Читать книгу The British Baking Book - Regula Ysewijn - Страница 23

Savoy cake

26

For 4–6 people

4 egg yolks

4 egg whites

½ cup (100 g) superfine sugar

grated zest of 1 lemon or 1 orange

6 Tbsp (45 g) plain white flour

6 Tbsp (45 g) cornstarch

pinch of sea salt

lard, for greasing

cornstarch, for dusting

confectioners’ sugar, for dusting

For a decorative cake tin of at least 4 cups

Preheat your oven to 375°F. Grease the cake tin with lard and dust with

cornstarch, then tip out the excess cornstarch and do the same with the

confectioners’ sugar.

Beat the egg yolks in a small bowl. In a large bowl, beat the egg whites until

stiff peaks form. Gradually add the sugar, one teaspoon at a time, until the

egg whites are stiff and shiny. Add a teaspoon of the egg white mixture

to the egg yolks, add the lemon zest, and mix. Fold the egg yolks through

the egg whites.

Sift the flour and cornstarch over the mixture, add a pinch of salt, and fold in,

ensuring that the mixture is well mixed but retains its volume.

Spoon the batter into the tin and then place it in the bottom of the oven if you

are using a high mold, or in the middle if you are using a normal mold or tin.

Bake for 30–40 minutes until the top of the cake is golden brown. Let it rest

for 10 minutes in the tin and then take it out of the tin to cool on a rack.

The cake should look very pale.

Large, airy cakes such as this one were extremely difficult to make in the temperamental ovens of the 19th century.

They really tested the chef’s skill. In The Modern Baker, Confectioner and Caterer, published in 1907, author John

Kirkland said that the shape of copper Savoy cake molds was often too complicated to be practical. That’s why less

intricate copper pudding molds were often used for the Savoy cake instead.

In my National Trust Book of Puddings, I give a recipe for a tipsy pudding where this cake is made a few days ahead

and left to dry out, then soaked in sweet wine and served with custard.

Use the most beautiful, decorative tin that you have for this cake – the higher, the better – or use a Kugelhopf tin.

It’s important to follow the instructions using lard to grease the tin. When you’re using an intricate tin that doesn’t

have a non-stick coating, this method will ensure that the cake releases from the tin. Double the recipe for a larger tin.