A Perfect Sponge

Continuing the tea-room theme I decided on making a simple but perfect sponge from a recipe that has been passed down through the generations of my family.

Making the perfect sponge may sound like the most boring of recipes but it does help to understand the basics of baking.

Top Tip: Rather than worrying about a recipe that asks for large, medium or small eggs weigh your egg (whole with shell) and then weigh out each of your ingredients to match the weight of whole eggs. Today my eggs weighed a total 280 g (shell on).

Ingredients:

280g Eggs (4 eggs) then weigh out the rest of your ingredients to match.
280g Margarine hard
280g Castor sugar
280g Self raising flour
1 tspn vanilla extract
A pinch of salt

Method:

1. Prepare two 20 cm/8" sandwich tins, grease each tin with margarine and place a circle of grease proof paper in the base of each.
2. Beat the margarine and sugar together until light and fluffy and pale in colour.
3. Break the eggs one at a time into the mix and beat until combined.
4. Sieve the flour and salt into the mix and fold in gently with a large spoon.
5. Split evenly between two sandwich tins using a palete knife spread evenly in the tin.
6. Place in a pre-heated oven 160Fan/180C/Gas Mark 4 for approximately 35 minutes.
7. To test if cake is done lightly press the centre of each sponge which should spring back.
8. Place tins on cooling rack for 5 minutes then carefully remove from the tins and leave until cold.

Butter Cream Ingredients:

50g Softened butter
100g Sieved icing sugar
1 tbsp Boiling water

Method - Mix all ingredients together in a bowl until light and creamy.

Build your sponge!

1. Spread approx. 3 tbsp of jam (flavour and quantity entirely up to you) onto one half
2. Spread the butter cream on the other half.
3. Take the half with the butter cream and sandwich together with the jammy half.
4. Dust liberally with icing sugar.
5. Now eat it!