Sponge Cake! It goes perfectly with all of those big, juicy strawberries I just picked and I just happened to have all of the ingredients hanging around in my cupboards. What I didn’t realize was the degree of difficulty in making one. Or maybe it’s not difficult and I just need more practice.
I started by setting up my ingredients. I always find it easier to pre-measure and have them ready before I get started. It tends to make clean up a bit easier as well.
The first part of the process, which I wasn’t expecting, was to separate the egg yolks from the whites and beat them individually. First the yolks.
Then the whites, which also needed a bit of cream of tartar during the beating process. This is where I may have made a little mistake. I was suppose to add the COT after the egg whites were foamy but the Sponge Cake recipe didn’t say HOW foamy and I think I put it in there premature.
Once all of the ingredients were gently folded I ended up with a fluffy, light and foamy batter. I’m not sure if it was suppose to be that consistency but as it was baking everything appeared to be correct. The problem that showed up after the cake cooled was the bottom layer was more like a heavy gel while the top was stiff and spongy.
The really fun part started the night before when I decided to make edible dessert cups. This all started with two large glass bowls with melted almond and chocolate bark, along with air filled water balloons. Again, this was completely new to me and very much a learning experience. And because I love ya’ll enough to help you avoid a messy kitchen, I’m going to share with you a very important tip.
When dipping the balloons in the chocolate it’s best to wait until the chocolate has almost reached room temperature. Do NOT dip while the chocolate is hot. I repeat, not while it’s hot!
Why? Evidently the heat makes the balloons expand and burst just as you place them on the wax paper, leaving you with a splattered chocolate mess all over yourself and your kitchen. See? I did this about 6 times before I got the hint.
Once I took my own advice and let the chocolate and almond bark cool down a bit, the balloons dipped beautifully. All you need to do next is leave them on the wax paper overnight in a cool room.
When you are ready to use the cups, just pinch the tip of the balloon and prick a small hole in it to release the air and toss the balloon in the garbage.
The sponge cake combined with my fresh strawberries made into a sweet strawberry sauce topped with whipped cream and a few dipped strawberries made an absolutely delicious treat!
Recipes used:
After making strawberry shortcakes this passed weekend & buying all the stuff from the store, I’ve been looking for a good spongecake recipe. I’m totally going to have to try your recipe. It looks delish!
this sounds so delicious and summer like
Cat, can I come over like NOW?!? That looks soooooo good and cool!
OMG you are killing me with your delicious recipes! Your hubby and children will never leave with your cooking and baking kiddo! I am stealing this recipe, thank-you for posting this!
Those look divine!!!
Cat, that turned out wonderful! Dang! You are kicking in my sweet tooth!
(And I’m still jealous of your lawn. You can tell Jon that!)
That looks so goo! Yum! I love strawberries. so I think I will be trying this!
Yum, you make me want to bake something!
That is sooo cool! It looks yummy!
Oh My Word!
Strawberries have been on sale around here too. I will have to try something yummy like this.
Thanks for sharing : )
It looks great, I ll have to try the chocolate bowls soon. And dang, those strawberries look huge!
My teenage daughter and I are going to try the dessert cups this weekend. Thanks for such a wonderful idea.
WOW – they are amazing! Bravo! I’ve bookmarked this page so I can try it myself when I have the ingredients!
Oh yum!! I love strawberries and love the balloon cups!
Those look and sounds absolutely tasty Wow! Great pics’
Yum! This sounds so good! Thanks for sharing!
That has to be one of the coolest ideas I’ve seen! So impressive Cat! It looks delish and makes for a beautiful presentation. I *might* try this one day…….maybe…..
Your Strawberry Sponge Cake with the Edible Dessert Cups looks delicious and beautiful. I definitely will be attempting to make these in the near future!
I have made sponge cake before; but these edible dessert look fabulous and I’m sure
taste delicious. Your presentation on the tray is lovely!
Thanks, Cindi
That’s very creative and looks delicious too!
Omg, that is suck a neat idea on how to do the bowls! I am so going to have to try that, it all looks so good!
A perfect compliment to fresh summer strawberries!
Wow I love the idea of the edible dessert bowls, I am going to try that.
I read this yesterday and I am getting ready to start my attempt in a few. I’m so excited you make it look so easy!
ncjeepster@aol.com
Omg! That looks SO yummy!! I’ll definitely have to try this recipe out.
And I lol’d about the balloons! Haha! Totally something I would have done!
Just bought some strawberries today. Maybe I can talk my daughter into making this.
WOW…that is VERY impressive! I will have to try the edible bowls! My daughter wants to have a CHOCOLATE birthday party and this will be amazing…with strawberries still in season then! thanks for such a great idea!
Wow!! I love your balloon idea for making the edible cups. I’ve got to remember that! Cool!!
that looks irresistible!!
Those chocolate dessert cups look so fun. I can think of so many things to put in them. Thanks for sharing!
You did a wonderful job
Yummo. I just went strawberry picking myself and made up about 16 jars of jam. I will be back out to the fields soon to freeze some for occasions like this. You did a wonderful job!
OMG this looks SOOOOO good! YUMMY!
I love sponge cake and this looks like a good recipe! Thanks
This post makes me excited and nervous lol I think I might try those edible cups. We’ll see. They look really great!
Oh crafty, beautiful, and yummy looking too!
I originally chose this post just to have a non-giveaway post to comment on, but these look really neat (and the picture accompanying the splatter priceless :). I’m going to save this page and hopefully make this.
This looks like a lot of work but must be totally worth it. They look beautiful. I would use these for a dinner party.
These look very appetizing and not too difficult. Will have to try it out
OH MY YUM! Those look FANTASTIC!!! I’m soo going to try this! My kids and hubby would FLIP! Thanks for this…my diet is never going to work! lmao (<— I wish!) 😉
i have NEVER heard of the balloon /chocolate trick! AMAZING!
I don’t like strawberries (thanks Mom for that!) but I could adapt this to other berries. Plus I LOVE the chocolate bowls! Thanks for posting 🙂
It is amazing how much those chocolate bowls add to the look. I am imagining all kind of yummy things inside like homemade vanilla custard, mousse or even just ice cream with hot fudge and berries. Mmmmm…
I really love this recipe! The balloon trick is a great idea! I’m going to try this sometime….
WOW! Those bowls came out great!! Awesome work. A little ambitious for me. I’d probably make a huge mess.
Your photos are beautiful-seriously I want to lick the screen!
I love the dessert cup balloon idea- I will be doing that for dessert when my inlaws come for dinner in the next week or so- It looks like fun too. Funny thing is that on Saturday, I was looking at chocolate dessert cups at the market beside my house and its like $10.99 for 8 cups and to make enough I would have to spend over 30 bucks on the cups. pshh so I thought of melting chocolate and forming them onto cupcake liners and once they cooled I would peel the liner off- but the balloons look much easier! Thanks for the idea 🙂