Parisian Savoy Sponge Cake
Among the Savoy sponge cake recipes, the one from Pâtisserie Félix, a grand 19th century house in the rue Vivienne, is one of the very best.
Equipment: Savoy cake or Genoese sponge pan, 10½ or 11¼ inches in diameter
SERVES 8
Ingredients:
- 14 eggs
- 2½ c. (1 lb. 2 oz.) superfine (caster) sugar
- Seeds from 1 vanilla bean
- 1⅓ c. all-purpose (plain) flour
- 1¾ c. cornstarch (corn flour)
- 1 pinch of salt
- Butter and sugar for the cake pan
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Instructions:
- Preheat the oven to 375°F. Butter the pan and dust it with sugar.
- Separate the eggs into whites and yolks.
- Put the sugar, vanilla seeds, and egg yolks into a mixing bowl. Beat with an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment until the batter is very creamy and has become pale and thickened.
- Sift the flour with the cornstarch, then whisk into the cake batter.
- Whisk the egg whites with the pinch of salt until standing in firm peaks. Fold them into the batter using a spatula, mixing gently until they have been evenly incorporated.
- Pour the batter into the pan, filling it by two-thirds. Bake for 45 minutes. Check if the cake is cooked by pushing the tip of a sharp knife into the center; the knife must come out clean.
- Turn the cake out onto a wire rack.
