Plain Syrian Sponge Cake
This recipe is for a plain, airy Syrian sponge cake based mainly on 4 large eggs, sugar, vanilla or orange zest, hot water, vegetable oil, flour, starch, and baking powder. The chef explains whisking the egg whites and yolks separately, then folding in the dry ingredients with gentle bottom-to-top movements to retain air in the batter. It is baked at 160°C for 35 to 40 minutes in a small, tall pan without opening the oven during baking, and can be left in the switched-off oven for a few minutes before removing.
A simple Syrian sponge cake with a plain, airy crumb.
Like a classic plain sponge cake.
Ingredients
- 4 eggs large eggs
- 1¼ cups (180 g) sugar
- 1 tbsp vanilla or orange zest
- ½ cup (100 ml) hot water
- ½ cup (70 g) vegetable oil
- 1 cup (100 g) flour
- 1 cup (120 g) starch
- 1 tbsp or 1 sachet (10 g) baking powder
- for greasing the pan butter
- for dusting the pan flour
- 2 tablespoons water
- 1 tablespoon cocoa
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 160°C with top and bottom heat, or bottom heat only if necessary, and position the oven rack on the lowest rack or in the middle of the oven, depending on the type of oven.
- Prepare a small, tall cake pan, then grease it with butter and dust it with flour.
- Separate the cake eggs, using 4 regular-sized eggs, preferably at room temperature.
- Whisk the egg whites in a mixing bowl until they reach an almost stiff consistency, then set aside.
- Whisk the egg yolks with the sugar and flavouring until the sugar dissolves and the mixture becomes pale in colour.
- Gradually add the hot, non-boiling water to the yolk mixture, whisking very quickly while adding it.
- Add the vegetable oil to the mixture and stir until combined.
- Sift the starch, flour, and baking powder together, then add them to the yolk mixture.
- Fold the mixture from the bottom upwards with a spatula until the flour disappears, keeping as much air as possible in the batter.
- Pour some of the batter into the prepared pan; the batter may be divided into two portions if a cocoa portion is desired.
- For a cocoa portion, mix 2 tablespoons of water with 1 tablespoon of cocoa, then add it to the second portion of batter.
- Stir the surface of the batter in the pan with a skewer to release large air bubbles.
- Bake the pan in the oven at 160°C for 35 to 40 minutes without opening the oven door during this time.
- After 35 to 40 minutes, test the cake with a wooden skewer inside the oven to make sure it is done.
- Once baked, turn off the oven and leave the oven door slightly ajar for 5 minutes to 15 minutes, then remove the cake and leave it until cool.