Italian Sponge Cake (Pan di Spagna)
This is the official Italian sponge cake from the legendary cookbook L'Arte di Mangiare Bene by Pellegrino Artusi. This is the foundational cake of Italian baking. Light, airy, and perfect for layering with creams, fruit, or liqueurs.
Serves: 8-10
Time: 50 minutes
Ingredients
6 eggs (at room temperature)
170g sugar
170g plain flour
Method
Preheat your oven to 170°C . Grease and line a 22cm springform cake tin.
Separate the eggs. In a large bowl, whisk the egg yolks with the sugar until pale, thick, and creamy.
In a separate clean bowl, whisk the egg whites until they form stiff peaks.
Gently fold the stiff egg whites into the yolk mixture, being careful not to knock out the air.
Sift the flour over the mixture and fold in gently until just combined.
Pour the batter into the prepared tin and bake for 40 minutes, or until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean.
Let the cake cool completely in the tin before turning out.
