Sponge Cake

Few items are put to work on the Great British Bake Off as sponge cake. It’s the base in almost every creation in cake or showstopper episode. And you run across it more than you know.

This recipe is courtesy Fortnum & Mason, London’s historic department store. Given Fortnum’s history, and it’s reputation for great pastry, using their recipe was a given for me, and it’s worked every time. And once you’ve made it, you can let your imagination run wild as to uses.

INGREDIENTS

225g plain flour
15g baking powder
240g softened unsalted butter
240g caster sugar
4 large eggs, at room temperature, lightly beaten
Icing (confectioner’s) sugar, for dusting

DIRECTIONS

Sift the flour and baking powder into a bowl and set aside.

In a separate bowl, cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. A stand mixer with the paddle attachment is ideal for this step.

Beat in the eggs, a little at a time, adding a spoonful of the flour if the mixture threatens to separate.

Sift in the flour in 3 separate additions, folding it in with a large metal spoon.

Divide the mixture between two greased and baselined 20cm (8″) sandwich tins.

Place in an oven at 180deg C/Gas Mark 4 and bake for 25-30 minutes, until the cakes are golden brown and well risen and a skewer inserted in the center comes out clean.

Leave in the tins for 10 minutes, then turn out on to a wire rack to cool completely.

Once cool, they’re ready to go. If you’re not planning to use them immediately, they will keep for a day or two in the fridge, after you wrap them in cling wrap.