Lavender Sponge Cake 薰衣草海綿蛋糕

"Back to the basics" is what I feel best to describe this sponge cake. As one of the most versatile cakes, it can be used as a base for many other forms of cake desserts, such as mousse cake.

I was inspired and challenged by a friend of mine who is very passionate in baking. Her persistent in doing it right set an example for me. In order to master a recipe, she sets a record of baking more than 10 cakes in a week.

Relatively speaking, I do not have much experience in making sponge cake with whole egg method and this may actually be my very first post on it. Whole egg whipping method with no other kind of leavening means whether the cake is successful or not solely depends on the stability of the egg foam. The air that gets trapped inside the egg foam expands in the oven and helps make the cake light and spongy. It is a bit more tricky making this cake than chiffon cake but the result is very rewarding!

In this recipe I used dry lavender instead of the more common vanilla extract to give it a different aroma. It gives the cake a very subtle scent.





用"返璞歸真"來形容這個海綿蛋糕便是最貼切不過了, 這是最基本的一款蛋糕, 它可以用來做其他款式的蛋糕, 如慕斯蛋糕。

最近一個同樣十分熱愛烘焙的朋友, 在一個星期內做了超過十個海綿蛋糕, 目的是要將它做好,她的熱誠及堅持做到最好的態度實在令我羞愧!

相對來講, 用全蛋法做海綿蛋糕我經驗不多。用全蛋方法打, 沒有其他膨鬆劑如梳打粉或泡打粉, 蛋糕的發起全靠打入蛋糊的空氣, 入爐受熱膨漲而升起, 令蛋糕鬆軟如海綿一般。它的做法比起雪紡刁鑽一些, 但效果是完全值得的!

今次我不用傳統的雲呢那香油, 而改用薰衣草, 另有一番風味呢!

Ingredients for a 8 inch spring form pan:

5 large eggs, room temperature 蛋,室溫
115g sugar 糖
105g cake flour, sifted 低筋粉,過篩
37g milk 牛奶
2 tbsp dried lavender 乾薰衣草
37g canola oil 芥花籽油

1)  Soak lavender in milk for 30 minutes or more to allow the lavender and milk to infuse. Strain and reserve the milk.

2)  Preheat oven to 350F.
3)  Put eggs and sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer. Starting on medium speed in the first minute,  increase the speed to high and beat for at least 10 minutes or until the volume increases to about 4-5 times the original.

4)  Add the sifted flour to the batter and mix on low for 30 seconds.
5)  Spoon out a few tablespoons of this batter and mix with the oil and reserved milk.
6)  After mixing with the oil and milk, scoop the mixture back to the batter and fold gently until blended.
7)  Pour into a non-greased pan and bake for 35-40 minutes. Take the pan out and drop it onto the counter from 4 inches above.
8)  Let it cool to room temperature on a rack before taking it out of the pan and serving.

Notes:
1)  Fresh lavender is a better choice than dried ones, if you have access to it. Buy dried flowers from food supply store. I got mine from Sprouts Farmer Market. Do not use those that are intended for air freshener use because they are not edible and have chemicals on them. For a stronger aroma, let it infuse in milk overnight in the refrigerator.
2)  Do not try to beat the egg batter by hand. This whole egg method needs the help of an electric mixer, either a stand mixer or a hand held mixer. Beat a few extra minutes if using hand held. A good stable egg foam is critical.
3)  After the addition of flour to the egg foam, the volume will dramatically reduce due to the extra weight.
4)  Click here for more details of the drop pan method to prevent shrinkage.

將薰衣草放牛奶內浸泡至少三十分鐘, 隔去渣後, 奶與油混合備用。預熱焗爐至華氏三百五十度。蛋加糖放入打蛋器內, 初初用中速打一分鐘, 然後用高速打十分鐘, 至蛋糊變奶白色, 體積脹大四至五倍便成。加入已過篩的麵粉, 用慢速打三十秒至均勻。將幾湯匙麵糊, 與奶及油混合均勻, 再倒入麵糊內以折疊方式輕手混合, 跟著倒入沒有塗油之焗盤內, 焗約三十五分鐘, 出爐後將蛋糕從四寸高放手令它跌在櫃臺上, 然後放架上待完全涼後便可脫模食用。

注意事項:
1)  如有新鮮薰衣草, 可代替乾的,會更香。不可用空氣清新劑那種乾薰衣草, 那些有化學劑加入, 不宜食用。如想香味更濃, 可讓它浸泡在牛奶內放雪櫃過夜。
2)  這種全蛋打法不宜用人手打, 要用打蛋器啊, 因為蛋糕做得成功與否視乎蛋漿是否打好, 如用手提打蛋器要多打幾分鐘。
3)  麵粉加入蛋漿後, 體積會明顯下降。
4)  關於如何令蛋糕焗後減少回縮現狀, 請點擊這裏 。