Ingredients
120 gm granulated sugar
4 extra large eggs at room temperature (each egg should weigh approx. 70 gms)
A pinch of salt
1 tsp grated lemon zest/vanilla essence
120 gm cake flour/All-purpose flour (do NOT add baking powder)
Needed: A 18-20 CM (7-8 INCHES) Pan for this quantity
Method
Preheat the oven to 170 C°.
Butter and flour/spray with baking spray a pan 20 cm /8 inches.
Beat the eggs, sugar, salt and lemon zest or vanilla essence in a stand mixer for 15/20 minutes until fluffy and pale yellow. It is during this stage that air is incorporated. Let a small amount of batter fall into the bowl. If it remains "keeping its shape" on top without loosing its shape for 10 seconds, it means that it's ready.
Sift the flour on top of the egg mixture, a little at a time, and fold it gently with a wooden spoon. If you pour in too much flour, it will sink to the bottom of the bowl. Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Don't smooth the top or bang the pan on the counter, leave it as it is!
Bake for 40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the centre comes out clean.
While the cake is baking, don’t open the oven for at least 30 minutes as this may cause the cake to deflate.
When it’s ready, turn off the oven but leave the cake inside (keep the door slightly open using a wooden spoon) for 5- 10 minutes.
Remove the sponge cake from the oven, let it cool for 10 more minutes, then loosen the cake around the edges with a spatula and turn it on to a wire rack to cool completely.
When the Sponge cake is cold cut it with a serrated knife.
This is better if you prepare it the day before, wrap it in cling film, and leave the cake in the fridge overnight. You can make it up to 3 days ahead of time.
Store the cake in the refrigerator for a couple of days, until ready to use. It can also be tightly wrapped in cling film and stored in the freezer for several months. Bring it back to room temperature before use or keep to thaw overnight in the refrigerator when needed.
For this cake I used a handful of raisins and glacé cherries.
NB: you could also make a Chocolate Sponge cake using 100 gms flour and adding 20 gms of cocoa powder (sifted together) using the recipe as above.
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