Orange Chocolate Sponge Cake

I've done approximately 3 sponge cakes before and none has so far been very successful, with each in varying stages of dryness and frequently taste very heavily of eggs. I've then bookmarked many sponge cake recipes in search of a soft and moist sponge cake which also rises well. I dare say I seemed to have found it at Daily Delicious! 

This sponge cake recipe uses a little heavy cream in addition to the usual suspects of eggs, flour and sugar. It's a rather easy - to - make cake which takes only about 15 minutes to mix and maximum 30 minutes to bake. The toughest step is lining the pan! I really dislike the cumbersome actions of cutting little rounds and long strips and pasting them into the pans with a little bit of whichever batter or dough of the day. However, I guess that still beats scrubbing, scrubbing and scrubbing of unlined pans with the leftover crumbs. 

The only change I did was to add the zest of an orange as I think they may help supersede the strong egg-taste of sponge cakes. The resulting bake was a lovely, soft and moist sponge cake with a hint of orange, not egg! Yay, its bouncy and light, I could not stop pinching the cut-away strips as I prepare the cake for the mousse layer. Delightful, and I believe I would be baking this alot for all the durian / yam / mango layered cakes of the future while I start on today's composition of a chocolate orange cake!

Sponge Cake Recipe (Source):

4 Eggs

90g sugar

80g cake flour

pinch of salt

40ml warm whipping cream (microwave high at 20s)

Zest of 1 orange

Oven 180C, 8inch cake pan, lined on bottom. 

Steps:

1. Sift cake flour and salt together

2. Whisk eggs in a mixer on high speed until it lightens in colour.

3. Add the sugar to the egg mixture and mix on high speed until it reaches the thick ribbon stage (Where the batter will flow from the beater in a thick lava layer)

4. Add the flour into the egg-sugar mix and fold in to just combine. 

5. Take 1/4 of this mixture and stir into the warm whipped cream. 

6. Pour the whipped cream mixture and orange zest into the rest of the batter and fold to combine 

7. Pour into pan, tap on the counter to remove air bubbles and bake for 25 to 30 minutes, when the top is slightly browned and spring back to your touch. Cool completely. 

Chocolate Swiss Meringue Buttercream 

5 large egg whites

250g granulated sugar

340g unsalted butter, softened and cut into cubes

2 teaspoons vanilla bean paste or essence

pinch of salt

200g melted and cool dark chocolate

Steps:
1. Place egg whites and sugar in a clean and dry metal mixer bowl, and simmer over a pot of water (not boiling), whisking constantly but gently until the sugar has completely dissolved and the egg whites are hot.

2. Using the whisk attachment of mixer, immediately start whipping until the meringue is thick and glossy. The mixture should be at room temperature by now (It may take around 10 minutes)

3. Switch over to paddle attachment and on low speed, start to add butter cubes gradually, and mix until it has reached a silky smooth texture. Add vanilla, salt and melted chocolate. Continue to beat on low speed until well combined.

Chocolate Mousse Coating (Source)

170g chocolate

85g unsalted butter

4 egg yolks

3 tablespoons sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 cup heavy cream

Steps:

1. Melt the chocolate and butter in a bowl set over simmering water. (Do not let any water get into this mixture). Remove chocolate from heat. 

2. Combine egg yolks and sugar in another bowl and set over simmering water. Whisk for around 5 minutes until it turns pale. Remove from heat. 

3. Stir the chocolate mixture into the egg mixture. Add vanilla and mix well. It should be a smooth mixture. If it turns grainy, whisk in a small amount of cream and stir until smooth. Cool to room temperature. 

4. Whip the heavy cream to soft peaks. Mix 1/4 of the cream into the chocolate-egg mixture. Fold in the rest of the whipped cream. 

Assembly of cake:

1. Cut away a slim perimeter of the cake and slice the cake horizontally in half. 

2. Place 1 layer of the cake back into an 8-inch pan and spread the chocolate buttercream in a thick layer.

3. Cover with the 2nd layer of the cake. 

4. Pour the chocolate mousse over the cake until it completely covers the top. 

Chill in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours to set before serving. 

Unfortunately, I didn't have enough mousse to cover the cake as I cut away too much of the cake perimeter! With insufficient mousse, I tried to use it as a glaze instead, covering up all the edge however, they are too thin a layer and the jagged edges of the cut cake peeked through, resulting in a really bad looking side of the cake. oh well..lesson learned, and my friends love the cake!