Basic Sponge Sheet
This excellent multi-purpose recipe from Paula Peck’s The Art of Fine Baking is perfect for cake roulades (jelly rolls) as it is cooled in the pan and still remains pliable, without the need for turning out onto a tea towel as with some jelly roll recipes.
It also works extremely well for cut-out circles or strips of a plain cake.
Recipe: Basic Sponge Sheet
| Yield: 1 10 ¼â€ by 15 ¼â€ jelly roll pan | # of Servings: 10 |
Ingredients
¼ cup (1.1 oz / 31 g) all-purpose flour
¼ cup (1.15 oz / 32 g) cornstarch
4 large eggs
½ tsp vanilla extract
¼ cup (1.75 oz / 50 g) sugar
1 pinch salt
Tools and equipment needed:
- 1 10 ¼â€ by 15 ¼â€ jelly roll pan
- 1 parchment sheet cut 9 ¼â€ by 14 ¼â€
- Countertop mixer with whip attachment or handheld mixer
- Measuring cups, measuring spoon set, scale
- Medium mixing bowl
- Plastic spatula, offset metal spatula, whisk.
- Cooling rack
Pre-recipe preparations:
- Preheat oven to 400F
- Butter the pan, line with the parchment paper, and butter the paper
Directions:
- Sift together flour and cornstarch into small bowl. Set aside
- Separate eggs, placing yolks in medium mixing bowl, and whites in machine bowl or large mixing bowl (if using handheld mixer).
- Whisk yolks briefly with vanilla extract.
- Start beating the egg whites and salt on medium speed.
- When whites are at soft peaks, slowly add sugar and beat just until medium stiff meringue. Do not overbeat.
- Stir ¼ of the whites into the yolks to lighten.
- Fold in remaining whites along with the dry mixture just until well blended. Do not over mix.
- Pour into jelly roll pan and, using offset spatula, spread evenly over the pan.
- Place in oven and bake 8 to 11 minutes, just until the sheet is firm to the touch. The sheet will not brown.
- Remove from oven and place on cooling rack.
