This is a very simple 3 egg small sponge cake that is a great base for filled layer cakes. You can make for example a small Finnish strawberry cake from this. In Finnish, this is called sokerikakku.
This recipe for Finnish sugar cake is so very simple. It is passed from grandmums forward to the next generations. The cake is quite sweet so, it is good to fill with something fresh like mashed berries.
This cake serves 6-8 people.
A sponge cake is light and airy. It does not need any rising agent. The eggs are beaten fluffy to get the right consistency. We Finns don't usually have buttercream in our cakes but instead whipped cream and something fresh like berries.
Ingredients
- 3 Eggs. Room temperature eggs whip the best, but you can succeed even with cold ones. A bit older eggs make better foam than really fresh ones. they should not be too old either.
- All-purpose wheat flour
- Potato starch. If you only use potato starch you get an even fluffier cake, but the downside it that is crumbles and breaks more easily and is harder to cut into layers.
- Sugar. Even brown sugar works.
Equipment
- 3 identical glasses
- Mixing bowl
- Electric whisk
- Sieve
- Spatula
- 6-inch cake pan.
Instructions
- Grease your cake pan with some butter or oil. You can even add a layer of bread crumbs. I usually don't use them, since I know my cake pan is of good quality and the cake comes easily loose from it.
- Crack your eggs in one of the glasses. Pour an equal amount of sugar into the next one. Measure 70% of wheat flour in the third glass and fill the rest with potato starch.
- Whisk the eggs and sugar to white and fluffy. This takes at least 7 minutes. Make sure there is not any water or grease in your bowl, this can ruin your foam. Do not whip with the highest speed, start with a lower one and increase to the middle speed. This way you get best air bubbles in your foam that are not too big and break easily.
- Sieve the flour and gently turn them into foam. Mix very gently into an even batter.
- Pour your batter into the greased pan. Bake at 350 F for 35 minutes on the lower rack in the oven.
Remember not to open the oven in the middle of baking since it makes the cake flatten.
Secret tip to get perfect sponge cakes
Problem: You take your cake from the oven, it looks perfect, and you let it cool. Then you notice it has sunk in the middle. This is a quite common problem.
Solution: Drop your cake from 1 foot high (30 cm) directly when you take it out of the oven. This helps prevent it from sinking.
A hot cake has water vapor in it. This becomes water when the cake cools down. When you drop the cake it gets new air "channels" inside and new air gets inside the cake replacing the water vapor.
Variations
- Gluten-free. Make the base from a gluten-free flour mix, add only 80% of volume since it usually absorbs more fluid than wheat flour.
- Chocolate. Add 2 tablespoons of cocoa powder in the flour mix.
- Gingerbread spiced. Add 1-2 teaspoon gingerbread spice mix.
- Lemon flavored. Add 2 teaspoon grated lemon peel in the batter.
- With carrots. Add ½ cup grated carrots and 1 teaspoon cinnamon in the batter.
Problem-solving
Your cake has risen too quickly. Your oven temperature could be too high. Every oven is a bit different. It also might have too much flour in it. Different flour types have different absorption, especially gluten-free mixes might absorb more liquid.
You cooked it for too long and it had a bit too much flour.
You need to test your cake at the end of baking time with a toothpick or stainless steel cake skewer. If it comes out clean your cake is ready. If you get any dough on the toothpick you need to bake it for longer.
You need to add the flour with a sieve to avoid clumps.
More Finnish sweet recipes
- Raspberry caramel cake
- Strawberry Brita cake
- Pannukakku-oven pancake
- Laskiaispulla-jam and cream buns
- Korvapuusti-Finnish cinnamon ears
Finnish sponge cake
Equipment
- 1 6-inch cake pan (14-16 cm)
Ingredients
- 3 eggs
- ½ cup sugar measure by glass
- ⅛ cup potato starch
- ⅓ cup all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon butter
- 1 tbs bread crumbs
Instructions
- Grease your pan. Add a thin layer of bread crumbs.
- Crack your eggs in one of the glasses. Pour an equal amount of sugar into the next one. Measure 70% of wheat flour in the third glass and fill the rest with potato starch.
- Whisk the eggs and sugar to white and fluffy. This takes at least 7 minutes. Whip with a lower speed and increase to the middle speed.
- Sieve the flour and gently turn them into foam. Mix very gently into an even batter.
- Pour your batter into the greased pan. Bake at 350 F for 35 minutes on the lower rack in the oven.
- Test your cake is done with a toothpick. If it comes out clean you can take your cake out. Drop the cake from one foot high directly hot from the oven. This makes air tunnels and you don´t get a sunken middle.
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