Sponge Cake

Ever been to Chinatown anywhere? Yeah, there's a Chinatown everywhere! They even have a Chinatown in Singapore where 75% of the population is Chinese. If you've been to Chinatown, you probably saw or ate these delicious airy cone-shaped sponge cakes wrapped in wax paper. Ever wonder how they make the cakes so delicated, soft, and taste like the clouds? Yeah, I wonder about it, too.

But I'm just a dreamer, I just wonder about it but it didn't cross my mind to make it. It was my sister who said "Doggone-it! I'm going to try to make them airy deliciousness!" She found the recipe here.

And so I became the helper of this project, i.e. I took the photos, I separated the eggs, etc.



Here are what you need:

190g of sugar = 6.7 oz
95g of flour = 3.3 oz
8 eggs separated into yolks and whites
55g of cornstarch = 2 oz
45g of butter = 1.6 oz (I cut off a 2 oz chunk)
1 tsp vanilla extract

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.


Start with a clean bowl and mixer, whip egg whites. Gradually add in the sugar. Save 2 tablespoons for the yolks. Whip until you get a soft peak.


In a separate bowl, beat egg yolks and the remaining 2 tablespoons of sugar until it's thick and creamy.



Add egg yolk mixture to egg white mixture.



Mix well. The video kept telling us NOT to over-mix and we were scared to over-mix but that was a mistake. Mix until the mixture is uniform, please!



Add the cornstarch and flour to the egg mixture via a sieve. This way you will minimize clumps of flour and starch which will result in very uneven texture.



Once again, mix until everything is even.



Melt the butter and pour into the batter along with the vanilla extract. Give the batter a few stir.



Pour batter into pan lined with wax or parchment paper and bake for 20 minutes or until you poke it with a toothpick and the toothpick comes out clean.

Remove from oven and let cool completely.



It's airy, fluffy, and delicious! However, I think there might have been too many egg yolks because it's a bit on the eggy side. Maybe next time, we'll experiment with less yolks.