18-cm Sponge Cake

Directions

1. 1
   Leave the eggs at room temperature.
2. 2
   Put the milk and butter in a sauce pan over a bain marie to melt the butter.
3. 3
   Pre-heat the oven to 170C.
4. 4
   Put the eggs and sugar in a large bowl and beat with hand mixer at high speed.
5. 5
   Beat until fluffy.
6. 6
   It takes about 5 minutes!
7. 7
   Stir the mixture with hand mixer at a low speed while moving the mixer around to make the mixture smooth and even.
8. 8
   About 2 rotations.
9. 9
   You will have a very creamy mixture.
10. 10
    Add the flour, lift up the mixture from the bottom to the surface with your hand mixer and drop the mixture from the mixer along the edge of the bowl.
11. 11
    Stir the mixture rhythmically until evenly combined.
12. 12
    Drizzle the milk and butter mixture over and stir with a rubber spatula.
13. 13
    Lift up the mixture from the bottom to the surface evenly.
14. 14
    Do not damage the voluminous airness of the mixture.
15. 15
    Pour the batter into the pan and give a sharp tap to get rid of excess air.
16. 16
    Bake in the oven for 25 to 30 minutes.
17. 17
    After it's baked, rap it against your working counter by dropping the pan from above to avoid shrinkage of the sponge.
18. 18
    Place the cake pan upside down on a cooling rack and remove the pan.
19. 19
    After cooled, flip over and gently cover with cling film.
20. 20
    Allow to cool completely.
21. 21
    This is our 2009 Christmas cake decorated with strawberries.
22. 22
    This cake had 3 layers inside!
23. 23
    Here's the cake I made for my son's tenth birthday in 2010.
24. 24
    In 2011 for my son's 11th birthday, I decorated the sponge with matcha-flavoured cream.
25. 25
    I made a checkered pattern with plain and matcha sponge cake.
26. 26
    This is a slice of the cake.
27. 27
    This is what I made in 2012 for my son's 12th birthday.
28. 28
    I mixed matcha into the batter for a matcha cake.
29. 29
    In 2012 for my daughter's 4th birthday.
30. 30
    I made a strawberry short cake.
31. 31
    Here's what it looked like inside.
32. 32
    Here's the Christmas cake from 2012.
33. 33
    I asked my children to decorate the cake.
34. 34
    This was decorated by my 3 children.
35. 35
    It was the best melt-in-your-mouth cake.
36. 36
    In 2012 for my second son and husband's joint birthday.
37. 37
    I changed some of the flour to cocoa powder and made a chocolate sponge cake.