Basic Fat Free Sponge Cake

 Happy birthday to you.
 Happy birthday to you.
 Happy birthday to you dear bhai...
    All the happy birthdays means cakes, be it tiny cupcake or huge multi tier cake. We all celebrate birthdays by cutting cakes. My son always plans many days before his birthday what kinda cake he wants, and i spend many days researching various cake books, websites and blog hoping to make kinda cake Neil will love. He is sucha cutie pie, he loves all cakes made by his momma, no matter how good or bad they seem to me.
  Anyways, this post is about me wishing my dearest brother HAPPY BIRTHDAY. He is away in a farway land, alone celebrating his birthday due to official reasons. He is my elder brother and has always been der for me since I was born. He is my guide and friend. I know, I can always turn up at my brother's doorstep to enjoy for a celebration or just when I need a shoulder to cry. Oh! How much I miss you.... Hoping to meet you soon.
   This Post is about Basic Fat free sponge cake. Its a perfect cake to frost and decorate. Its very simple to make, light as feather and can soak up any flavors. Picture below is Pineapple Pastry, which is next upcoming post. The best part about this cake is its FAT FREE... No butter/ shortening/ oil, it becomes spongy because of eggs. So please read instructions well and get ready to enjoy..

Ingredients:

• 2 cups all purpose flour (maida)
• 2 tbsp cornstarch
• 1 ¾ Cups Powdered Sugar
• 6 Eggs separated
• 2 tsp Baking powder
• 1 tsp Vanilla Extract 

Method:

• Preheat oven to 180C/ 350 F.
• First lets make cake flour, remove 2 tbsp all purpose flour from 2 cups and substitute with 2 tbsp cornstarch. You can use the 2 tbsp all purpose flour to coat the baking pans.
• Ok, lets talk about baking pans. If you are going to frost the cake, either you can use two 9-inch square/round baking pans, or bake in one pan and slice horizontally (that's what I do).
• Once we decide which pans we are going to use, lets us discuss how to prepare the baking pans.This sponge cake has no fat added to it, hence the cake will stick to your baking pan, if you don't prepare them well. So how do we prepare the pans. You have two options:                                                                               a)  Grease the insides of the pan evenly with butter/ shortening/ ghee using a pastry brush. Sprinkle the pan with 1-2 tbsp of all-purpose flour. Tap pans gently on the kitchen counter to ensure the flour spreads and covers the pan on the base as well as sides  Remove the excess flour.                              b) Coat the pan with thin layer of butter/ shortening/ ghee and cover the pan with parchment paper to ensure easy removal

          Set pans aside till ready to use.

• Eggs... Its better to use refrigerated eggs, as they are easier to separate. Lets get ready to separate the egg whites from the yolks. You can either separate using fingers, or jumble between egg shells. Separate each egg individually as if any egg breaks and yolk gets mixed, you need not discard entire batch.
• Add vanilla extract to egg whites and start beat them in a grease free bowl. ensure that bowl is absolutely clean without any oily residue. because if you have any oil, egg white wont form peaks.Once soft peaks are formed start adding sugar, little at a time. The whites should form stiff peaks, such that when you invert the bowl, egg whites maintain shape and doesn't fall. This is your meringue.
• Beat the egg yolks in a separate bowl, such that they should be pale and thick and the color changes to light yellow.
• Sift cake flour (all purpose flour + corn starch) and baking powder thrice ensuring no lumps are present.
• Now gently add in yolks in whites and make egg mixture.
• Slowly add in egg mixture by turning dry ingredients into the wet in a circular inward to outward motion. Do not beat or mix vigorously. The main purpose of folding is to allow more air into the mixture and to avoid flattening the frothy eggs. 
• Pour mixture into prepared pan. Bake for 15-20 minutes till cake is done and springs back on touch and toothpick comes out clean when inserted in the centre of the cake.
• Let cool in pan for 10 minutes and then invert cakes onto cooling rack. 
• Let cool completely if you are going to frost it.