Baking Tips for Sponge Cakes

1.    We are unable to tell you what temperature and for how long to bake your cakes for in your oven as all ovens are different and we will not be held responsible.  What I will say is the larger the cake the lower the temperature and the longer the cooking time.  We bake at 150c conventional for 10” cakes and larger.  We bake smaller cakes on a slightly higher temperature.  Always pre-heat your oven.

2.    It is best to bake sponge cakes using a conventional oven as you will find it rises more evenly giving less waste to cut off.  However, you may bake in a fan oven or gas oven.

3.    Butter tin with full fat butter ensuring 100% coverage.  Add flour (plain or self raising) and swish around to ensure that all the butter is generously coated in the flour.

4.    Wrap strips of brown paper around the tin and secure with string tied tightly in a knot.  This will help the edges of the cake rise and protect them from the heat.

5.    Place tin on a few layers of brown paper in the oven to help protect the bottom of the cake from the heat.

6.    News paper can be used instead of brown paper but the newspaper will give a horrible hot paper smell in your kitchen.  Brown paper is best. (it's what I call parcel wrapping paper sold in Tesco in rolls at a reasonable price).  If you decide to use news paper, carefully check that there are no glossy flyers tucked inside the newspaper as these will catch fire.

7.    For a nice deep cake poor cake mixture into the tin up to about 1 inch under the top of the tin.

8.    If the top of your cake is brown enough and you do not want it to get too brown lay grease proof paper or tin foil over the top of the tin and cut a hole in the centre (about the size of a 50p) to let out the steam.

9.    When you feel that your cake may be cooked enough take it out of the oven and put a skewer into the sponge in a few different places.  If the skewer comes out dry each time the sponge cake is cooked.  If the skewer is sticky put the cake back into the oven for a further 10 minutes.  After 10 minutes test the cake again in the same way.  Repeat if necessary.

10.  When the cake is fully cooked take it out of the oven.  Take off the brown paper and leave to cool for about 15-20 mins.  The cake will shrink away from the floured tin.  Gently bang the tin on the work surface to loosen the cake and then turn out onto a wired rack.  Loosely lay a clean tea towel over the cake until completely cool.

11.  Never leave your cake to cool completely in the tin as it will sweat and stick to the tin.

12.  Once the cake is cool put it back into the tin and cover with a couple of tea towels until you are ready to sugarpaste it.

13.  It is best to bake on one day and ice the following day.  Never ice a cake when it is still warm.  If a warm moist cake is sealed in icing it will sweat and ferment.

14.  Once the cake is iced store in a non-airtight container, preferably a cake box, at room temperature.  Never put into a fridge or store in cold temperatures as the sealed moist cake will react and ferment quickly.

15.  When you are ready to sugarpaste the sponge cake cut the top risen dome off using the top of your tin as a guide.

16.  Turn the cake out onto a cake drum/board so the bottom of the cake becomes your top flat surface ready to butter cream and ice.

17.  Refer to sugarpaste coating instruction sheet for further information.

For further information please contact Maxine or Sarah at the shop on 01932 831991 or email: contact@sugarsculpture.co.uk