Michelle Darmody's Genoise Sponge Cake
A sponge such as this can dry out quite quickly, so spreading it with something like lemon curd, a fruit purée or syrup can help it last a little longer
SERVES
8
PEOPLE
PREP TIME
20
MINUTES
COOKING TIME
20
MINUTES
Ingredients
200g golden caster sugar
400g eggs, which is usually 8 medium eggs
40g butter, melted and cooled
pinch of fine sea salt
200g plain flour, sieved
For the filling and decoration
400ml cream
1 tsp vanilla
30g icing sugar
4 tbs lemon curd
400g summer berries
Method
Preheat your oven to 180ºC/gas mark 4.
Line two 8-inch round cake tins with parchment.
Crack the eggs. Heat the sugar and eggs over a simmering saucepan of water as you would when melting chocolate. Whisk them continuously as you are very gently heating the ingredients and adding air at the same time.
Whisk until the mixture trebles in volume.
Gently remove the bowl from the simmering water and pour the melted but cooled butter into the mixture in a continuous stream, folding it into the mixture as you are pouring it.
Fold in the sieved flour and sea salt until combined.
Scoop your batter into your two prepared tins, half into each tin.
Place the tins into the centre of your oven.
Bake for 20 minutes or until a skewer comes out clean.
Allow to cool in the tin until cool enough to handle, then gently place each of the sponges onto a wire rack to cool completely.
When you want to decorate your cake, whisk the cream, vanilla and icing sugar together until stiff.
Cover the top of one of the cakes in the lemon curd then cover this with cream and berries.
Place the second sponge on top then dollop with more cream, before decorating with even more summer berries.
