Sponge to serve with summer fruits

Press, 7 January 1987, Page 20

Sponge to serve with summer fruits

Alison Holst’s

Food Facts L 4 I

If you can whisk up a quick sponge you can use it as a base for all types of summer berry desserts. I think that it is very hard to beat very simple sponge and berry puddings — a sponge split and filled with whipped cream and berries, or a thinner sponge with cream and berries on top. You can sprinkle the cake with sherry, rum, brandy or a fruit flavoured liqueur before you “top it” or you can flavour the cream with any one of these before you whip it. This sponge is a very light, eggy one. If you want a sponge with a more solid texture, and a greater volume, add an extra tablespoon of cornflour. 3 large eggs W cud sugar % cug cornflour .

Yt cup self raising flour 1 teaspoon vanilla Have eggs at room temperature. Beat them until light coloured and thick. Add the sugar and beat again until very thick. Sift, the cornflour and self-raising flour together two or three times, then sprinkle over the egg mixture. Add the vanilla. Fold, do not beat, in the dry ingredients and vanilla, until no lumps remain. A

Pour mixture into a 20cm square or round tin which has had its bottom lined with greaseproof paper and its sides sprayed or buttered and floured, or turn into two 18cm sponge sandwich tins, similarly prepared. Bake at 190 C for 10 to 20 minutes, until centre springs back when pressed lightly with a finger.

Leave to cool for about 5 minutes, ■ standing

sponge, in tin, upside down on a cake rack if desired, then loosen edges and remove carefully. Fill when cool, or wrap carefully and freeze until required. Variation:

For a sponge roll, spread the above mixture in a 23 x 30cm sponge roll tin which has had a piece of baking or greaseproof paper spread across the bottom and - two sides. Bake at 190 C for 12-15 minutes or until the centre springs back, quickly turn out of oven onto a clean teatowel, remove the paper and trim the edges if necessary, then roll up in either direction, rolling the teatowel with the sponge. Leave to cool, unroll, fill with whipped cream, berries etc., re-roll, dust with icing sugar, and covef lightly until serving. |