pinchcream of tartar or use 1/2 tsp lemon juice or vinegar (it helps to stabilize egg whites, if you don't have any of these, skip it)
Prepare Bundt Cake Pan
2tbspsoft butter, not melted
2-3tbspflour
Instructions
Prepare Bundt Cake Pan
Grease and flour the bundt cake pan. In this recipe I used a Nordic Bundt Cake Pan. When using complex patterned bundt cake pans and all Nordic Bundt Cake Pans use soft butter to grease the pan. Use a pastry brush to get into all little nooks and crannies of the pan's design. Making sure you grease all the little details. Then flour the pan. Shake out the flour excess. Place a piece of wax paper on your work surface and shake out the flour excess onto the paper. You can also shake it out into the kitchen sink if you don't mind cleaning it up later.Set the prepared baking bundt cake pan aside.
Classic Sponge Bundt Cake
Preheat oven to 350F (176-180C).
Sift together flour(2 cups) and baking powder(2 tsp), salt(1/4 tsp) set aside.
Separate eggs (5 room temperature eggs). Pour egg whites into a clean bowl of you mixer. If your eggs are too cold place them into warm water in their shells for about 5 minutes to warm them up to room temperature. Then separate egg yolks and egg whites.
Meringue
Prepare meringue. You can use a stand mixer or hand held mixer to make the sponge cake batter. Into a clean bowl add 5 egg whites at room temperature. With a wire beater beat egg whites on medium high speed until foamy. Then gradually add half of the powdered sugar(1 cup). Beat with wire beater until stiff and glossy peaks are formed. If using a stand mixer carefully scrape out the meringue into another bowl. If you are using a hand held mixer use another large bowl to prepare egg yolk-sugar mixtureTip : Don't overbeat the meringue or your cake can come out dry. Meringue that is overworked appears grainy, kind of like orange skin.
Egg Yolks and Sugar - Ribbon Stage
Then into the same bowl you used to make the meringue pour all of the egg yolks (5 egg yolks). Add remaining powdered sugar(1 cup). Beat egg yolks and powdered sugar with a wire attachment on medium high speed until it reaches a ribbon stage. Once ready mixture will be pale in color and doubled in volume. It will take about 5-8 minutes. Once ribbon stage is reached in a steady slow stream beat in the oil(1/2 cup). Then on medium low speed and also in one continuous stream beat in lukewarm milk or water( 1/2 cup). Scrape the bowl few times to make sure all is well combined together. Beat for 5 minutes. Lastly beat in Vanilla Extract(1 tbsp). And if using add Almond Extract (1/2tsp) and/or Lemon Extract (1/2tsp) - both almond and lemon extract are optional.Tip :Ribbon stage is a baking term that refers to batter consistency. It is reached when batter lifted up with a whisk, spoon or a spatula falls back down into a bowl slowly forming a ribbon. It should hold it’s shape for a few moments, slowly disappearing, blending into the mixture.
Sponge Cake Batter
Now we are going to combine meringue, egg yolk mixture and flour. Using fine mesh strainer sift about 1/3 of flour mixture into the egg yolk mixture and carefully fold the flour in with a spatula, then add about 1/3 of meringue and fold it in. Continue with the rest of the flour and meringue until no streaks are visible. Then make last 3 folds, making sure you go with the spatula all the way to the bottom of the bowl. Be gentle and don't over mix. You are looking for a light and airy batter.Take about 2-3 cups of sponge cake batter and pour it into an empty bowl. Sift cocoa powder(3 tbsp) over the cake batter. Fold the cocoa powder into the yellow cake batter.Pour about 1/2 of the remaining yellow batter into the prepared bundt cake pan. Then pour cocoa batter on top of it. And then finish with a yellow batter. Smooth the top with a back of the spoon. Bake.
Bake Sponge Bundt Cake
Bake sponge bundt cake at 350F for 30-35 minutes. Don't open the oven or cake may fall. After 30 minutes check the cake. Test if the cake is done - insert skewer into the center. When the stick comes out clean, cake is done. If not, leave the cake in the oven for additional 5 minutes and check again. Cake is done if the sides are pulling away from the pan. Let the cake cool in the pan for 15 minutes. Then invert the cake onto a cooling rack and let it cool completely.
Serving Suggestion
Dust cooled cake with powdered sugar. This cake is delicious served with coffee or tea. You can also serve it with fruit and lightly sweetened whipped cream. This is a great take a long cake as well. Cover to prevent drying out.
Notes
HOW LONG DOES A SPONGE BUNDT CAKE LAST?
On the counter, covered up to 3 days. In the fridge covered up to 5-6 days. Cover well to prevent cake from drying out.
CAN I FREEZE SPONGE BUNDT CAKE?
Yes, cover it well. Freeze for up to 3 months. Let it thaw completely before unwrapping.