Sponge Cake

Sponge cake has a porous internal structure, characterized by numerous round holes, resembling a sponge in appearance, hence its name.

Known for its light, airy texture and versatility in flavor, sponge cake holds a special place in the hearts of bakers and dessert enthusiasts alike.

Whether served as a simple treat with a cup of tea or serving as the airy foundation of an elaborate birthday cake masterpiece, sponge cake never fails to captivate with its lightness and charm.

Unlike other cakes that rely on chemical leaveners like baking powder or baking soda, sponge cake achieves its rise solely through the air trapped in beaten eggs.

Chiffon cake and sponge cake are very similar in appearance and share some common preparation techniques, making it difficult for baking novice to distinguish between them. However, they still have substantial differences. Before selecting your preferred cake type, let’s explore their differences!

Sponge Cake vs Chiffon Cake

1. Different Ingredients

From an ingredient perspective, chiffon cake contains a higher proportion of water compared to sponge cake, and it uses vegetable oil. Sponge cake, on the other hand, has lower liquid content and higher flour content, and it uses butter.

2. Different Egg Beating Methods

Chiffon Cake utilizes the separated egg method for beating, whereby the eggs are divided into yolks and whites prior to beating. The egg whites are whipped until stiff peaks form, after which they are gently folded together with the egg yolks flour mixture before baking.

Sponge Cake, on the other hand, can employ either the whole egg method, where the entire egg is beaten without separation into yolk and white.

POV: While attempting to separate eggs for chiffon cake, if you accidentally break an egg yolk and a drop seeps into the egg whites, seasoned bakers understand that even a tiny amount of yolk can hinder the whites from attaining the desired volume and stability when whipped. Rather than discarding the mixture and beginning anew with fresh egg whites, a more practical approach is to combine all the egg whites and yolks together and pivot to making a sponge cake instead.

3. Different Textures & Flavors

Sponge cake has lower liquid content and higher flour content, resulting in a denser texture that offers better support – ideal for serving as the foundation of a fondant cake or intricate birthday cake.

Chiffon cake, with its higher liquid content and lower flour content, boasts a lighter and softer texture – perfect for enjoying on its own or adorned simply with fresh fruits and cream.

Tips for Making Sponge Cake

1. Beat Eggs in Hot Water Bath

Whole eggs are more difficult to whip compared to egg whites because of the presence of egg yolks. Therefore, we will need to use beat the eggs in hot water bath to stabilize the foam and promote the incorporation of air into the egg mixture.

When eggs are slightly warm, they whip up more easily and to a greater volume compared to cold eggs. However, if they expand too much, the resulting bubbles may become coarse. Hence, the ideal temperature for beating whole eggs is approximately 40°C/104°F.

In this recipe, there’s no need to bring the eggs to room temperature beforehand. You can directly use eggs from the fridge, whisking them in a mixing bowl positioned over a pot of hot water until the mixture’s temperature reaches 40°C/104°F. Here, “hot water” refers to water heated to 80°C/176°F and then turned off; do not beat the eggs over a pot of continuously boiling water, otherwise they will be cooked.

2. Use Cold Eggs or Warm Eggs?

If you’ve previously read my chiffon cake recipe post, you may remember that I intentionally refrigerated the egg whites to keep them cold while preparing the egg yolk batter. However, in this current sponge recipe, I used a hot water bath to gently warm the egg mixture before whipping it up.

You might wonder, then, whether we should use cold or warm eggs for cake-making.

My answer is: When a recipe calls for separating the egg whites and yolks, and you’re only whipping the egg whites, opt for cold eggs; Conversely, when a recipe tells you to whip whole eggs, opt for warm eggs.

– Warm eggs for making sponge cake

Egg yolks, due to their fat and lecithin content, hinder the formation of stable foam when beaten, making it more challenging to whip whole eggs compared to egg whites alone. Attempting to whip cold whole eggs, without separating the yolks, is nearly impossible. However, warming the eggs lowers the viscosity of the proteins and diminishes the surface tension of the egg whites, facilitating the incorporation of air into the mixture. Therefore, by warming the eggs in a hot water bath, we can successfully whip the entire eggs to achieve the desired texture.

Although whole eggs can be easily whipped after heating over water, the resulting bubbles are very unstable. Many of these bubbles will disappear when mixed with flour and butter. That’s why sponge cake has a denser texture than chiffon cake.

– Cold eggs for making chiffon cake

Cold eggs are more stable and hold air better. Given that we separate egg whites and yolks when preparing chiffon cake, the egg whites can be whipped effectively even when cold. Furthermore, the whipped cold egg whites offer enhanced stability, contributing to the airy texture characteristic of chiffon cake.

3. Cake flour vs all-purpose flour

Cake flour has a lower protein content (7% to 9%) compared to all-purpose flour (10% to 13%). This lower protein content results in less gluten formation when mixed with liquid, leading to a softer and more tender crumb in the sponge cake. Sponge cakes are meant to have a light and airy texture, and cake flour helps achieve this by producing a more delicate structure.

– Cake Flour Substitute

Cornstarch‘s protein content is close to zero. Introducing a portion of cornstarch into the all-purpose flour allows us to reduce the overall protein content, making it close to cake flour’s protein content.

To substitute for every 100g of cake flour required, you can make a blend consisting of 80g of all-purpose flour and 20g of cornstarch. In essence, you’re preparing a mixture comprising 80% all-purpose flour and 20% cornstarch to mimic cake flour.

4. Ribbon stage of whipped whole egg mixture

When making a sponge cake, the whipped whole egg mixture should reach a stage known as the ribbon stage. At this stage, the mixture becomes pale yellow and increases significantly in volume.

When you lift the whisk, the egg mixture drips off the whisk in segments, indicating that the eggs have not been fully whipped. (see picture 1)

When you lift the beaters, it should fall back into the bowl in a ribbon-like stream that slowly dissolves back into the surface of the mixture, leaving a visible trail on the surface for a few seconds before disappearing. This indicates that the mixture has reached the desired consistency and is ready for the next steps in the recipe. (see picture 2)

You’ll need to use a hand mixer to beat the eggs on high speed for approximately 15 minutes, a significantly longer duration compared to whipping egg whites for making chiffon cake.

5. Extra careful mixing process

Due to the heightened instability of whipped whole eggs in comparison to whipped egg whites, the bubbles within can easily dissipate when mixed with flour and butter. Therefore, it’s crucial to handle the folding process with extra care and gentleness.

• Rather than measuring and sifting the cake flour into a separate bowl before commencing the egg whipping process, I recommend sifting the cake flour directly into the whipped eggs. This approach minimizes the likelihood of clumping and facilitates more thorough mixing.
• Sift the cake flour into the egg batter in three separate batches. After each sift, delicately fold the batter from the bottom to the top to seamlessly integrate the cake flour.
• Warm up the butter-milk mixture before incorporating it into the eggs. This precaution is essential as cold butter mixture can deflate the warm bubbles within the eggs, owing to temperature disparities.
• By first combining a portion of the whipped eggs with the butter milk mixture, you bring the temperature and texture of the two mixtures closer together, reducing the risk of deflating the egg foam.
• Pour the butter milk mixture onto the spatula instead of directly into the whipped eggs. This way, the spatula can act as a buffer; otherwise, pouring the butter milk mixture directly into the eggs may easily deflate them.

EQUIPMENT

• Kitchen scale
• Aluminum cake pan (6 inch round cake pan)
• Parchment paper
• Mixing bowls
• Large Pot
• Hand mixer
• Fine mesh strainer
• Candy thermometer
• Silicone spatula
• Oven
• Cooling rack

INGREDIENTS  

• 3 large eggs
• 90 g granulated sugar
• 90 g cake flour (or use 72g all purpose flour + 18g cornstarch to substitute 90g cake flour)
• 30 g butter (unsalted)
• 30 g milk (Or soymilk, coconut milk, oat milk, almond milk …)
• 4 g vanilla extract (optional)

INSTRUCTIONS 

1. Cut the parchment paper into a 6-inch circle and place it in a 6-inch aluminum cake pan. Do not grease the cake pan. Measure out 90g of cake flour and 90g of granulated sugar into two separate bowls.

2. Preheat oven to 160℃/320℉.

3. Bring a pot of water to a boil, then remove it from the heat and set it aside. (Or you can pour the water out to a large pan.)

4. Crack 3 eggs into a grease-free and water-free mixing bowl, and beat until uniform. Attach a candy thermometer to the mixing bowl, then position the mixing bowl over the hot water bath, stirring the mixture gently with a whisk to ensure even heating. Once the thermometer registers 40°C/104°F, remove the mixing bowl from the hot water bath. (If you don’t have a thermometer, you can use your finger to gauge the temperature; when you feel warmth on your finger, it’s ready.)

5. Combine butter, milk, and vanilla extract in a bowl. Set the bowl over the hot water bath to melt the butter.

6. Beat the egg mixture with a hand mixer on high speed until many large bubbles form; then pour all the granulated sugar into the egg mixture.

7. Switch the hand mixer to medium speed and continue beating the egg mixture. When the color of the egg mixture turns beige and there are streaks visible while beating, lift the mixer to check the state. If the dripped egg mixture disappears quickly, continue beating. Lift the mixer; if the egg batter flows smoothly like a ribbon, dripping onto the surface of the batter and forming folds that slowly blend into the mixture, it indicates that the eggs are properly beaten. This process takes about 15 minutes.

8. Sift the cake flour into the egg batter in 3 batches. After each sift, use a spatula to gently fold the batter from the bottom to the top to incorporate the cake flour into the batter. Be gentle to avoid deflating the batter.

9. Remove the bowl containing melted butter and milk from the hot water bath. Transfer ¼ of the egg batter into the bowl with melted butter and milk, and gently mix well with a spatula.

10. Pour the butter milk batter into the remaining ¾ of the batter, and gently fold well.

11. Pour the batter into the prepared cake pan. Quickly place the mold on the lower rack of the preheated oven (160℃/320℉) and bake for 40 to 50 minutes, or until the cake is golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. (The oven’s setting temperature may not be the same as the actual temperature, so adjust the time according to your observation; If the surface is already colored but the toothpick doesn’t come out clean, you can loosely cover the cake with foil to prevent excessive browning.)

12. Once baked, quickly invert the cake pan onto a cooling rack until the cake is cooled to room temperature. Then, remove the cake from the pan and proceed to decorate or serve as desired.

Sponge Cake Q&A

Q1: Why does the cake have a thick layer on the bottom?

A1: The butter milk mixture is not thoroughly mixed.

Q2: Why does the cake collapse?

A2: If the cake is not baked for a sufficient amount of time, it may collapse in the center when it’s cooled because the structure has not fully set.

Q3: Why does the cake crack?

A3: Sponge cakes typically do not rise as tall as chiffon cakes, so they are less likely to crack. If cracking occurs, it may be due to the oven temperature being too high, causing rapid expansion and surface cracking.

Q4: What type of pan should I use for making sponge cake?

A4: When making a chiffon cake, avoid using non-stick pans, as the batter needs to cling to the sides of the pan to rise properly. Unlike chiffon cakes, sponge cakes have a denser texture due to lower liquid content and higher flour content, providing better structural support. As such, you can confidently utilize either an aluminum chiffon cake pan or a non-stick cake pan. You can also choose a pan with a removable bottom or one that’s designed as a springform pan to easily release the cake after baking.

Q5: How to cut a sponge cake into even slices?

You can use two cake levelers along with a serrated knife to achieve precise, even slices of sponge cake. If you don’t have cake levelers at home, you can craft a simple DIY solution by securing your serrated knife at a consistent height using two pieces of either potato or cucumber.

Q6: How to make a birthday cake using sponge cake?

Slice the 6-inch sponge cake into 3 even layers. Beat 450g of heavy whipping cream with 35g of powdered sugar and 1 tsp of vanilla extract until fluffy. Layer the whipped cream and fruits between each sponge cake layer. For those who, like myself, find smoothing the cream challenging, covering the entire cake with fondant is an effective alternative.

My other cake recipes you will also like: