Sunday night sponge cake

It's Sunday night, the working week is beckoning, I'm tired after a busy weekend and the crucial lunch box supply cake tins are empty. Do I feel like a long, complex but equally fabulous baking creation? Actually no. Times like these call for an easy solution. A baking quick fix; mixed in one bowl and baked in a flash - Sunday night sponge cake.

 

 In the past, when making a sponge I have always used the french method of separating the eggs, making a meringue with the whites, creaming the yolks with the other half measure of sugar, and folding the two together before adding the flour and other ingredients.

All mixed and ready to bake
 

This method of throwing the eggs and sugar together and just beating the living daylights out of it is so much quicker and involves less than half the number of dishes.

Maximum speed and minimum mess for a quick Sunday night lunch box filler. 





Sunday Night Sponge Cake

3 eggs
pinch salt
3/4 cup caster sugar
1 cup plain unbleached flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
50g butter - melted

Pre-heat the oven to 190 degrees C. and line and grease a baking dish.

Beat the eggs and salt.
Add the sugar and beat until thick. This will take about 5 to 10 minutes depending on the capacity of your beater.
The mixture should be pale and light as a feather, and should form ribbons when it falls from the whisk attachment of the beater.
Sift the flour and baking powder twice before gentle folding it into the egg mixture.
Lastly, gently fold in the melted butter.
Bake for 10 to 20 minutes depending on the size and shape of the dish.
Cool in the tin for 10 minutes before turning out onto a wire rack to cool.
Decorate once cold.

As I was in a hurry I baked mine in a large rectangular dish - it took only 12 minutes to cook. If I was making it for a special occasion I would bake in a 20 cm round tin, split once cool and fill with fresh cream and jam.

Since this one has to last through a week of lunch box filling, I made lemon mock cream and decorated it with jam and dusted icing sugar.

Lemon Mock Cream Frosting

3  generous tablespoons soft butter
3 tablespoons icing sugar
3 tablespoons warm milk
zest and juice of 1 lemon

Put all the ingredients into the beater and mix until pale, light and fluffy.
Spread half the sponge with the mock cream and the other half with a jam of your choice - I used home made Blackcurrant Jam.






The finished product - made in no time at all and ready for the working week.

Enjoy!