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Light and Airy Vanilla Sponge Cake with Raspberry Jam and Fresh Strawberries Recipe

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4.2 from 58 reviews

This Light & Airy Sponge Cake Recipe delivers a perfect, delicate sponge that's better than bakery versions, characterized by its fluffy texture and subtle vanilla flavor. Ideal for layering with raspberry jam and whipped cream, this versatile cake can be decorated with fresh strawberries for a classic Victorian sponge experience. The recipe emphasizes accurate measurements using grams and includes tips for maintaining moisture with a simple syrup brush and achieving stable batter by careful folding.

  • Total Time: 1 hour 40 minutes
  • Yield: 12 servings

Ingredients

Sponge Cake

  • ⅓ cup (40 g) all-purpose flour
  • ½ cup (60 g) cornstarch
  • ¼ tsp baking powder
  • ¼ tsp salt
  • 4 large eggs, separated (whites and yolks), room temperature
  • ⅛ tsp white vinegar
  • ⅔ cup (132 g) white granulated sugar, divided in half
  • 1½ tbsp warm water
  • 2 tsp vanilla essence/extract
  • 2 tbsp (30 g) unflavored vegetable oil (canola)

Simple Syrup

  • ½ cup (100 g) white granulated sugar
  • ½ cup (110 g) boiling water

Whipping Cream

  • 2 cups (375 g) cold whipping cream
  • 2 tsp icing sugar (powdered/confectioners sugar)
  • ½ tsp vanilla essence/extract
  • 1 punnet fresh strawberries for decorating

Raspberry Jam

  • 1 batch of homemade raspberry jam filling

Instructions

  1. Prepare Dry Ingredients: In a bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, cornstarch, baking powder, and salt until combined. Set aside for later use.
  2. Whip Egg Whites: In a medium bowl, combine egg whites and white vinegar. Using a mixer on medium-high speed, whip for about 30 seconds until foamy. Gradually add half the sugar (⅓ cup) and continue whipping for 2 minutes, then reduce speed to low and whip for another minute, totaling around 4 minutes. Stop when stiff peaks form. Set aside.
  3. Prepare Egg Yolk Mixture: In a large bowl, mix remaining sugar (⅓ cup) with warm water until sugar dissolves. Add egg yolks and vanilla extract. Whip on medium-high speed for 4 minutes, then low speed for 1 minute, until the mixture thickens and ribbons form when lifted with a spoon.
  4. Add Oil: Slowly stream the vegetable oil into the egg yolk mixture while mixing on medium speed until fully incorporated.
  5. Combine Mixtures: Fold half of the whipped egg whites gently into the egg yolk mixture using a spatula until just combined.
  6. Add Dry Ingredients: Sift the dry ingredient mixture over the batter and fold gently until just combined, taking care not to deflate the batter.
  7. Fold in Remaining Egg Whites: Gently fold the remaining whipped egg whites into the batter until combined. Break up any large unmixed chunks with the spatula but avoid overmixing to retain air bubbles.
  8. Prepare Pans and Bake: Preheat the oven to 160 °C (320°F) with fan. Line the bottom of two 8x3 inch baking tins with baking paper; leave sides ungreased and unlined. Divide batter evenly between tins, tap lightly on the counter to release large air bubbles, run a knife or toothpick through batter to remove remaining bubbles, and bake for 25 minutes. A gentle touch test should leave a slight indent that bounces back.
  9. Cool Cakes: Once baked, immediately tap the tins from about 10cm height and invert while still in tins onto a wire rack to cool completely for about 1 hour. This prevents deflation.
  10. Remove Cakes and Trim: Run a thin knife around the edges to release cakes from tins and turn out onto wire racks. Gently rub fingers on edges and tops to remove the darker crust, which can have an eggy aftertaste.
  11. Make Simple Syrup: Combine sugar and boiling water until sugar dissolves. Generously brush the tops and sides of the cooled cakes with the syrup to keep them moist, using about three-quarters of the syrup in total.
  12. Make Whipped Cream: Whip the cold whipping cream, icing sugar, and vanilla extract in a large bowl until stiff peaks form, taking care not to overwhip.
  13. Assemble Cake: Place one sponge layer on a serving plate. Spread a thin layer of raspberry jam, then arrange halved strawberries upside down. Spread a generous layer of whipped cream evenly over. Place the second sponge cake on top, cover with more whipped cream, and decorate with additional strawberries as desired. Enjoy!

Notes

  • You cannot use cake flour as a direct substitute for the all-purpose flour and cornstarch combination. Cake flour may substitute only the all-purpose flour, but this has not been tested.
  • If using a non-fan oven, bake at 175 °C (347°F) instead of 160 °C.
  • Continue whipping egg whites until stiff peaks form to ensure stability in the batter; reference can be found in YouTube tutorials for whipping egg whites.
  • Cooling the cakes upside down while still in the pans prevents them from deflating.
  • Brushing the sponge with simple syrup is crucial to prevent dryness since these sponges are low in fat.
  • Mixing first on high then low speed for the egg mixtures helps remove large air bubbles, leading to stable batter and preventing collapse during baking.
  • Author: Amelia
  • Prep Time: 15 minutes
  • Cook Time: 25 minutes
  • Category: Dessert
  • Method: Baking
  • Cuisine: Western, Victorian

Find it online: https://recipesvibe.com/light-and-airy-vanilla-sponge-cake-with-raspberry-jam-and-fresh-strawberries-recipe/