Apricot Raspberry Sponge Cake
Servings: 12 servings
Ingredients
for the sponge cake:
- 5 large eggs
- 1 cup + 2 tablespoons (225g) granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- zest grated from 1 lemon
- 3 tablespoons vegetable oil such as canola oil
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 1/2 cups (190g) all-purpose flour spooned and leveled, not scooped!
additionally:
- 10 apricots preferably small/medium
- 1 cup raspberries
- butter for greasing baking pan
- fine unseasoned breadcrumbs for coating baking pan
- powdered sugar to sprinkle on top of the cake
- more flour for dipping the fruit
Instructions
- Butter a 9x13-inch (23x33 cm) baking pan, then coat it with breadcrumbs.
- Clean the apricots and raspberries, then pat them dry with paper towels. Tear the apricots in half and remove the stones.10 apricots, 1 cup raspberries
- Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C).
- Separate the eggs into egg whites and egg yolks (the safest way is to do this with your hands). Place the egg whites in a medium/large bowl and the yolks in a large bowl.5 large eggs
- We need to beat the egg yolks and egg whites separately. If you have two mixers, you can do this at the same time—egg whites in a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, and egg yolks with a hand mixer. If you only have one mixer, beat the egg whites first, then use the same whisk to beat the egg yolks. (Remember: the whisk and bowl must be perfectly clean before beating the egg whites, or they won’t whip properly.)
- Add about half of the sugar (just eyeball it) to the egg yolks, along with the lemon zest and vanilla. Beat with a mixer for about 2-3 minutes, until the mixture becomes pale and creamy, with ribbons forming from the yolk mixture when lifted.1 cup + 2 tablespoons (225g) granulated sugar, 2 teaspoons vanilla extract, zest grated from 1 lemon
- In the stand mixer, whip the egg whites until foamy, then gradually add the remaining sugar while continuing to whip until stiff peaks form.
- Add the oil to the egg yolk mixture, then mix in the baking powder and salt.3 tablespoons vegetable oil, 1 teaspoon baking powder, 1/4 teaspoon salt
- Gently fold in 1/3 of the beaten egg whites into the egg yolk mixture, then add the flour. Carefully fold in the remaining egg whites until just combined.1 1/2 cups (190g) all-purpose flour
- Pour the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the surface.
- Prepare a small bowl with a little flour. Dip the bottom of each apricot half in the flour and place them on top of the batter—4 halves along the short edge and 5 halves along the long edge. Don't press the fruit in! If your apricots vary in size, place the larger ones at the edges and the smaller ones in the middle.
- Dip the pointed end of each raspberry in the flour, then place them between the apricot halves. Ensure the raspberries don’t touch the walls of the baking pan, as they may burn slightly.
- Bake the cake for about 45 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out mostly clean, with a few small crumbs attached.
- Let the cake cool just slightly - it tastes best when just slightly warm from the pan.
- Sprinkle the cake generously with powdered sugar, cut it into squares, and enjoy!
Notes
- How to correctly measure flour: I’m using the “spoon and level method” so 1 cup of flour in my recipes weighs 125g. Fluff the flour by stirring it in the bag/flour container with a spoon. Spoon the flour and sprinkle it into your measuring cup. Sweep off the excess flour with the back of a knife. Too much flour added to pancake batter will result in dry and dense pancakes. I recommend using a digital scale for perfect and consistent results.
- Calories = 1 serving (1/12 of the recipe). This is only an estimate!
Nutrition
Calories: 208kcal