Butter Sponge Cake
For 1 10-inch cake
  • 4 tbs butter , clarified
  • 2/3 cup + 2 tbs sugar
  • 4 eggs , separated
  • 2 tsp vanilla extract
  • pinch salt
  • 3/4 cup ( 2 1/4 oz ) cake flour , sifted
  1. Preheat oven to 350 °F. Butter and flour a 10-inch cake pan.
  2. Melt the butter, and let cool.
  3. Gradually beat the 2/3 cup sugar into the egg yolks. Add the vanilla extract, then continue to beat until the mixture is thick, pale yellow, and forms a ribbon, about 5 minutes.
  4. Beat the egg whites and salt together in a clean (grease-free) bowl with clean beater blades. Beat until soft peaks form, then sprinkle on the 2 tbs sugar and beat until stiff peaks form.
  5. Add 1/4 of the egg white mixture to the egg yolk mixture, and sift on 1/4 of the flour. Fold gently together until partly blended.
  6. Repeat with 1/3 of the remaining egg whites and flour, then with half the rest, and finally the remainder. With the last batch, add the butter. Mix well but gently to avoid deflating.
  7. Spread evenly into pan. Bake 30 to 35 minutes, or 12 minutes for a jelly roll cake.
  8. Invert onto a rack, then immediately flip again onto its base to cool.

Variation: Jelly roll or yule log

  1. Preheat oven to 375 °F.
  2. Use a 12 x 17 inch jelly roll pan. Add a layer of parchment paper to the bottom, and grease that.
  3. Be sure to spread batter very evenly in a thin layer in the pan. Bake about 12 minutes.
  4. Invert onto a towel. Remove the parchment paper and immediately roll up lengthwise with the towel in it. Let cool in the towel.
  5. When cool, unroll, remove towel, fill with desired filling, and reroll.