Pan di Spagna has no baking powder to rescue it. The rise is built in the bowl, which is why the ribbon stage matters more than almost anything else in the recipe.
This is the classic base: eggs, sugar, flour, and potato starch. We keep it unfilled here so the structure is easy to judge. Once cooled, it can be split, soaked lightly, and filled, but the cake has to stand first.
Set servings and units first. You can change them anytime.
Heat the oven to 340°F. Line the bottom of a 8 in round cake pan with parchment and leave the sides ungreased so the batter can climb.
Whisk the eggs, sugar, salt, lemon zest, and vanilla on medium-high speed for 10 to 12 minutes. The mixture should triple in volume and fall from the whisk in a thick ribbon that sits on the surface for 5 seconds.
Sift the flour and potato starch together twice. Add one third to the egg foam and fold from the bottom of the bowl to the top, turning the bowl as you work.
Fold in the remaining dry ingredients in two additions. Stop as soon as no dry streaks remain. A few slow folds are better than knocking the air out with extra mixing.
Pour the batter into the pan from one side and level it gently. Bake 35 to 40 minutes without opening the oven for the first 30 minutes.
The cake is done when the top springs back lightly and a skewer comes out dry. Cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then loosen the edge and finish cooling on a rack.
For layer-cake use, wrap the cooled sponge and rest it at room temperature for 6 hours before slicing. Brush cut layers lightly with syrup only after the crumb has settled.
You made Pan di Spagna. Time to eat.
A new recipe in your inbox each month. No noise.
If the cake sinks, the usual cause is under-whipped eggs, rough folding, or opening the oven too early. Fix the foam first; extra flour will only make the crumb rubbery.
Six Italian regions. Nothing reformulated. Imported direct.
No comments yet. Be the first.