How to make the perfect fluffy sponge cake at home

I have never made such a tall sponge cake before! It turns out to be a high, fluffy layer, from which you can build a huge cake for the whole family! We use a mold with a diameter of 24 cm.

Ingredients:

• 6 eggs
• 1 cup of sugar
• 1 cup of flour
• 1 teaspoon of baking soda (or 1.5 teaspoons of baking powder)
• 1 tablespoon of 9% vinegar or lemon juice

Recipe for preparation:

1. Break the eggs into a high bowl (do not separate the yolks), add the cup of sugar and beat with a mixer until a fluffy, light, thick mass forms. This will take about 1.5 – 2 minutes.
2. Important! You need to start beating at the lowest speed of the mixer, gradually increasing it to the maximum: 1-2-3-4-5… (my mixer has 5 speeds, at each for about half a minute or a little more).
3. Watch the consistency of the foam; it should become thick and light when traces from the mixer whisks start to remain, that’s enough :)
4. Sprinkle a spoonful of soda on top, extinguish it with vinegar and mix. I read an article stating that you should mix the soda with dry ingredients (flour), and the acid for its extinguishing (vinegar, lemon juice) – with liquid ingredients.
5. And extinguishing it in a spoon or on the surface of the dough is impractical, as all the carbon dioxide that creates bubbles goes into the air, not into the dough.
6. And since there are no liquid ingredients in this sponge cake besides the eggs, I switched to baking powder in this recipe. I mix it with the flour and sift everything into the dough.
7. Then gradually add the cup of sifted flour, carefully but gently mixing with a spoon.
8. It is best to bake the sponge cake in a removable mold, the bottom of which is lined with baking parchment or paper, greased with sunflower oil.
9. It is most convenient to place the paper at the bottom of the mold, put on and fasten the sides, and then trim the excess paper along the edge. The inner sides of the mold should also be lightly greased with vegetable oil so that the sponge cake does not stick.
10. But you don't need to grease too generously: greasy sides of the mold can prevent the layer from rising.
11. Pour the batter into the mold and place it in the oven. The original recipe states to place it in a cold oven, but I always put this batter in a well-heated oven. I feel that otherwise, the layer will not rise. And I don't want to risk and check anything.
12. So, place the mold in a preheated oven at 180°C and bake at the same temperature until ready.
13. And since the layer is high, it will take about 45-60 minutes. Periodically, you can slightly open the door and quietly peek into the oven. If the layer is browning at the edges, and the center is liquid – slightly reduce the heat to let the center bake.
14. Just don't reduce it sharply, or the sponge cake will "fall". If the layer looks ready, check it in the center with a wooden stick. Is there any batter left on it? Great – the sponge cake is ready!
15. Remove the mold from the oven, let the layer cool for about 10 minutes, then carefully cut the edges with a knife and release the mold. Turn the layer onto the lid of a large pot, quickly remove the paper from the bottom and turn it back onto a plate.
16. A magnificent tall sponge cake is ready! When it cools completely, ideally – the next day, you can cut it with a sharp wide knife into 3-4 layers, choose a cream, and build a big delicious cake! Enjoy your meal!