Strawberry sponge cake
PG tested
Strawberries for many are the quintessential summer fruit because they’re easy to find, extremely versatile and a sweet end to any meal. For your cookout this July 4, or any time you need a really great dessert, consider this strawberry sponge cake from French chef and cookbook author Gabriel Gate. Made with the simplest of ingredients — sugar, butter, flour, cream and eggs — it’s easy enough for tonight’s dessert but impressive enough for company. Later in the summer, swap out the strawberries for other seasonal berries or soft fruit. Blueberries or Chambersburg peaches would be awesome.
9 ounces superfine sugar
8 large eggs
1 ⅔ cups all-purpose flour, sifted
3½ ounces butter, just melted
1 pound, 5 ounces strawberries, hulled
1¼ cups confectioners’ sugar
7 ounces heavy cream, whipped
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter and flour a 10-inch round cake pan.
Use an electric mixer to beat sugar and eggs for 10 minutes or until mixture forms a thick ribbon.
Add sifted flour all at once and use a rubber spatula to fold it into the egg mixture gently but quickly. Mix in melted butter, again gently but quickly.
Pour mixture into prepared pan and smooth top with spatula. Bake for 30-40 minutes or until the cake is lightly browned and its top springs back when touched in the center. Set aside for a few minutes before gently turning out onto a wire rack to cool completely.
Mash two of the strawberries, then gradually stir in the confectioners’ sugar until the mixture has the consistency of icing.
Slice remaining strawberries in half. Cut sponge cake in half horizontally. Spread bottom half with whipped cream and top with two-thirds of the halved strawberries. Replace top half of cake and spread icing over the top. Garnish with remaining strawberry halves.
Serves 12.
— “So French, So Sweet” by Gabriel Gate (Hardie Grant, May 2018, $20)
Gretchen McKay: gmckay@post-gazette.com, 412-263-1419 or on Twitter @gtmckay.
First Published: June 29, 2018, 1:00 p.m.
