Best Citrus Sponge Cake Recipes

CITRUS SPONGE CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• Beat egg yolks until slightly thickened.
• Gradually add 3/4 cup of sugar and hot water to yolks, beating until thick and lemon colored.
• Blend in orange juice, vanilla, orange and lemon peels.
• Sift together cake flour, baking powder and salt.
• Add to wet ingredients.
• In a separate bowl, beat egg whites until soft peaks form.
• Add remaining 1/4 cup sugar, a tablespoon at a time until stiff peaks form.
• Fold 1/4 of the egg white mixture into batter until incorporated. Fold in remaining egg whites.
• Spoon into an ungreased 10 inch tube pan.
• Bake at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes, or until cake springs bake when pressed lightly.
• Immediately invert pan and cool.

STICKY CITRUS SPONGE CAKE

Steps:

• Heat oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Finely grate the zest from 2 oranges into a large bowl. Cut the peel and pith from all the oranges with a serrated knife, and slice quite thickly.
• Drizzle the golden syrup evenly over the base of a greased 23cm round cake tin. There is no need to line the tin and it shouldn't have a loose bottom otherwise the syrup will bubble through. Arrange the best orange slices on top of the syrup and finely chop any that don't fit.
• Put all the remaining ingredients in the bowl with the zest and chopped orange. Beat with an electric hand mixer until smooth. Spoon on top of the oranges, spread lightly and make a deep hollow in the centre of the mix with the back of a spoon - this will ensure that the cake rises evenly.
• Bake for 45-50 mins until firm when pressed. Allow to settle for 5 mins before turning out. Drizzle with golden syrup if you like, and serve with custard or ice cream.

CITRUS SPONGE CAKE WITH STRAWBERRIES

Steps:

• 1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly grease a 9-inch springform pan with the oil and dust with potato starch.
• 2. Sift the cake meal and potato starch together over a piece of foil and set aside.
• 3. In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat the egg yolks on medium speed for 3 minutes, until golden yellow and thick. Add the sugar slowly. Continue to beat 3 minutes more.
• 4. With the mixer on low, gradually add the orange juice, lemon juice, orange zest, and lemon zest. Add the vanilla and almond extract. Gradually add the matzo meal mixture to the batter. Mix gently until well blended.
• 5. In a clean bowl, beat the egg whites with the whisk attachment of the electric mixer until foamy. Add the salt and beat until the whites hold glossy peaks. Gently fold the egg whites into cake batter with a spatula. Pour the batter into the springform pan and bake for about 50 minutes, or until a cake tester comes out clean. Cool the cake in the pan, then loosen the sides. Cool completely.
• 6. Cut the cake into 12 wedges, or carefully slice the cake in half horizontally with a serrated knife and cut into 6 wedges to make 12 total wedges.
• 7. Toss the strawberries with the orange juice and sugar 30 minutes before serving the cake. Spoon the strawberries over each cake wedge and serve.

CITRUS-ALMOND SPONGE CAKE

Steps:

• For the Margarita Semifreddo
• Put twenty 2 x 2-inch ring molds on a tray and put them in the freezer at least 1 hour before you start to make the semifreddo.
• Stir the tequila, Cointreau, simple syrup, and lime juice and zest together to make the margarita base. Measure 2/3 cup (drink the rest).
• Pour about 3 tablespoons of the margarita base into a small glass bowl and sprinkle the gelatin over the surface. Let sit for about 1 minute, then microwave for 45 seconds or heat gently in a small saucepan until melted.
• Put the egg, egg yolks, and sugar in the bowl of a standing mixer. Set the bowl over a saucepan of simmering water-make sure the bottom of the bowl doesn't touch the water-and whisk until the sugar is melted and the mixture is hot. Whisk in the gelatin.
• Move the bowl to the standing mixer fitted with the whisk and whisk at medium-high speed until the mixture is pale and light and the sides of the bowl are cool.
• In a separate bowl, whip the cream to medium peaks.
• Fold about half of the remaining margarita base into the eggs. Fold in half the cream, then repeat, folding in the remaining base and the cream, gently but thoroughly.
• Fill a pastry bag and pipe the semifreddo into the ring molds (see Note), leaving about 1/3 inch of headroom. Cover with plastic wrap and freeze for at least 2 hours before serving.
• For the Sponge Cake
• Heat the oven to 375°F or 350°F on convection. Spray eight to nine 1-ounce aluminum timbale molds with cooking spray and coat them with sugar (vanilla sugar, page 185, would be best). Set the molds on a baking sheet.
• In a small bowl, rub the sugar, orange and lemon zests, and vanilla seeds (rinse, dry, and save the pod for another use) together with your fingers.
• Whisk the almond flour, cornstarch, and salt together.
• Put the egg and egg yolk in the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with the whisk. Whisk at medium speed until frothy. Add the sugar mixture and beat at medium-high speed until light and doubled in volume. Add the dry ingredients gradually, scraping the sides of the bowl as needed. Increase the speed to high and beat until the batter regains its original volume, about 3 minutes. You can prepare the batter about 2 hours in advance. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate it right away.
• If you've made the batter in advance, whisk it again on high speed for about a minute. Fill a pastry bag and pipe the batter into the molds, filling them about two-thirds full. Bake until puffed, golden, and firm, about 11 minutes. Rotate the pan halfway through baking.
• Unmold the cakes right away. You'll need to nudge them out of the molds with a small knife. Serve them warm.
• To Serve
• Mix the orange zest and sugar together in a small bowl. Dip the tops of the warm sponge cakes into the sugar and set them on small plates. Garnish with the candied kumquats and lemon zest. Unmold the margarita semifreddos by rubbing each mold briskly between your palms and then pushing the semifreddo out of the mold. Add them to the plates.

CITRUS SPONGE CAKE

Steps:

• 1 Place the oven rack in the lower third of the oven. Preheat the oven to 325°F. In a large bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt. 2 In a large bowl with an electric mixer, beat the egg yolks, 1 cup of the sugar, the orange and lemon zests, the orange juice, oil, and vanilla extract until smooth, about 5 minutes. With a rubber spatula, fold the liquid into the dry ingredients. 3 In another large bowl with clean beaters, beat the egg whites on medium speed until foamy. Gradually add the remaining 1/4 cup of sugar and the cream of tartar. Increase the speed to high. Beat until soft peaks form when the beaters are lifted, about 5 minutes. Fold the whites into the batter. 4 Scrape the batter into an ungreased 10-inch tube pan with a removable bottom. Bake 55 minutes or until the cake is golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. 5 Place the pan upside down on a cooling rack and let the cake cool completely. Run a thin-blade knife around the inside of the pan to loosen the cake. Lift out the cake and the bottom of the pan. Slide the knife under the cake and remove the pan bottom. Serve immediately, or cover with an overturned bowl and store at room temperature up to 2 days. From "1,000 Italian Recipes." Copyright 2004 by Michele Scicolone. Used with permission of the publisher, Wiley Publishing, Inc. All Rights Reserved.