Tuesday, November 30, 2010

Know More About Sponge Cake

By Keith Johnson


Sponge cakes are made of flour, sugar, and eggs, with no shortenings. This causes the end product to be light and fluffy. Made with distinctive holes, they look more like a real sponge, porous. During occasion, sponge cakes are served as the base of many desserts due to its firm and strong characteristics. The sponge cake is very ideal for desserts which would have cakes soaked in syrup or alcohol, for it will absorb the flavor without even being destroyed.

A person has to be skilled in making sponge cake. These cakes rely on eggs for leavening, with small amount of baking powder. Eggs have to be beaten well to combine with air, and the ingredients have to be mixed well so as not to allow air bubbles out. Sponge cake has to be cooled gradually as rapid cooling can destroy it and cause it to become heavy. Usually, bakers go through experimenting and a lot of practice before they can achieve a well-baked one.

You can always think of modifying the base sponge cake by adding flavors such as lemon, almond, chocolate, orange, and vanilla. The cake would allow the flavors to come through them without crushing them. Frosting the cake is also a great idea. For example the Victoria sponge cake which is made by sandwiching frosting or jam in between. The flexibility of the sponge cake makes it very popular to bakers who want their end products to be unique and versatile. This is because it allows them to be creative with flavors without the worry of messing up the cake.

One unique feature about the sponge cake is that it is flexible when it cools. The bakers can now then make it in sheet and roll it up with various ingredients like jam. Rolled sponge cake is very forgiving most especially to the ones who are still beginners. But once it is mastered, bakers can right away enjoy the taste of goodness brought by these rolled sponge cakes.

Most historians believe that sponge cakes emerged during the early 19th century because it appeared in many cook books at that time. It became very famous because of its flexibility, and not to mention its lightness and softness. It then reached the Western world and there it was made into different version like for example the French Genoise and American chiffon.




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