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Basic Sponge Cake

Lesley Smith
Course Baking

Ingredients
  

  • 250 g Caster Sugar
  • 250 g Butter
  • 250 g Self-Raising Flour
  • 4 Eggs
  • Icing Sugar For Butter Icing
  • Butter For Butter Icing

Instructions
 

  • Mix sugar and butter together in a mixer or a bowl until smooth.
  • Add in the eggs and again mix until smooth.
  • The final step is simply to fold in the flour until fully mixed through and you've added air with the folding.
  • Cook in a moderate oven around 160 - 170. You can split the mixture into two tins which should cook in around 35 minutes, but it will take longer if you use one tin and slice the cake as I do. My last cake took nearly 50 minutes to be fully ready and I reduced the heat a little. I use a skewer to pierce the cake and if it comes out clean, I know it's ready. I use cake release spray on my tins, but a good old spread of butter will also help to turn out your sponge once it's cooked.
  • I slice my cake into two portions, allow them to cool and then fill with butter icing.
  • I judge butter icing by eye. I put approximately half a block of soft butter into a bowl and then just add icing sugar in small amounts until it reaches the thickness and consistency that I am after. Spreading the icing sugar on finishes the simple cake and then just sprinkle a dusting of icing sugar over the top.
  • Serve with fruit coulis or sauce.