That was a bit of a presumptuous title sorry! I appreciate that there are bakers of all levels having a go at baking gluten free, but if you can sieve and you can whisk egg whites, you can make this sponge.
I discovered this type of sponge when I made my first gluten free birthday cake for my husband, he loves Victoria Sponge (it’s his favourite…along with several others!) I decided to make a sponge and use fresh cream, jam and strawberries for the filling and we were all bowled over at how light and fluffy it was. This recipe uses a Genoise Sponge technique, which aims to incorporate as much air into the sponge as possible. As you can see from the images below, I’ve since used this recipe to make almost all of the family birthday cakes…Bob the Minion being my greatest creation to date!
The recipe below makes enough mixture for two deep 8″ round sponges, for more you will need to double the mixture.
I refer to this sponge in a lot of my recipes, it's the perfect base sponge for trifle, tiramisu, birthday cakes, swiss rolls, gateaux....It NEVER fails and is so light and fluffy, no one will suspect it's free from.
- 120 g gluten free plain flour
- 120 g gluten free self raising flour
- 130 g caster sugar
- 4 eggs seperated
First things first...sieve both the flours together....4x! I've tried making this sponge with and without the sieving process and believe me it does make a difference.
Add the egg whites to a mixer and beat into firm peaks
Add the caster sugar a spoonful at a time and continue to beat until the whites become stiff and have a beautiful glossy sheen to them. You know it's ready if you take a pinch and rub your fingers together, if you can feel the sugar grains between your fingers you need to continue beating.
Add the egg yolks and mix quickly to combine
Fold in the sifted flours quickly but gently to prevent knocking too much air out of the mixture.
Add to your well oiled and lined tin(s)
Bake on 180°C for 20 minutes - keep a close eye to make sure the sponge does not catch, you know this will be ready when you get a perfect spongy bounce to the touch....the cooked smell is unmistakable!
depending on the recipe you plan to use this for allow to cool completely, or a little if planning on rolling.
If you wish to make a chocolate sponge, I’d recommend using chocolate essence, if you don’t have this you can use cocoa powder but remember to exchange the exact amount of plain flour for cocoa…or else you’ll end up with a stepping stone for your garden!
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I’m Rebecca, full time mum, social media editor and blogger. On my site you will find my free from recipes, reviews and the odd drama.
Your Basic Gluten and Dairy Free Genoise Sponge sounds like a fail safe recipe. Commenting as BritMums Baking Round-up Editor. :)
Thank you Julie, I believe that if it’s not broken, don’t fix it…this is a don’t fix it sponge! :-D
What brand of gluten free flour do you use for this cake? I’m learning that different brands will bake differently. Thanks for any tips you can give me.
Tends to be one of two brands but I have started to use a third; Many of my older posts used Doves Freee Flour, but I have also started using Sainsbury’s own free from flours. However, I cannot recommend Vicki at Free From Fairy and her flour enough, it’s a better quality flour, wholegrain and tastes lovely in baking. Vicki’s flour is not your average cost so I tend to use her flours for special occasions. Hope this has helped Brittany, I’d love to know how you get on xx
Thanks. I’m actually in the US, so I’ve never heard of these brands before. I’m trying to see if we have a brand here that is similar to one of the brands you mentioned. I’m not finding any so far though.
I’ll do some research for you Brittany, fingers crossed we find something between us xx
Hello from Canada!
I can’t find gluten free self rising flour… well would gf bisquick do?
Please advise.
Thank you.
Hello Liza from Canada (I have one of my best friends in Canada now – love the country, wish I could move there).
I’ve Googled Bisquick as had no idea what it was and looking at the ingredients I think it possibly could work, you may need to add a little extra liquid given the starch content but all should be fine – please do let me know how you get on and thank you so much for dropping by on my recipe. Rebecca x