GENOISE SPONGE

This is classic French sponge cake. It may be cut into small squares or oblongs and iced or served as a large cake with whipped cream.

Ingredients:
Flour - 175 gms
Unsalted butter - 175 gms
Eggs - 6
Castor sugar - 225 gm
Vanilla essence - 1/2 tsp

Method:

• Preheat the oven to 375F. Lightly grease and dust with flour two 8" sandwich cake tins.
• Gently melt the butter over a pan of hot water.Leave to cool.
• Put the eggs, sugar and vanilla essence in a bowl.
• Place the bowl over a pan of hot water over low heat.
• Using a wire whisk or rotary beater whisk the mixture for about 20 minutes, or until it is pale and thick and will leave a ribbon trail when the whisk is lifted. Remove from the heat.
• Sift the flour into the egg mixture and fold it in carefully with a large metal spoon.
• Pour in the butter and quickly and lightly mix it in.
• Pour the batter into the cake tins and bake for 25-30 minutes or until the sponge has shrunk slightly a thin skewer inserted into the center comes out clean.
• leave the cakes in the tins for 5 minutes before turning them out on to wire racks to cool.