Forum Thermomix
Welcoming Center, Management and General Chat => Chit Chat => Topic started by: Chelsea (Thermie Groupie) on January 25, 2012, 10:39:48 am
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Am heading to an Australia Day lunch party tomorrow and the host has organised a sponge bake-off. We all have to bring a sponge cake (only one attempt allowed) and there are prizes for the tastiest and most appealing looking sponge. Not being a huge sponge fan I have never made one before. I just went to make one and realised I needed wheaten cornflour, not maize cornflour. Poor Hubby is on his way to do some late night shopping.
My Mum is a great sponge baker and has an easy recipe, but I'm tempted to try Maggie Beer's no-fail sponge recipe though. Any tips for recipes or decorating?? I would love to knock their socks off. :)
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I'm on holidays at the moment and have my iPad tethered to my iPhone so I can get my fix of this forum, so I don't have access to my recipe books. However, I have made Nigella Lawson's sponge recipe which she makes in a food processor. I think the recipe is in her Domestic Goddess book. I suspect that this would translate well to the thermomix. From memory, the secret was to use really soft butter. I found that the sponge rose really well. The traditional way to fill a sponge is with jam and cream, and dust the top with sugar, so if you have any jam that you've made in your thermomix you would be way ahead of other sponges filled with store bought jam. However, as it's Australia day, I would suggest filling it with lemon curd and cream and topping with passion fruit icing. Good luck!
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I would suggest filling it with lemon curd and cream and topping with passion fruit icing. Good luck!
Or passionfruit curd!
I made some using nay-nay recipe and it's delicious.
I'm no sponge expert but I understand that the key is lots of beating of the eggs first - I think my cookbook recommends beating for 20 mins
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Isn't a sponge the basis for lamingtons? Then you'd be seriously Aussie!
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it is the basis for lamingtons. best results achieved by day old sponge not fresh, as it soaks up too much choc icing.
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My Mum is a great sponge baker and has an easy recipe, but I'm tempted to try Maggie Beer's no-fail sponge recipe though. Any tips for recipes or decorating?? I would love to knock their socks off. :)
I must look that one up Chelsea!
The perfect sponge is one thing I just cannot crack......and it's not through lack of trying either!
I WILL NOT GIVE UP :)
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Good luck with the challenge Chelsea, let us know which recipe wins.
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Good luck Chelsea. The CWA always used strawberries and cream when I was growing up. Some strawberry jam in the middle with cream, and on the top cream and fresh strawberries.
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I have once made a Lamington sponge. I used nutella like spread and cream in the middle. Top with chocolate ganache, sprinkled coconut and fresh strawberries.
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Thanks so much everyone. I would definitely have made lamingtons (so Aussie) but we did those last time. :)
I won!!!!!!!!!! Am pretty excited because I never win anything.
I used my Mum's recipe and it made 2 x 20cm sponge cakes. I just couldn't believe how well they turned out. Incredibly light. I used 1 full cake and half of the other to make a 3 tiered cake. I just used berry jam and cream and a light pink butter icing on top. For the Australian element I made a gum leaf/nut posy to put on the cake. I ended up finding some raffia to tie the posy up with which looked better than the fabric in the photo below. There were only 9 other cakes but it was quiet competitive.
I didn't use my thermomix but will post the recipe here incase anyone else would like it:
Award Winning Sponge ;) ;D
Preheat oven to 180 degrees and grease two 20cm round cake tins (I lined the bottoms with baking paper).
Sift 3/4 cup wheaten cornflour, 1/2 tsp bicarb soda, 1 tsp cream of tartar & 2 tsp plain flour (sift it through twice). Set aside.
Separate 4 large room temperature eggs and beat egg whites until stiff.
Continue to beat and gradually add 3/4 cup castor sugar, 1 tsp at a time.
Add egg yolks one at a time and wait until mixed in well. Scrape down beaters and remove bowl from stand.
Gently tip sifted ingredients onto the egg/sugar mix and very gently fold it into the mix. Keep your spoon well down in the mix and turn the bowl rather than moving the spoon. Don't over mix (at all!!!).
Spoon mixture into prepared tins and cook for approx 15 mins or until middle springs back when pressed gently.
Be careful not to bang tins on bench or in oven and be gentle when closing the oven door.
Leave in tin for several minutes before sliding out onto a clean tea towel to cool.
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My cake photos. :)
P.S - Read above to find out about it. For some reason I couldn't attach the photos to my last post.
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Well done Chelsea ;D ;D ;D
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Congratulations Chelsea. Your sponge looks really lovely.
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(http://dl.glitter-graphics.net/pub/501/501581aehjatx3r2.gif) (http://www.glitter-graphics.com)
Yay for Chelsea, what a great effort.
Did they judge by looks, taste or both Chelsea. Did you think you had half a chance when you saw all the other cakes?
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They judged for overall appeal and taste (3 blindfolded judges). Mine came first for taste and second for overall appeal. The lady who won the overall appeal admitted that she had bought hers (which we all already knew but wondered if she would admit to). Her cake was two full sponges joined with raspberry cream with a pile of mixed berries and pink icing flowers on top. Bright pink icing was drizzled all over the cake and down the sides. It wasn't at all Australian looking but was lovely all the same. The person at the shop did a wonderful job. ;) :D
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Well done Chelsea! Your cake looks so lovely. Mum's always have the best recipes.
I can't believe someone entered a bought cake in a cake competition, that's so wrong!! Even if she admitted to it, that's just wrong :o
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Lol. Well done Chelsea. All that worry about which recipe to use. The cake looks great. I have yet to try a sponge in the TM except for the laminations on this forum which is a real light sponge cake. I wonder if this would work as a sponge cake if I maybe doubled the recipe? Anyway well done again 😄🍰
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Congratulations Chelsea. You were very brave to have a go, and won.
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Whenever you do an experiment there is always a "control" item to compare it to. In fact, I think in your case it is a good thing. You won! She has jipped herself because she had to pay someone to do it for her and so she hasn't actively competed, whereas you have done it all on your own merit. How much it cost is anyones guess (she would have paid a fortune) and how cheap is a good sponge to knock up (ha ha you win again). I loved your honky nut arrangement, and I always marvel at anyone who comes up with an original idea. Good girl Chelsea - you have the lil Aussie battler spirit that is very admirable.
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Here, here.
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Congratulations and well done on your win Chelsea :)
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Well done Chelsea, bought cakes dont count, we can all do that.
H :)
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Well done, Chelsea. The recipe you made looks just like the one I used to make when I was much younger - it always turned out well so I might give it another go.
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Thanks everyone. I will never be a cake decorator (not into fiddly things) but I did enjoy doing this. It made an interesting change from my usual rapadura and spelt flour baking. ;) ;D
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Congrats Chelsea. :-*
Robyn
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Congratulations Chelsea. My mum made the best sponges ever, so light and airy and so big. Even tho I use her recipe I can never get them to be like hers and yet my daughter is able to do them just like her nanna. Beats me.
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I beat the eggwhites for over 20 minutes and folded through the dry ingredients VERY gently. I think that is important. Can't wait to make Mum's birthday cake this year. She will get a shock when I present a strawberry sponge just like hers (if I can do it again). :)
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Congratulations. Will try the recipe.
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Have been keeping my kenwood mix master just to make sponge, had a try today with my first TM sponge. Having grown up with CWA ladies sponges, I certainly wouldn't take it to the local show. FAIL ED - lovely and light in the middle didn't rise very high but crusty on the outside going to give it another crack before I will part with the kenwood
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What is wheat cornflour?
I have never heard of this. Cornflour in UK is made from corn = maize.
Thanks
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Cornflour (http://www.bestrecipes.com.au/forums/showthread.php?t=18387) here in Australia can be made from wheat DJ. Have a read of the discussion on Best Recipes about this subject.
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What is wheat cornflour?
I have never heard of this. Cornflour in UK is made from corn = maize.
Thanks
I haven't found it here in the UK DJ.I think the nearest is "sauce flour" by Carrs (http://www.carrs-flourmills.co.uk/carrs_sauce_flour.html) :)