Victorian Sponge

I have in my possession at the moment my friends KitchenAid and it has to be said .... I'm in love. I thought it best to use this fleeting time I have with my new lover to make a Victorian Sponge that without a decent mixer would be almost impossible for a mere mortals such as myself.

so here is my recipe for vanilla sponge

Ingredients:

6 eggs separated

¾ cup caster sugar

100g butter (melted and cooled)

1 cup plain flour

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

Method:

Grease and line a 26cm cake tin and preheat your oven to 190°C.

Melt your butter then add the vanilla and set aside to cool.

Beat the egg yolks with ½ cup of the caster sugar until thick, pale and creamy. In a separate bowl beat the eggwhites until they have formed mountainous peaks then add the sugar a little at a time while continually beating until the mixture is very stiff.

Add ¼ of the egg white mix into the yolks and fold in until combined.

Add the rest of the whites into the mix and gently fold through.

Sift the flour on top of the eggs and gently fold it through. Pour the cooled butter and vanilla down the side of the bowl and fold it into the mix until you have a rich glossy batter.

Bake at 190°C for about 25 mins or until the centre of the cake springs back when touched and the sides of the cake have started to come away from the tin.

The vanilla is optional in this cake and traditionally would be left out, I wanted a vanilla and strawberry flavour when serving this cake.

Slice the cake in half and fill with whipped cream and your favourite jam or as I have done with whipped cream and fresh strawberries.