Milk Sponge Cake

This is one of my favourite cakes I have made so far. It is soft, sweet, and spongy and you will be making it again after your first baking. The secret to this recipe, which makes the cake lighter, is to make sure you beat the egg mixture for almost 10 minutes. This is the kind of cake that you could easily chip away at all afternoon until there was nothing left, but if you have patience and intend to serve this for dessert, you can have a dollop of whipped cream, some summer berries, or a scoop of ice cream.

Start by preheating oven to 350 degrees F then lightly spray two (9-inch) round cake pans with vegetable oil spray and line the bottom with parchment paper. Cover the eggs with hot tap water to allow them to sit for at least five minutes to warm them up. It is important that the eggs be warm to the touch when they are whipped with the sugar. This gives an extra lightness to the cake. In a bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt; set aside.

In a small saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter. Add the milk and heat until the mixture is steaming then remove from heat. In a large mixing bowl, crack the warm whole eggs. Using an electric mixer, whip the eggs until frothy. Gradually add the sugar and whip on high speed until the batter is light and thick. This takes a good ten minutes. Turn the mixer down to low and add the sifted dry ingredients (flour, baking powder, and salt).

Mix just until the dry ingredients are incorporated into the egg batter, stopping once to scrape down the sides and the bottom of the bowl. Add the scalded milk and butter mixture. Mix on low speed until the batter is smooth, scraping down the sides and bottom of the bowl. Add the vanilla extract and continue mixing on low just until the vanilla is incorporated into the batter.

Divide the batter equally into each prepared cake pan. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes or until the cake is golden brown and springy to the touch. Remove from the oven and place the cake layers on a wire cooling rack. Sprinkle each layer very lightly with granulated sugar. Leave the cake layers in the pan to cool for thirty minutes.

Ingredients;

• 4 eggs
• 2 cups (400grams/14.1Oz) of sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 2-1/4 cups (270grams/ 9.5Oz) all-purpose flour
• 2-1/4 tsp baking powder
• 1-1/4 cups fat-free milk
• 10 tbsp butter cubed

Instructions;

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. In a large bowl of a stand mixer, using the wire whip attachment, beat eggs on high speed for 5 minutes or until thick, at least double the size, and the egg mixture turns a light yellow colour.
2. Gradually add sugar, beating until the mixture is light and fluffy (about 2-3 more minutes). Beat in vanilla.
3. Combine flour and baking powder in a small bowl. Gradually add to batter, beating at low speed until smooth.
4. Heat milk and butter in a small saucepan until butter is melted. Gradually add to batter; beat on low speed, until just combined.
5. Pour into a greased 10-in. spring foam pan. Bake at 350° for 35-40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the centre comes out clean.
6. Cool completely before cutting and serving.