Sponge Cake IV is a traditional British recipe, based on Robert Kemp Philp's recipe of 1859, for a classic sponge cake made from flour, sugar, eggs, lemons, rose water, brandy and caraway seeds. The full recipe is presented here and I hope you enjoy this classic British version of: Sponge Cake IV.
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This is a classic recipe for a Victorian sponge cake that's derived from Robert Kemp Philp's 1859 volume, The Dictionary of Daily Wants. Below you will find both the recipe in its original form and a modern redaction.
Original Recipe
4. Take one pound of dried flour, three-quarters of a pound of finely-pounded loaf sugar, seven eggs, the yolks and whites beaten separately, the grated peel and juice of a lemon, a tablespoonful of rose-water, and one of brandy, and half an ounce of caraway seed, dried and pounded; beat all for an hour with the hand; butter a tin, line it wits paper also buttered, put in the cake, and sift pounded sugar over the top. Bake it for an hour. Potatoe flour may be substituted for wheat flour in this and the other sponge cakes.
450g plain flour
340g powdered brown sugar
7 eggs, separated
juice of 1 lemon
freshly-grated zest of 1 lemon
1 tbsp rose water
1 tbsp brandy
1/2 tbsp caraway seeds, pounded in a mortar
Method:
Beat the egg yolks in a bowl and set aside. In the meantime, beat the egg whites in a separate bowl until stiff. Combine the yolks and white then beat in the sugar followed by the lemon juice, lemon zest, rosewater and brandy. Beat until combined then add the flour and beat for about 30 minutes (using your hand) or 15 minutes with an electric mixer.
Butter a springform cake tin then line with buttered greaseproof paper. Sift some pounded brown sugar over the top then transfer to an oven pre-heated to 180°C and bake for about 60 minutes, or until cooked through and golden (a skewer inserted into the centre of the cake should emerge cleanly). Allow to cool in the tin for 10 minutes then turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely before slicing and serving.
4. Flour, 1 lb.; loaf sugar, 3/4 lb.; eggs, 7; lemon, 1; rose-water, l tablespoonful; brandy, 1/2 table-spoonful; caraway seeds, 1/2 oz.