Cake Recipes
Fresh Orange Sponge Cake
This is an easy cake to make if you have a sturdy, stationary mixer. And it's so good, you won't even miss frosting.
Yield: 12 servings
Ingredients
- 6 egg whites
- 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour, measured, then sifted
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
- 6 egg yolks
- Orange oil* (optional)
- 6 tablespoons fresh orange juice
- 1 tablespoon grated orange peel
- Powdered sugar (optional)
Instructions
- In medium bowl of electric mixer, let egg whites warm to room temperature, about 1 hour.
- Sift together flour and salt. Set aside.
- With electric mixer at medium speed, beat egg whites until foamy.
- Gradually beat in 1/2 cup of the granulated sugar, beating after each addition. Continue beating until soft peaks form when beater is slowly raised. Set aside.
- In large bowl of electric mixer, at high speed and with same beaters, beat egg yolks while gradually beating in remaining 1 cup sugar, until thick and lemon-colored, 5 to 8 minutes in all.
- Add 1 or 2 drops orange oil and blend, remembering that a little goes a long way.
- Remove beaters from bowl and continue recipe using whisk and rubber spatula.
- Add orange juice and grated zest to egg yolk mixture and whisk to combine.
- Blend in flour mixture and whisk just until white patches disappear.
- With wire whisk or rubber scraper, using under-and-over motion, mix 1/3 of the egg whites into yolk mixture to lighten it.
- Fold in another 1/3 of the egg whites.
- Fold in remaining egg whites just until blended.
- Gently spoon fluffy batter into ungreased 10-inch tube pan.
- Bake at 350 degrees F for 35 to 40 minutes until cake has risen to top of pan, top is browned and wooden pick inserted into center of cake comes out clean.
- If pan has feet, invert pan over wire rack or invert pan over neck of a bottle. Don't worry; it won't fall out. Cool cake completely, about 1 hour.
- With spatula, carefully loosen cake from pan. Remove to platter.
- Serve plain or dusted with sifted powdered sugar.
Notes
* Orange oil is available in baking areas of some supermarkets or at Williams-Sonoma.
Attribution
Posted by FootsieBear at Recipe Goldmine April 29, 2001.