Go Back
+ servings
nan's sponge cake
Print Recipe
5 from 9 votes

Nan's Sponge Cake

A vintage sponge cake recipe. Just like Nan made.
Prep Time30 minutes
Cook Time45 minutes
Total Time1 hour 15 minutes
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: Australian, English
Keyword: sponge, spongecake
Servings: 12 servings
Calories: 361kcal

Ingredients

Sponge Cake

  • 4 eggs
  • 1 cup caster sugar
  • 1 cup plain flour (preferably cake flour)
  • 1 teaspoon cornflour
  • 1 tablespoon butter
  • 4 tablespoons boiling water
  • 1 teaspoon cream of tartar
  • ½ teaspoon bicarb soda

Condensed Milk Filling

  • 1 tin condensed milk
  • 2 lemons

Mock cream

  • 125 grams unsalted butter (½ cup)
  • 125 grams icing sugar (¾ cup)
  • 3 tablespoons boiling water
  • 3 tablespoons cold water

Decorating

  • 5 strawberries (chopped in halves or quarters)

Instructions

Sponge Cake

  • Pre-heat oven to slow-moderate (155 degrees celsius (fan-forced)).
  • Prepare two small round, square or heart tins. Grease and dust with flour or grease and line with baking paper.
  • Separate egg whites from yolks.
  • Whisk whites using an electric hand held beater on medium-high speed until stiff.
  • Add egg yolks and continue beating for another three minutes.
  • Add sugar gradually to egg mixture while continuing to beat on medium-high speed.
  • Sift flour, cream of tartar and cornflour.
  • Fold dry ingredients through egg and sugar mixture on mixer's lowest speed.
  • Combine melted butter, boiling water and bicarb soda. Once combined, add to mixture and mix on lowest speed until combined.
  • Pour equal parts of mixture into the tins and bake for 45 minutes.
  • Once cakes are cooked, allow to cool for five minutes before turning out onto a cooling tray.

Condensed Milk Filling

  • To make condensed milk filling, pour condensed milk into a bowl.
  • Juice the two lemons and add the lemon juice to the condensed milk.
  • Whisk by hand until mixture is an even, thick consistency.

Mock Cream Filling

  • Beat butter until creamy.
  • Add a little of the boiling water to the icing sugar. Just enough to make it into a paste. Add sugar gradually while continuing to beat the butter.
  • Add the remaining water a little at a time, alternating between hot and cold water, while continuing to beat the mixture.

Assembling

  • Once cakes are completely cool, pipe stars of mock cream on the top of one of the sponges (so top of cake is completely covered). Add the second cake to the top of the first to create a sponge sandwich.
  • Spread a thin layer of mock cream on the top of the second sponge. Pipe stars of mock cream around the edge of the sponge cake.
  • Pour condensed milk mixture onto top of sponge until it fills the area (the mock cream stars act as walls to keep the filling contained). You may have a little left over.
  • Decorate with strawberries.

Nutrition

Calories: 361kcal | Carbohydrates: 55g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 14g | Saturated Fat: 8g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 91mg | Sodium: 120mg | Potassium: 231mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 46g | Vitamin A: 461IU | Vitamin C: 13mg | Calcium: 112mg | Iron: 1mg