Classic Jam and Coconut Sponge Cake Recipe

Chef's Notes

Butter or MargarineButter and margarine are interchangeable in this sponge cake, so go with what you prefer! We personally like to use Stork, a brand of margarine, as it produces a light and fluffy sponge. To beat it with the sugar, butter will need to be at room temperature, but margarine can be chilled. Lemon Zest or VanillaWe would usually go with a vanilla sponge for this Jam and Coconut traybake, but you can swap out for lemon zest if you prefer a bit of zing in your cake and less sweetness. EggsSponge cake recipes are usually made with equal parts butter, sugar, flour, and eggs. The first three are easy to measure out but the last one less so!Despite eggs being sold according to size, they can vary greatly in weight. There are a few options for deciding if you need 7 or 8 eggs in this recipe. Firstly, weigh the eggs in the shell. This adds around 10% per egg but does give you a close idea. Choose whichever option is closest to 400g. Secondly, have your bowl on a scale and as you add the eggs stop at 7 or continue to 8 to get you as close to 400g as possible.And finally, if you want to be REALLY specific, you can crack the eggs open and weigh them, and then just match the rest of the ingredients to that weight. I usually like to do this method as it’s the most specific. This means you will end up using a random amount of flour, sugar, and butter, like 412g, or 420g, or even 395g, etc. Use an electric scale for precision! I take another bowl and set my scale to zero with the bowl on it, then measure out 8 eggs, and match the rest of the ingredients to that amount.When it comes to adding the eggs, I just use a spoon/fork to slide them out of the bowl and into the mixture to mix, roughly one by one.Raspberry or Strawberry JamIt’s really up to you which jam you use! A slightly tart jam like raspberry helps to cut through the sweetness, but there’s nothing stopping you using any other jam as well. You could even use totally different flavours like blackcurrant, or rhubarb and ginger. Whatever you have in the cupboard, your favourite, or whatever you fancy is the best!

Notes

Butter or MargarineButter and margarine are interchangeable in this sponge cake, so go with what you prefer! We personally like to use Stork, a brand of margarine, as it produces a light and fluffy sponge. To beat it with the sugar, butter will need to be at room temperature, but margarine can be chilled. Lemon Zest or VanillaWe would usually go with a vanilla sponge for this Jam and Coconut traybake, but you can swap out for lemon zest if you prefer a bit of zing in your cake and less sweetness. EggsSponge cake recipes are usually made with equal parts butter, sugar, flour, and eggs. The first three are easy to measure out but the last one less so!Despite eggs being sold according to size, they can vary greatly in weight. There are a few options for deciding if you need 7 or 8 eggs in this recipe. Firstly, weigh the eggs in the shell. This adds around 10% per egg but does give you a close idea. Choose whichever option is closest to 400g. Secondly, have your bowl on a scale and as you add the eggs stop at 7 or continue to 8 to get you as close to 400g as possible.And finally, if you want to be REALLY specific, you can crack the eggs open and weigh them, and then just match the rest of the ingredients to that weight. I usually like to do this method as it’s the most specific. This means you will end up using a random amount of flour, sugar, and butter, like 412g, or 420g, or even 395g, etc. Use an electric scale for precision! I take another bowl and set my scale to zero with the bowl on it, then measure out 8 eggs, and match the rest of the ingredients to that amount.When it comes to adding the eggs, I just use a spoon/fork to slide them out of the bowl and into the mixture to mix, roughly one by one.Raspberry or Strawberry JamIt’s really up to you which jam you use! A slightly tart jam like raspberry helps to cut through the sweetness, but there’s nothing stopping you using any other jam as well. You could even use totally different flavours like blackcurrant, or rhubarb and ginger. Whatever you have in the cupboard, your favourite, or whatever you fancy is the best!