Sponge cake batter

By following these simple rules, you will bake a wonderful sponge cake for any occasion.

1. Fill the mold with batter to 3/4 of its height, as it will increase in volume during baking.

For the first 20-30 minutes, do not disturb the sponge cake, as it may sink and bake poorly.

2. You can determine readiness by piercing the sponge with a wooden stick (for example, a toothpick); if the stick is dry, the sponge is ready.

3. A freshly baked sponge is difficult to cut and soak with syrup, so it is recommended to let it rest for about a day after baking, or at least no less than 8 hours.

4. To make the sponge more fluffy and crumbly, some of the flour can be replaced with starch. The quality of the sponge depends on the freshness of the eggs, the duration of whisking, and the correct temperature regime.

5. You can add grated lemon or orange zest, vanilla, cocoa powder, or crushed nuts to the sponge batter. They should be mixed with the flour beforehand.

6. If water or softened butter is added to the sponge batter, mix them with the yolks.
Bake the batter immediately after mixing.

7. The mold or baking tray should be greased with cold butter; you can dust it with flour or breadcrumbs.

8. Do not grease the sides of the mold; otherwise, during baking, the batter will rise only in the center of the mold.

COOL METHOD OF PREPARING SPONGE CAKE
Whip the egg whites into a stiff foam with half of the sugar.

Whisk the egg yolks with the remaining half of the sugar until white. You can add grated lemon (zest of orange) or crushed nuts. When preparing the batter with additives, introduce them (sour cream, butter, cottage cheese, pumpkin) into the yolk mixture.

Mix with flour (and, if necessary, with starch) and carefully fold in 1/3 of the egg white foam. After this, the mixture will become more liquid, making it easier to incorporate the remaining egg whites - mix not in circular motions, but by lifting from the bottom up. Transfer to the mold.

Preheat the oven to t=150°C, place the mold with the sponge in it, and increase the temperature to 180~220°C.

WARM METHOD OF PREPARING SPONGE CAKE
Whisk the yolks with sugar and, if required by the recipe, melted butter. Heat in a water bath while constantly stirring until the sugar dissolves.

Cool to room temperature by placing it in cold water and constantly whisking. At this point, the mixture will become thick, fluffy, and yellow. Add flour or flour with starch. Then incorporate the egg whites just as in the cool method.

DRY SPONGE CAKE
1 cup of flour, 8 eggs, 1 cup of sugar

SMETANA SPONGE CAKE NO. 1
2 cups of flour, 0.5~1 cup of sour cream, 6 eggs, 1 cup of sugar

SMETANA SPONGE CAKE NO. 2
1 cup of flour, 2 tablespoons of sour cream, 5 eggs, 1 cup of sugar

STARCH SPONGE CAKE
0.5 cup of flour, 0.5 cup of starch, 8 eggs, 1 cup of sugar

BUTTER SPONGE CAKE NO. 1
1 cup heaped with flour, 150g of butter, 3/4 cup of sugar, 4 eggs, 2 teaspoons of baking powder

BUTTER SPONGE CAKE NO. 2
1 cup of flour, 100g of softened butter, 8 eggs, 1 cup of sugar

VIENNESE BUTTER SPONGE CAKE
(made using the warm method; do not separate the whites and yolks)
1 cup of flour, 1 tablespoon of starch, 100g of butter, 2/3 cup of sugar, 5 eggs, 2 yolks

BUDAPEST BUTTER SPONGE CAKE
2/3 cup of flour, 2 tablespoons of melted butter, 8 eggs, 6 tablespoons of powdered sugar, 100g of ground almonds

PARISIAN BUTTER SPONGE CAKE
(made using the warm method)
0.5 cup of flour, 3 eggs, 2 yolks, 1 cup of powdered sugar, 2 tablespoons of melted butter

COTTAGE CHEESE BUTTER SPONGE CAKE
3 tablespoons of flour, 100g of softened butter, 200g of cottage cheese, 4 eggs, 1 cup of sugar, 1/4 teaspoon of baking soda

AIRY SPONGE CAKE
2 tablespoons of flour, 2 tablespoons of sugar, 5 eggs

CORN FLOUR SPONGE CAKE
0.5 cup of flour, 0.5 cup of corn flour, 6 eggs, 6 tablespoons of sugar

PUMPKIN SPONGE CAKE
2 cups of flour, 1 cup of sugar, 8 eggs, 2 cups of raw pumpkin puree, a pinch of salt

QUICK SPONGE CAKE
1 cup of flour, 1 cup of sugar, 5 eggs, 1/2 teaspoon of baking soda (neutralized with vinegar) or 1 teaspoon of baking powder

QUICK SPONGE CAKE WITH WATER
3/4 cup of flour, 100g of sugar, 2 eggs, 4 tablespoons of hot water

Sponge cake in a hurry.

flour - 1 cup (100 g),
eggs - 4-5 pcs,
sugar - 1 cup (180 g)

Beat the eggs with a mixer until fluffy foam forms.
Then, gradually adding sugar, beat until a thick foam forms.
Gradually add flour sifted through a sieve and carefully mix the batter with a spoon, lifting layer by layer until it absorbs the flour.
Carefully pour the batter into a greased and floured or breadcrumbs-covered mold.
Bake the sponge for 25-40 minutes in an oven preheated to ~180-200°C.

Lemon sponge.

4 eggs
1 cup of sugar
zest and juice of half a lemon
3 tablespoons of flour + 1 tablespoon of potato starch (all heaped) - together makes 1 cup

Grate the lemon zest on a fine grater.
Separate the eggs into whites and yolks.
Mix the yolks with a spoon of sugar and lemon juice.
Beat the whites with sugar until stiff foam, then, without stopping whipping, add the lemon zest and pour in the yolks with lemon juice in a thin stream.
To the whipped egg mass, carefully add flour and starch, stirring with a spoon from top to bottom.
Immediately pour the sponge batter into a greased or parchment-lined mold (preferably a springform) measuring 20x30 cm.
Place the future sponge in the preheated oven at 180°C and bake for about 25 minutes. Check readiness with a wooden stick.

The lemon sponge is very airy and has a delicate, subtle lemon flavor. It can be served with tea as a standalone dish or used as a base for a cake.

Chocolate sponge.

Separate the whites from 6 eggs. Whip the whites into a stiff foam (10 minutes with a mixer).
Continuing to whip, gradually add 2 cups of sugar. Add the egg yolks (one at a time).
Sift 4 tablespoons of cocoa through a sieve to prevent lumps, add to the batter and gently mix the batter from top to bottom.
Then, in several additions, add 2 cups of flour and a third of a teaspoon of baking soda, neutralized in half a tablespoon of lemon juice.
Grease the mold with butter and line it with paper. Pour in the batter and place it in the oven. Bake at 180 degrees until ready. If the surface is already baked but the center is not, cover the top of the base with parchment or foil. The cake bakes for about an hour.

Bon Appétit!