Orange Sponge Cake

One day, I spent an afternoon with my girlfriend, and we ended up talking about the McCall’s Cooking School. She loves all the recipes that have been published by this school. I had a chance to look through her recipe book, and my eyes got caught on an easy sponge cake recipe. I kept most of the ingredients and the method for making it. However, I think that the amount of sugar that the original McCall’s cake recipe calls for is too much, so I made some changes for myself. The cake turned out so wonderfully, and I am so happy about the results.

Ingredients:
1 ¾ cups all-purpose flour
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp cream of tartar
1 cup white sugar
6 egg whites
6 egg yolks
6 tbs fresh orange juice
1 tbs freshly grated orange zest
1/4 cup confectioner’s sugar
 9” dia. x 4.5”deep tube pan

Directions:
Sift flour once on a sheet of wax paper. Add salt and sift again. Set aside.
Preheat oven to 350°.
In a small bowl, using an electric mixer at medium speed, beat the egg whites and cream of tartar until foamy. Gradually beat in 1/2 cup granulated sugar. Continue beating until a stiff peak forms when the beater is slowly raised. Set aside.
In another small bowl, using the same electric mixer and beater at high speed, beat egg yolks until very thick and lemon colored (about 3 minutes). Gradually beat in the other 1/2 cup of sugar. Continue beating until mixture is smooth. Turn the speed to low. Blend sifted flour mixture and orange juice alternately into the egg yolk mixture, beginning and ending with flour. Stop and scrape the batter on the sides of the bowl. Add orange zest. With a rubber spatula, using an under and over motion, fold yolk mixture gently into the whites. Pour batter into an ungreased tube pan and bake in the preheated oven for 35 to 40 minutes or until the cake springs back when pressed with a finger. Cool completely. Invert cake over a serving plate and shake to release.  Sift the confectioner’s sugar over the top of the cake.