orange sponge
My mother is not a great cook simply because she didn’t have to be one. My dad was a gifted baker and cook. The only thing she baked when I was a child was either an orange sponge or pandan chiffon. So, I grew up eating a lot of this cake.
Since I started baking at ten, I became more familiar than my mom when it comes to baking. When my dad stopped baking, I would simplify recipes for her. Every time we changed an oven, I would teach her how to use it. For the last twenty years, she has blessed many of her friends from the swiss rolls, pineapple tarts and almond biscuits I taught and simplified for her to bake.
This cake always reminds me of my mom, because that’s the only cake she didn’t learn from me.
Today, I tried to do two things differently. I used only corn flour for the structure of the cake. Therefore, the cake is ultra smooth. Secondly, I tried to layer the cake into three. Experimenting to see if sponges can be layered this way. The outcome is not bad, but not something I will attempt again. Layering is still best done with cakes with a bit more flour and fat.
orange sponge
Ingredients:
7 Large Eggs, separated
1/2 tsp Cream of Tartar
120g Sugar
70 ml Orange Juice
70 ml Cooking Oil (sunflower, olive, peanut, melted butter – whatever you have)
140g Corn Flour (sifted)
1/2 tsp Gluten free Baking Powder
Zest of 1 Orange
Method:
- Preheat oven at 160ºC.
- In a clean bowl, whip the egg whites until frothy and add the cream of tartar.
- Add half the sugar slowly and whip at medium speed to medium peak.
- In a separate bowl, beat the egg yolks with the remaining sugar until the yolks turn pale.
- Add the zest, orange juice, oil and flour. Fold in.
- Divide the egg white mixture into three parts, and fold in one part at a time.
- Pour mixture into a bundt and bake for 60 minutes.
- Top with icing sugar and more orange zest if desired.
