sponge cake without raising agent

[Rev. Green]

Mrs Beeton says you can make a sponge cake with plain flour without bicarbonate of soda.
You start by beating three eggs with some sugar over warm water until the mixture is creamy.
I beat it for 45 minutes over a pan of boiling water and it still wasn't creamy. A tiny amount of egg around the edge had gone hard, but the only other change was that I had blisters.
Is Mrs Beeton barmy, or can it be done?

[puddicat]

Why would you want to?just to prove a point perhaps,wasnt ure wrist klackered!!!!

[puddicat]

knackered even!!!!!

[Rev. Green]

Sometimes, following instructions gives a better result.
If I were a real Reverend, and not a character from Cluedo, I could start a sermon here.

[Jugglering]

In the sponge cake recipes with no raising agents that I have seen, the eggs are separated out first. The egg yolks are beaten until they are creamy, then the sugar beaten in. The egg whites are whisked until they are still and stand in peaks and then half are folded into the egg and sugar mix. The flour is then sifted (to aerate it) and gently folded in. Finally, the rest of the egg white is added.

The reason that no raising agent is needed is simply that the air beaten into the mixture is supposed to make the sponge light enough - so you do have to be careful to incorporate as much as possible and be very gentle when folding in the flour.

I would not have used *boiling water* to beat my eggs over - that might have resulted in scrambled egg !

[Jugglering]

the egg whites are whisked until they are STIFF... lol sorry !

[Rev. Green]

Many thanks. I'll try that. Or perhaps it would be simpler not to run out of self-raising flour again!

[Jugglering]

LOL.... or always have a tub of baking powder in the store cupboard (I keep baking powder, cream of tartar and bicarbonate of soda in mine, as well as all sorts of different types of flour, just in case.....)

Here's a recipe for a sponge cake that uses no baking powder, so you can see the quantities (from http://www.allcakes.info/cakes/sponge-cake-rec ipe.php)

LEMON SPONGE CAKE

6 eggs
1 cup sugar
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
zest of 1 lemon
1 cup flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup chopped pecans

Preheat oven to 325�F.

Beat yolks of eggs until thick and lemon colored. Gradually beat in the sugar, grated lemon rind, and juice. Fold in half of the stiffly beaten egg whites.

Cut in sifted flour and salt, add nuts, and remaining egg whites.

Bake in a slow oven for about one hour or until toothpick inserted in center of cake comes out nearly clean.

[Rev. Green]

Wow! Six eggs. My mouth is watering already.
But, hand on heart, if you had self-raising flour or baking powder available, would you ever bake sponge cake using just plain flour?

Minor correction to anyone following the link: omit the ")" after "php".