Great-Grandmothers Recipe for Soft Cake with Walnuts

Soft cake is a sponge cake made from flour, sugar, baking powder and eggs and is lighter than the traditional cake. The only fat used in making sponge cake is egg yolk; however the egg white and egg yolks are added separately to the batter. Sponge cake is many times used as a base for other types of cakes and easy desserts.

Cakes began in ancient Egypt as round, flat, unleavened breads that were cooked on a hot stone. Their evolution from crude cakes to what we enjoy today was possible, over many centuries, through the introduction of new ingredients and technology. The Egyptian's discovery and subsequent skill at using natural yeast helped leaven those once flat cakes. When butter and eggs made their way into the cake dough, their consistency became the precursor for today's cakes. Cake making continued to improve especially with the new ingredients such as chocolate and vanilla, and eventually sugar that came to Europe with the discovery of the New World. Soft cakes were the cakes made by our mothers, our grandmothers, and our great-grandmothers. While these cakes we make today often have different proportions from the original, they are still wonderfully rich, moist, and buttery with a lovely golden brown crust. Whether you enjoy a slice of this cake plain with just a dusting of powdered sugar or with whipped cream or ice cream, it is truly a king among cakes. You might also like to try toasting a slice or, an even better gourmet recipes ideas, to make grilled pound cake. Serve for dessert along with fresh berries and whipped cream. Absolutely delicious!

Ingredients

3 ½ tablespoons flour, 

6 tablespoons butter, 

6 tablespoons sugar, 

3 egg yolks, 

5 ¼ oz. (about 2/3 cup) chopped walnuts, 

15 egg whites, 

1.76 oz. dark chocolate,

0.7 oz. (about 1 ½ tablespoons) cream

Preparation Instructions

Mix the egg yolk with sugar and molten butter. Add flour and chopped walnuts. Beat the egg whites and add them to the sugar mixture. Place the mixture in a buttered and floured sponge cake mold. Bake in a 338 degree F. oven for 40 minutes. Cool. Boil the cream. Add chocolate and simmer.