Delia Smith Fatless Sponge Recipes

MY MOTHER'S FATLESS SPONGE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 165C/fan, 185C, 350-375F.
• Line 2 X 8 inch sponge tins
• Seive the flour, baking powder and cornflour together.
• Seperate eggs and whisk egg whites until stiff.
• Whisk in sugar.
• Whish egg yolks and then add them to the whites, whisk altogether.
• Fold in flour, cornflour and baking powder and divide between the 2 tins.

ALL-IN-ONE SPONGE CAKE WITH RASPBERRY AND MASCARPONE CREAM

Steps:

• Take a very large mixing bowl. Measure the flour and baking powder into a sieve and sift into a bowl, holding the sieve quite high to give the flour a good airing as it goes down. Now all you do is simply add all the other sponge ingredients to the bowl and, provided the butter is really soft, you just go in with an electric hand whisk and whisk everything together until you have a smooth, well-combined mixture. This will take 1 minute but, if you don't have an electric hand whisk, you can use a wooden spoon with a bit more effort. What you now end up with is a mixture that drops easily off a spoon when you give it a tap on the side of the bowl. If it does seem a little too stiff, add 1-2 tablespoons of tap water and mix again. Now divide the mixture between the two tins, level it out and place on the centre shelf of the oven. It will take 30-35 minutes to cook - don't open the oven door until 30 minutes have elapsed. To test if they are cooked or not, touch the centre lightly with your little finger; if it leaves no impression and springs back, the sponge is cooked. Remove from the oven and after about 30 seconds loosen the edges by sliding a palette knife all round, then turn them out onto a wire cooling tray. Now carefully peel back the lining by gently pulling it back. Lightly place the other cooling tray on top and just flip them both over so that the tops are facing upwards (this is to prevent them sticking to the cooling tray For the filling, combine the mascarpone and fromage frais in a bowl; a balloon whisk will amalgamate them quicker. Add the level tablespoon of sugar and one teaspoon of vanilla extract. Now spread one tablespoon of jam over one of the sponge cakes, follow this with half the cream mixture then scatter the raspberries all over that. Now add the remaining cream mixture and drizzle it with the rest of the jam. Place the second sponge cake on top. Press very lightly to sandwich everything together, then lightly dust the cake with icing sugar before serving.

LOW-FAT MOIST CARROT CAKE

Steps:

• Begin by whisking the 6 oz (175 g) sugar, eggs and oil together in a bowl using an electric hand whisk for 2-3 minutes. Then sift together the flour, bicarbonate of soda and the mixed spice into the bowl, tipping in all the bits of bran that are left in the sieve. Now stir all this together, then fold in the orange zest, carrots and sultanas. After that pour the mixture into the prepared tin and bake on the centre shelf of the oven for 35-40 minutes, until it is well risen and feels firm and springy to the touch when lightly pressed in the centre. While the cake is cooking, make the topping by mixing all the ingredients in a bowl until light and fluffy, then cover with clingfilm and chill for 1-2 hours or until needed. Now you need to make the syrup glaze, and to do this whisk together the fruit juices and sugar in a bowl. Then, when the cake comes out of the oven, stab it all over with a skewer and quickly spoon the syrup over as evenly as possible. Now leave the cake on one side to cool in the tin, during which time the syrup will be absorbed. Then, when the cake is completely cold, remove it from the tin, spread the topping over, cut it into 12 squares and dust with a little more cinnamon.

QUICK FAT FREE SPONGE

Steps:

• Preheat Oven to 170C/Fan 150C/ Gas 5. Place baking paper in a 7inch circular baking tin.
• Using an electric whisk, whisk together the eggs and sugar until it has tripled in size and is stiff. A test of this is to use the whisk to create a line on top of the mixture with the mixture and if it stays, then it is ready.
• Carefully fold in the flour, making sure to knock out as little air as possible so that the cake will rise well, pour the mixture into the tin and put into the oven for 10 minutes.
• (If making Victoria Sponge version) Create two of these cakes and leave to cool, whisk the cream ready.
• Once cooled, spread jam on one of the halves and then place the whipped cream on top. Then place the other half on top and enjoy - best served with a nice cup of tea!!