creamsicle sponge cake

spongey and orangey

my sis and i got together to plan a little something for my mom for mother’s day a few weeks ago. i had lots going on, such as moving into my new home, so we decided to make it super simple but personal. we made a quick brunch of  bacon, spinach frittata with cheddar, and a sponge cake topped with rachel’s fruit salad. we had a great time just sitting around chatting with mom and dad, nibbling on our treats, and sipping our coffee. we followed the brunch up with a walk around our local metropark, which was having a mother’s day flower sale that day. what a perfect day to go!

i am really proud of the sponge cake recipe. it is practically the same as the base for many cakes i make, with just a few adjustments. this version is impossibly moist, without being wet or mushy. the flavor of the cake was pleasantly similar to an orange creamsicle, which is a dream come true. i used it as a strawberry shortcake base a few weeks ago and it was amazing. if you don’t have a vanilla bean, you may substitute 1 tbsp vanilla extract for the vanilla bean, but be sure to add it after you are done heating the syrup. this recipe makes 1 round 8″ cake or 1 9″x 9″ square cake. the cake is pretty sweet, so you may wish to use less sugar and add to the batter after tasting as you go along.

creamsicle sponge cake

the fruit makes it healthy. trust me on this one.

ingredients:

for the cake base:

3/4 cup sugar

2/3 cup room temp butter

2 cups almond flour

1/2 cup coconut flour

1/2 tsp salt

3/4 tsp baking powder

4 eggs

1/2 cup plus 3 tbsp whole milk

1 tbsp vanilla

1/4 tsp almond extract

1 tbsp orange zest

method:

preheat oven to 350f, position racks in center of oven. prep 1 round 8″ cake pan or 9″ x 9″ cake pan with parchment cut outs in the bottom and nice coating of butter on the sides.

begin by creaming butter and sugar with electric mixer. once combined and fluffy, add milk, vanilla, and almond extract at a low-speed, until it is all wet and combined. add eggs, a few at a time, and let it slowly mix.

combine all dry ingredients together.

add dry ingredients into wet ingredients.

let them mix for a few minutes until well incorporated, stopping a few times to scrape straggly bits from the bottom and sides of the bowl. pour batter into prepped pan and bake for 35 minutes or so. watch them closely.

remove from oven and allow to cool in the pan. this will help to maintain moistness. once the cake is cooled, loosen from the sides of the pan with a small knife and invert onto serving platter. it is important to do this before pouring syrup on as the cake will be too moist to transfer after the syrup goes on. keep covered with foil or plastic wrap until you are ready for the syrup stage.

for the syrup:

juice of 2 of oranges

zest from 1 orange

a vanilla bean

4 tbsp honey

method:

slice the vanilla bean vertically and scrape paste/seeds into saucepan.

combine all ingredients and stir over medium heat in a small saucepan. -yes, even the empty vanilla bean. let sauce begin to bubble gently, and keep stirring at this temperature for 10 minutes or so. taste it and add more honey or vanilla if you so wish. turn heat off and pour through a fine mesh sieve into a bowl. allow syrup to cool a little and thicken a bit before pouring over sponge cake.

serve cake with your sister’s humongous fruit salad and enjoy with your amazing family.