Generality
Sponge cake is a basic pastry preparation; in fact it represents the basis for the preparation of soft, stuffed and / or glazed cakes. The sponge cake can be flavored or prepared neutral, further enhancing the composition of the filling or glaze.
The ingredients of the classic and neutral sponge cake (therefore not flavored) are: whole eggs, flour and starch, OPTIONALLY baking powder, granulated sugar, butter and flour "just enough" to prevent the mold from sticking; the aromas could be: a vanilla bean, grated lemon peel, bitter cocoa. The tools for the preparation of the sponge cake are: planetary or whisk and terrine (to whisk the eggs with sugar and powders), spoon, sieve (to avoid incorporating the powders already clotted), mold (with an oscillating diameter from 18 to 24cm ) and static or convection oven.
Procedures and Recipes for the Sponge Cake
1st variant: break the eggs and separate the egg whites from the yolks; strongly whip the egg yolks with half the sugar and separately whip the egg whites "until stiff"; on the latter, towards the end of the procedure, the remaining sugar will be added. Combine the two compounds with a "bottom-up" movement using a spoon or whisk. Separately, sift the powders WITHOUT chemical yeast and incorporate them with the whisk into the egg and sugar mixture (always from bottom to "top ); in the meantime, preheat the oven to 180 ° C; grease and flour the mold; pour and level the mixture; bake at 180 ° for about 40 "(without opening the oven until" the "hypothetical" end of the heat treatment); check the cooking by inserting a toothpick into the sponge cake which, when extracted, MUST be completely DRY; let the sponge cake cool, then remove it from the mold.
2nd variant: break the eggs inside a planetary mixer and whip them whole together with the sugar; then incorporate the powders and the chemical yeast while continuing to whip; preheat the oven to 180 ° C; pour into a greased and floured mold, level and cook for at least 30 "at 180 ° C; (without opening the oven until "the" hypothetical "end of the heat treatment); check the cooking by inserting a toothpick into the sponge cake which, upon extraction, MUST be completely DRY; let the sponge cake cool, then remove it from the mold.
Video Recipe - Homemade Soft Sponge Cake
Classic sponge cake
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We also report the links for the Video Recipe of the Cocoa Sponge Cake and for that of the Vegan Sponge Cake with Cocoa Without Eggs
Important Factors and Considerations for the Success of the Sponge Cake
The procedure of the sponge cake (as well as the weight of the dough) varies considerably according to the specific recipe. By consulting different sources, the information obtained also seems very different from each other. First of all, as can be seen from the list of ingredients, the use of chemical yeast seems "optional"; this characteristic is justified by the more or less correct procedure for assembling the eggs and incorporating the powders. In fact, if the raw dough has a sufficiently foamy consistency, during cooking there will be no need to exploit the additional gaseous release of the chemical yeast; on the contrary, if the sponge cake is NOT mounted "ad hoc", the use of chemical yeast could be fundamental to the correct success of the recipe. It is also necessary to specify that, in reality, the use of chemical yeast represents a considerable facilitation for professionals who work in professional laboratories and pastry shops; in these contexts, where the sponge cake is a habitual and customary dough, the preparations to be carried out in PARALLEL are really many. This means that, instead of:
separately whip the egg yolks with half the sugar and the egg whites with the rest, combine everything gently and then incorporate the sifted powders
it is extremely more comfortable and disengaging:
whip the whole eggs and sugar in a planetary mixer, then add the powders with the yeast.
The other big difference is in the quantity and proportions of the flours. The powders used for the sponge cake are white soft wheat flour (type 00) and potato starch. For a dough of 5 eggs (about 250-265g), the quantity of flour can range from 150 to 250g; it is likely that the greater dose of flour is associated with the quick assembly of whole eggs and the use of chemical yeast, while the more "unloaded" one can make use of the absence of this ingredient. as long as the dough is prepared with the longest and most accurate procedure. Furthermore, the proportion between wheat flour and starch is always very variable; also in this case it is likely that the predominance of one over the other varies according to the assembly phase of the eggs and the use or not of chemical yeast. Wheat flour - which contains gluten and as such (in the presence of GAS) ENSURES the leavening of the dough - is used in larger quantities in the quick preparation characterized by an approximate assembly and the use of chemical yeast. On the contrary, by using potato starch up to 50% of the total powders, a considerable lightness is given to the sponge cake which, however, NEEDS a more meticulous and accurate procedure in the (separate) assembly of the eggs.
NB: The white wheat flour type 00, containing gluten, guarantees a certain elasticity to the finished sponge cake (a desirable feature or not depending on the destination of the product).
Nutritional characteristics
Sponge cake is a sweet dough made from eggs and flour. It goes without saying that its use in the diet must be uniquely occasional or strictly "grammed", under penalty of altering the overall nutritional balance due to: excess energy, excess of simple sugars and excess of cholesterol.
The sponge cake is a food not recommended in the low-calorie diet for overweight and obesity; it has a considerable energy density and, also taking into account that it is always accompanied by toppings and icings, its impact on the caloric balance is (like most of other sweets) excessively negative. Sponge cake is also impertinent in the dietary scheme for the diabetic, due to the excessive glycemic load and the considerable amount of simple sugars contained in it. Similarly, the sponge cake is not recommended in diet therapy against hypercholesterolemia, not so much for the quantity of saturated lipids, as for the real presence of dietary cholesterol (while taking into account the moderate presence of lecithins).
ATTENTION! In addition to the classic versions of sponge cake, today there are some recipes of sponge cake suitable for feeding in case of metabolic diseases. One of these, present in the "archive of" Le Alice's recipes", is specifically designed for contextualization in the diet of" hypercholesterolemia: "Eggless Cocoa Sponge Cake - Vegan sponge cake against cholesterol". Thanks to the" absence of dietary cholesterol, the moderate presence of soy lecithin and the "use of fats rich in essential fatty acids such as ω ‰ 6, the systematic use of this sponge cake in place of the traditional one can have a beneficial effect on lipid metabolism in case of hypercholesterolemia.
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