Blueberry and cinnamon sponge cake
“My Aunty Iris makes the best sponge cake I have ever eaten, and even though she has given me the recipe many times I still can’t make it as well as she does. She has a special touch! So here I’ve gone back to the drawing board and put my own twist on the classic sponge. This recipe is outstanding, with the perfect crumb – not too dry, not too moist – and all brought together with the delicious cinnamon cream and blueberry jam,” writes Justine Schofield in her latest cookbook Simple Every Day.
Serves: 8
Ingredients:
- 4 eggs, at room temperature, separated
- zest of 1 lime
- ¼ teaspoon cream of tartar
- 145 g caster sugar
- 125 g self-raising flour
- 2 tablespoons vanilla custard powder
- pinch of ground cinnamon, plus extra to serve
- 1 vanilla pod, split and seeds scraped
- 3 tablespoons icing sugar, sifted
- 250 ml thickened cream
- 80 g sour cream
Method:
1. Preheat the oven to 160°C. Grease two 20 cm round cake tins and line the bases with baking paper.
2. Combine the egg yolks and lime zest in a small bowl.
3. Place the egg whites and cream of tartar in the bowl of an electric mixer and, using the whisk attachment, begin mixing on medium speed, gradually increasing the speed to high. Once the egg white is frothy, slowly rain in the caster sugar. Reduce the speed to medium and whisk for 5 minutes until the egg whites are thick and glossy. (Consistently whisking like this stabilises the foam.) Add the egg yolks and zest and mix for 30 seconds to combine. Sift in the flour and custard powder and lightly fold in with a spatula until just combined.
4. Divide the mixture between the prepared tins, smooth the surface, then tap lightly on the bench to eliminate any air pockets. Bake for 20–25 minutes until firm to touch and the top springs back gently when lightly pressed. Cool in the tins for 5 minutes, then gently loosen the cakes’ sides with the tip of small sharp knife and turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely.
5. Meanwhile make the jam. Combine all the ingredients in a saucepan. Stir and leave to macerate for 5 minutes. Place over medium–high heat and cook, stirring, until the blueberry skins burst and the juices are released. Reduce the heat to low and cook for 20 minutes, skimming off any impurities that rise to the surface. Transfer the jam to a bowl and allow to cool.
6. Combine the cinnamon, vanilla seeds, 1 tablespoon of the icing sugar and the cream in a bowl and whip to soft peaks. Add the sour cream and fold to combine.
7. Spread the jam and then the cream over one of the sponge cakes. Place the other cake on top to sandwich the two layers together, then dust with the remaining icing sugar and an extra dash of cinnamon.
Tip: If you want to make the jam ahead of time, spoon the hot jam into a sterilised 250 ml jar. Seal with a lid and turn the jar over for 2 minutes, then turn the right way up again. Set aside to cool. Homemade jam will keep for up to year if unopened. Once opened, place in the fridge and keep for up to 6 months.
Recipe courtesy of Simple Every Day by Justine Schofield (Plum, $39.99).