I've cooked quite a few things so far (recipe tweaks will be added as I make time to write them) and today I find myself yearning for cake and somehow a sponge is tickling my fancy. Now, some will say it's not possible to make a good sponge in the TM, but I have hope! A basic sponge ratio is 1:1:1:1 plus vanilla (and some baking powder for extra lift... and maybe a heaped tablespoon of cocoa if you desire a chocolate sponge). That is one "weight" of eggs, one weight of sugar, one weight of SR flour, and one weight of butter plus vanilla. BTW: a basic pound cake recipe has the same ratio and ingredients, but the order in which ingredients are added differs: butter, sugar, egg then flour.
I've done a little research and, combining tips and recipes from Why is There Air? (so very apt for a sponge recipe!), The Bush Gourmand and the TM Forum, I've come up with the following recipe.
Ingredients:
- 3 large eggs
- 1.5 tsp baking powder
- SR flour (egg weight*)
- Caster sugar (egg weight*)
- 1 tsp vanilla paste
- Butter at room temperature (egg weight*)
- Dusting of cornflour (for lining tins)
Method:
- Preheat oven to 180 C
- Line one 20cm deep sided tin with baking paper. Grease sides lightly and sprinkle with a little cornflour
- Crack and weigh eggs on the TM lid: make note of weight (referred to as “egg weight”; see notes section below)
- Mix flour and baking powder for 30 seconds on speed 3; set aside
- Pulverise sugar until really fine; approx 60 seconds on speed 9
- Put butterfly over blades and beat sugar and whole eggs for 6 mins @ 37 degrees speed 4 with no MC on (incorporates more air)
- Turn off temperature and continue to beat for another 6 mins on speed 4 (cup off)
- Scrape down sides and lid with spatula
- Add vanilla paste to mix
- Incorporate flour and baking powder mix for 10 seconds on speed 3
- Scrape down sides with spatula
- Add butter and mix for 10 seconds on speed 3 (if insufficiently mixed, mix a little longer)
- Remove butterfly and scrape down sides with spatula
- Pour mixture into deep 20 cm round cake tin (lined as per Step 2)
- Place the TM bowl back on the machine and press turbo button a few times to send the rest of the cake mixture to the sides. Scrape out with the spatula and add to the tin
- Bake about 25-35 minutes or until golden and a skewer inserted in the centre comes out clean
- Cool 5 minutes (in the tin) then turn out on a rack to finish cooling
- Cut cooled sponge in half and spread cream, jam and fruit of choice in centre
Notes:
* Egg weight - Weigh the eggs on the TM lid, note the weight,
then crack them into the bowl. One then uses exactly the same weight of sugar, flour and butter as the weight of the eggs,
i.e., if the eggs weigh 200g, use 200g of sugar, flour and butter.
Cake may be frozen.
