Bake an Orange Sponge Cake for a Refreshing Twist on a Traditional Dessert

Light and fluffy,orange sponge cakeis a classic sweet treat that heroes the citrusiness and the sweetness of the fruit equally effectively. On top of that, orange sponge cake melts in your mouth because of its texture, which leaves you asking for more.

While this cake is aChristmas staple in many parts of the world, you can make it even for other gatherings. Because of how light it is, you can also pair this cake with a custard or a mousse, or serve it between courses as arefreshing palate cleanser.

Here’s a recipe for the Orange Sponge Cake

Ingredients:

For the cake:

• 251 gm flour
• 202 gm sugar
• 103 gm butter
• 5 eggs
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 122 ml milk
• 3 tsp baking powder
• A pinch of salt
• 2 tsp orange zest
• 63 mlorange juice

For the orange syrup:

• 204 gm sugar
• 201 ml water
• 2 tsp orange zest
• 63 ml orange juice

Method:

1. First, you have to preheat the oven to 180°C, and then grease two round cake pans, followed by lining their bottoms with parchment paper.
2. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, sugar and baking powder, and stir until everything is well combined.
3. Then, beat egg yolks in a food processor until they are light and fluffy.
4. Then, you will add granulated sugar, and continue beating until well combined.
5. After that, you need to add the flour mixture into the egg yolk mixture, and mix until it is just combined.
6. In another separate bowl, whisk together egg whites and cream of tartar until they form stiff peaks.
7. Now, you are going to slowly add the egg whites into the egg yolk mixture, and fold it gently until no white streaks remain.
8. After that, you can evenly divide the batter between the prepared pans, and smooth the tops.
9. Next, you need to bake them for about 25 to 30 minutes.
10. Now, you have to remove the cakes from the oven, and let them cool in the pans for 5 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely.
11. Then, you should mix sugar, water, grated orange zest and freshly squeezed orange juice in a small saucepan.
12. You will have to put the mixture on medium heat, and keep stirring until the sugar is entirely dissolved.
13. After that, you have to bring it to a boil and then lower the heat to medium-low and simmer for 5 to 7 minutes till it thickens a little.
14. Next, you can remove the syrup from the heat, and let it cool down to room temperature.
15. Now, you need to place one of the cooled cakes on a serving plate or cake stand, and brush the top of the cake with some orange syrup.
16. You can place the second cake on top of the first cake, and again, brush the top with some orange syrup.
17. Serve the cake immediately.

Tips to bake the perfect orange sponge cake

In order not to end up with a dense cake, you have to mix the batter only lightly, ensuring that it does not get overmixed. For an added aroma and flavor profile in your cake, you need to add a teaspoon of orange extract or a pinch of salt to the batter. To make your cake more visually appealing, you can also try topping it with a sprinkle of powdered sugar or a dollop of whipped cream.

The orange zest in this recipe will give a burst of citrus flavor to your cake, along with imparting a fragrant aroma. It also provides some bite and texture to your cake since it offers a good contrast to the light and airy nature of your cake base.

The leftover cake can be broken up into pieces, dried a little bit, and then used to make cake pops. Cake pops are usually made with brownies and dense cakes, which gives them a toffee-like taste. However, cake pops made with sponge cakes have a soft, crumbly texture reminiscent of a heavier cotton candy. To make the cake pops, gather the cake crumbles into your palm and shape them into small balls. Then, melt white chocolate and flavor it with orange essence and food coloring, before puncturing each of the balls with a toothpick, and dipping them in the melted chocolate bath. Once coated, stick the toothpicks into a foam board, and stash them into the deep freezer for 20 mins so that the chocolate sets and hardens.