Baking 101: the 10 basics everyone should know

Sponge cake

Sponge cake is one of the most basic cake recipes, especially in French pastry. It’s used as a building block for several cakes and desserts. Sponge cake is based on eggs, sugar, butter and flour, to which we commonly add hazelnut or almond powder, vanilla, alcohol, fruit or citrus zest.

Sponge cakes are usually cut in half and then filled with jam, custard cream, frosting or ganache.

For a supremely moist sponge cake, try making a syrup with lemon or orange juice that you drizzle on top of the cake while it’s still warm.