National Sponge Cake Day
On August 23rd, enjoy National Sponge Cake Day with the quintessential classic of the cake world. This airy queen of teas is the guest of honor, but we get the pleasure of tasting!
One of the trickiest cakes for bakers to master, a perfect sponge stands tall. Another balancing trick for bakers includes maintaining a fine crumb while keeping the cake moist. If you enjoy layering berries and whipped cream, the sponge handles this task beautifully.
The sponge cake is believed to be one of the first non-yeasted cakes.
The sponge cake is thought to have originated in the Caribbean. However, the earliest English printed recipe for sponge cake comes from an English poet and author, Gervase Markham. In 1615 he published a sponge cake recipe in the book The English Huswife, Containing the Inward and Outward Virtues Which Ought to Be in a Complete Woman.
“I can’t knit or make plum jam, but I can bake a bloody Victoria sponge. ~ Helen Mirren as Chris in Calendar Girls (2003)
In 2003, the sponge cake played a role in a scene the movie Calendar Girls starring Helen Mirren. In the scene, Mirren’s character, Chris, enters a baking competition. However, she forgets she entered and instead of entering a sponge cake of her own making, she submits a store-bought Victoria sponge cake.
HOW TO OBSERVE
Get some sponge cake and enjoy. Or, if you are up to the challenge, try this Glorious Sponge Cake recipe.Use #SpongeCakeDay to post on social media.
HISTORY
Our research was unable to find the creator of National Sponge Cake Day.