Moist Sponge Cake
An exceptional, yet simple moist sponge cake made with pantry staples, has a velvety, tender crumb and keeps well for 3 days.
Ingredients :
225 g / 2 sticks of unsalted butter, cut into 8 pieces and softened
4 large eggs at room temperature
1⁄2 cup / 125 ml milk (whole or low fat, not no fat), room temperature
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 3/4 cups / 265g plain flour (all-purpose flour, 7 oz)
2 tsp baking powder
1 1/2 cups / 330g caster sugar / superfine sugar
3/4 tsp salt
Instructions :
Preheat the oven to 180C/350F or 160C/320F. Put the rack in the middle of the oven.
Butter your cake pans then line the base with baking paper.
Place Wet ingredients in a bowl and whisk to combine. Place dry ingredients in a bowl and use a handheld beater on speed 1 to quickly whisk.
Add 1/3 of the butter, then put the beater whisk in the butter, and mix using speed 1.
Once the butter is incorporated a bit, speed up to 5 and whisk for 10 seconds.
Add another 1/3 of the butter then repeat, then add the remaining butter and repeat again. It should look like wet sand.
Add half the wet mixture, and beat until incorporated. Add the remaining wet mixture, then beat on medium speed until almost completely smooth. Divide between cake pans, and smooth the surface, then bake for 25 minutes.
A skewer inserted into the middle should come out clean but moist. Cool on a cooling rack for at least 15 minutes then remove the cake from the pan.
