Pan Di Spagna (Italian Sponge Cake) Recipe
Written by admin on December 11th, 2009
Ingredients:
-5 large eggs, room temperature
-1 1/2 cup sugar
-1 1/2 cup flour
-1 teaspoon vanilla
-1/2 teaspoon grated lemon peel
-butter and flour for the pan
Directions:
Separate the eggs, putting the yolks in a large bowl and the whites in a smaller bowl.
Add the sugar to the yolks, and beat until the consistency of frosting. Beat the whites until they stand stiff. Fold the whites into the yolk-sugar mixture. Turn it over slowly and gently until completely mixed.
Sift the flour (even if you don’t usually sift flour–do it). Fold the flour slowly, a bit at a time, to the egg-sugar mixture. Add the vanilla and lemon peel, folding in gently.
Butter and flour a 9″ cake pan. Pour in the batter and bake at 350 degrees F, for about 20 minutes.
When done the cake will be toasty on top, and a toothpick will come out clean. Turn upside down to cool. Let cool before frosting.
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Baked Alaska Sponge Cake Recipe
Written by admin on December 11th, 2009
Ingredients:
-1 quart ice cream – softened
***SPONGE CAKE BASE***
-3 large eggs
-1/3 cup sugar
-1/2 cup flour
-2 teaspoons cornstarch
***MERINGUE***
-4 egg whites
-3/4 cup confectioner’s sugar
Directions:
Leave the ice cream in room temperature for an hour to soften.
For the sponge base: In a small sauce pan, bring a cup of water to simmer over low heat.
Preheat oven to 425 F (or 210 C).
Beat the eggs and sugar in a small steel mixing bowl over the simmering water (double boiler), until the temperature reaches about 110 – 120 F (or 40 – 45 C). Remove from heat. Continue beating until light and creamy – until it cools down again.
Add the flour and starch, then fold gently. Be careful not to overmix. On a greased baking pan, line up a sheet of silicon or wax paper. Spread the sponge base mixture thin over the sheet of silicon or wax paper. The shape is not important as this will just be the cake base that will be hidden by the meringue. A rough rectangle will be okay.
Bake quickly in the oven for about 4-5 minutes, then remove from oven and let it cool. The cake should come off the paper quite easily.
In your choice of mold, cover the bottom and sides with pieces of the cake. Put in the softened ice cream to fill the mold. Cover the top with cake, then freeze for about 3 hours.
Prepare the meringue by beating the eggwhites with the confectioners sugar until stiff. Place in a piping bag.
Preheat oven to 425 F (210 C).
Unmold the frozen cake-ice cream on a baking tray. Pipe the meringue mixture all around to completely cover the cake-ice cream. You can make shapes with the meringue.
When completely covered with the meringue, put it in the oven to bake for 2 – 4 minutes. The meringue surface will bake very quickly, and the edges will start to brown. When the edges have browned enough, remove from the oven.
The meringue surface will be baked, while the ice cream inside remains frozen.
Decorate with cherries or candies, then serve.
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Spanish Sponge Cake (Bizcocho) Recipe
Written by admin on November 1st, 2009
Ingredients:
-8 eggs, separated
-2 cups sugar
-1 teaspoon grated lemon rind
-2 cups all-purpose flour
Directions:
Beat the egg whites until stiff and set aside.
Beat the yolks and sugar until creamy. Stir the lemon zest into the egg mixture and then fold the egg mixture into the whites. Fold in the flour using a rubber spatula.
Pour the batter into a large (at least 11 inches in diameter and 2 1/2 inches deep) greased and floured cake pan.
Bake in a preheated 350F oven until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 45 minutes. Loosen the sides with a knife and invert the cake onto a wire rack to cool.
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