Portuguese Sponge Cake (Pao de Lo)
A super soft, fluffy sponge cake that is perhaps the easiest of all to make. No oil or butter, just lots of fresh eggs.
Ingredients
- 9 eggs room temperature
- 250 grams sugar 1¼ cups
- 1¼ teaspoons vanilla
- 200 grams all purpose flour 1½ cups plus 2 tablespoons
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400°F/200°C. Lightly grease and flour a 12 inch tube pan. If you are using a pan without a tube in the middle, line the bottom with parchment paper.
- In a stand mixer using the whip attachment, beat room temperature eggs for 5 minutes or until thickened and lighter in color. Gradually add sugar in a fine stream and beat for another 5 minutes or until thick and fluffy. Beat in vanilla.
- In a small bowl combine flour, baking powder and salt. Sift over the beaten egg mixture in 3 or 4 stages, folding in by hand with a wire whisk after each addition. Do not over mix so as not to deflate the batter. Pour into the prepared tube pan and smooth top gently. Bake at 400°F/200°C for 10 minutes, then reduce the heat to 350°F/177°C and bake for another 25-30 minutes. A toothpick inserted in the center should come out clean.
- Turn cake upside down and allow to cool almost completely, about 1½-2 hours. To remove cake from pan, carefully slide a small serrated knife down the side and saw around the edge to loosen. Do the same for the middle tube part. Remove the cake from the pan and allow to cool completely on a wire rack. Serve with powdered sugar on top or with whipped cream and berries.