Pam Field was a work colleague long before I started to cook for a living. There has never been a recipe that bettered hers and this recipe is a tribute to anyone who shares their recipes with true generosity. Thanks Pam!
It’s just brilliant!
Pam Field’s Sponge
makes 2 x 28cm layers
to line the tins
30g very soft unsalted butter
2 tablespoons cake flour
for the sponge
9 x 61g eggs or 8 x 68g eggs, room temperature
220g caster sugar
180g cornflour
50g bakers or cake flour (low gluten pizza or bread flour is not suitable)
10g cream of tartar and 5g bicarbonate of soda or 10g double action baking powder (available from most Chinese grocers)
60g unsalted butter, melted but not hot
Method
pre heat the oven to 175°C
Tear of two pieces of baking parchment just slightly larger than the tins, Stack them on top of each other, invert one of the tins over the top and using a sharp knife cut two disks. Carefully and generously butter the tins and press a disk into the bottom of each tin. Butter the seam again and then flour the tins, knocking out any excess.
Put the eggs into the bowl of your electric mixer and cover with boiling water and set a timer for 5 minutes, which should be plenty of time to allow you to weigh out the ingredients. Weigh out the sugar, put a fine sieve over a bowl and weigh the flours and raising agents into it and sieve them aerating them as much as possible.
Carefully remove the eggs, drain the water and dry the bowl. Crack the eggs into the bowl and whisk them for a couple of minutes, then add the sugar and whisk on high speed until it is thick and voluminous. In a Kenwood Major bowl they will whisk to about 5cm from the top of the bowl (if you have a small Kenwood you will need to make 2 x 4 egg layers). Turn down the speed add the flours and raising agent, mix for 30 seconds and then add the butter and whisk for another minute. Using a silicon spatula mix thoroughly — care needs to be taken as the butter drops to the bottom, so check the bottom before your start pouring it into the tins. Divide between the two tins and without delay put them into the oven. Cook for 15 to 20 minutes until they are well risen, golden and just starting to shrink away from the sides of the tin. Stand them on a cake rack to cool and run a knife around the edge to release it from the tin.
tip —
failure to pre–heat the oven is on of the most common reasons for cakes failing. Most ovens will say 15–20 minutes but we allow 30 minutes, so basically turn the oven on when you start getting everything together to start the sponge.
The other thing everyone should remember is cooking is chemistry cold eggs straight from the fridge and sugar simply don’t combine.
also see
Lucia Rosella’s favourite cake the one we made for her every birthday, the Strega Cake and best of all it is better when it is made the day before
click here
Another variation, raspberries and passionfruit patisserie cream and to finish soft Italian meringue
click here
Mango and raspberry bavarian sponge
click here
