately inverting cake in pan and cool completely before de-panning.
      
• Notes
  • Chocolate Orange variation: reduce flour to one cup and add 1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder into the flour. Prepare as above.

I love making this cake. Especially the orange chocolate version. Since they’re always making sponges on The Great British Bake Off, I like this recipe for how often I see it. Try to make your own variant of it, see what you come up with!

Happy baking!