Paper lined sponge cakes
The theme for the latest International Incident Party (hosted as always, by the lovely Penny) is nostalgia, and I love it! It’s such a great theme and sent me down memory lane trying to think of a dish to make.
Ultimately I decided on paper lined sponge cakes. I remember the first time I ate these was in Hong Kong – I think it was on our first visit back there when I was 6, but memory is so fluid it could’ve been later visits. I still remember how cute they looked, and the lightness of them. I know that I had never eaten anything like them in NZ before, which is why they stick out in my mind so much!
Paper lined sponge cakes are basically chiffon cakes, baked in tall individual cups lined with paper. Like all chiffon cakes, they are super soft and fluffy, and taste sweet and eggy. If you’ve never had chiffon cake, you are seriously missing out! I think chiffon cakes could be the best cake ever.
My cakes weren’t quite the same as the ones I remembered, which doesn’t make them bad – just not the same! They needed to be a bit sweeter, but the soft, fluffy texture was definitely there. I used rectangles of baking paper for the liners – and basically just shoved them into the cake cases so mine were a bit messy, but if you took more time and care you could get them looking really good. I think a bit more sugar to the recipe below would make them perfect – next time I bake them I’ll try doubling the first amount of sugar and see how it goes.
Still, I’m really pleased I made these. What a fun trip down memory lane!
Check out previous IIP themes here.
And see what all other attendees made:
Paper lined sponge cakes
Adapted from chinese.food.com
80g cake flour
20g cornflour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
5 egg yolks
30g caster sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla
55g vegetable oil, warmed
60ml warm milk
5 egg whites
50g caster sugar
Preheat oven to 180°C and prepare your cases – you can line normal muffin tins by pressing in squares or rectangles of baking paper with a similar sized cup. Traditionally the cakes are quite tall though, so taller tins are better!
Sift together the cake flour, cornflour and baking powder.
Whisk the egg yolks, 30g sugar, salt and vanilla essence until it’s thick and creamy. Mix in the warm oil and milk into the yolk mixture.
Fold the sifted flour mixture into the yolk mixture.
Beat the egg whites until they are frothy, and while beating, gradually add the remaining sugar. Beat until the egg white is stiff.
Gently fold a small amount of egg whites into the yolk mixture to lighten it. Then fold in the remaining egg whites.
Spoon the batter into your prepared cups to about 3/4 full, and bake for 20 minutes or until they are golden brown.
March 20, 2011 @ 11:22 am
Growing up, my grandma always bought these for me from the local bakery… I can still remember the taste of them.. light, fluffy and buttery.. MmMm.. and we called them cupcakes 🙂 Different from the cupcakes here.. but sooo good!
March 27, 2011 @ 12:19 pm
Yes, totally different from the cupcakes here! And I love that so many people have memories of these growing up 😀
March 20, 2011 @ 12:07 pm
These are absolutely inspired! I love them and even if they weren’t quite the same as you remember, you did a wonderful job!
March 27, 2011 @ 12:20 pm
Thanks Mardi! I had fun thinking of something to make for this theme – it was a good one!
March 20, 2011 @ 12:08 pm
love anything sponge or chiffon… prefer light and fluffy cakes. So asian of me right?
March 27, 2011 @ 12:21 pm
Yep, you’re so Asian, Penny! But that’s a good thing 🙂
March 20, 2011 @ 12:19 pm
Thank you so much for making these – they bring back memories for me too! Can’t remember whether I first tried them in Sydney or Hong Kong though… Love how they’re so light and fluffy and I used to try and peel them so carefully so that there wasn’t too much wastage through bits sticking on the paper =D
March 27, 2011 @ 12:23 pm
Yay, I’m so glad I’m not the only one with fond memories of these 😀 I’m definitely going to have to make them more often!
March 20, 2011 @ 12:43 pm
Grr they look so soft and inviting! Do want.
March 27, 2011 @ 12:25 pm
They were so yum. I ate three in a row!!
March 20, 2011 @ 3:06 pm
BFF, I’m one of the people missing out! I’ve hardly ever even had Western-style sponges, let alone chiffon-esque cakes. Life is SAD. (Funnily enough, I just read Shellie’s and Penny’s Nostalgia posts, and now I feel like there’s a super-secret chiffon club out there that I was forcibly left out of as a child…)
March 27, 2011 @ 12:26 pm
Oh BFF! So sad that you haven’t eaten chiffon cakes – you need to make one ASAP.
March 27, 2011 @ 12:40 pm
I do I do I do. And I shall, hopefully once I’ve finished the batch of muffins I made!
March 20, 2011 @ 3:30 pm
Still look damn delicious even if they weren’t exactly the same as you remember them!
March 27, 2011 @ 12:26 pm
Yeah they were still pretty good 😀
March 20, 2011 @ 4:43 pm
Your photos are gorgeous and I am so going to have to try these chiffon cakes – which I have wanted to do ever since seeing Poh’s on her tv show months ago and since a lady at work who hails from Taiwan / Manila has told me all about her memories of chiffon cake. Yum. Having said that, I have never been a fan of our sponge cake, so, who knows, but I want to try it anyway. Your photos are so stunning, I can practically smell the cake anyhow!
March 27, 2011 @ 12:44 pm
Thanks ck 🙂 Give the chiffon cakes a try, they really are good!
March 21, 2011 @ 11:21 am
They look absolutely gorgeous and are making my mouth water. I love remembering exotic foods for the first time. Your post is beautiful.
March 27, 2011 @ 12:44 pm
Aww thanks Nancy! 🙂
March 21, 2011 @ 11:27 am
Wow, not only are these cakes gorgeous, your tea cup is divine!! I adore it. I may have had chiffon cake whilst in HK, I am not sure?! If I don’t know then perhaps I never have… surely I would remember something like this!
Heidi xo
March 27, 2011 @ 12:45 pm
Chiffon cakes are very common in HK, so possibly you have? Maybe you need to hunt some down to make sure! 😀
March 21, 2011 @ 8:15 pm
What neat presentation. How unique!
March 27, 2011 @ 12:45 pm
Thanks Shirley! 🙂
March 21, 2011 @ 10:59 pm
I think they look beautiful – I like that they aren’t perfect, but have a homemade look to them. I have never made cake like this, I love it.
March 27, 2011 @ 1:55 pm
Thanks Trix! They’ve very easy to make and so worth it 🙂
March 22, 2011 @ 1:26 am
You have some gorgeous cakes… light, fluffy and look absolutely delicious!!
March 27, 2011 @ 1:55 pm
Thanks Malli! 🙂
March 25, 2011 @ 2:37 pm
I think yours look perfect as it is:) Beautiful pictures too! On a side not, I totally adore your tea cups:)
March 27, 2011 @ 1:56 pm
Thanks Kayla! 🙂 I got the teacup with the matching saucer AND teaspoon from an op shop! They’re originally from T2.