The Sponge Cake That Can Do It All With Claire Saffitz | Try This at Home | NYT Cooking 

Sponge Cake INGREDIENTS ¼ cup/50 grams olive or vegetable oil, plus more for greasing if baking in a jelly roll pan 4 large eggs, separated, at room temperature ½ cup/100 grams granulated sugar ½ teaspoon kosher salt ¼ teaspoon cream of tartar ⅔ cup/85 grams cake flour 2 teaspoons vanilla extract PREPARATION 1.) Arrange an oven rack in the center of the oven and heat the oven to 325 degrees. If making a roulade, brush the bottom of a 10-by-15-inch jelly roll pan with a light coating of oil. Do not brush the sides, as the cake needs to be able to cling to the pan as it rises. Line only the bottom of the pan with a piece of parchment paper, smoothing to eliminate air bubbles. If baking in a 9-inch springform pan, leave the pan ungreased and unlined. 2.) In a wide, medium bowl, combine the egg whites, 1/4 cup sugar, the kosher salt and cream of tartar. Beat the mixture with a hand mixer fitted with the beaters on medium-low speed until the mixture looks frothy, then start to slowly increase the speed to medium-high. Continue to beat the egg whites until you have a dense, voluminous, glossy foam that forms stiff peaks, about 4 minutes. When you lift the beaters out of the bowl, the egg whites should come to a straight point that doesn’t droop. Don’t beat beyond this point, or the whites will become dry and lumpy. Set the bowl aside. 3.) In a separate wide bowl, combine the egg yolks and the remaining 1/4 cup sugar. Beat with the hand mixer (no need to wash it after you beat the egg whites) on medium-high until the mixture is very pale and fluffy and forms a slowly dissolving ribbon as it falls off the beaters back into the bowl, about 4 minutes. Slowly stream in the 1/4 cup oil, beating constantly to ensure it emulsifies into the yolk mixture, until you have a smooth, light mixture that looks like mayonnaise. 4.) Reduce the mixer to the lowest speed, add half of the flour and mix just until incorporated. Add the vanilla extract and 1 tablespoon water, mix until incorporated, then add the remaining flour and mix just until it disappears. The mixture will have thickened and look a bit like cake batter. 5.) Fold the yolk mixture once or twice with a large flexible spatula to make sure it’s evenly mixed, then scrape about a third of the egg white mixture into the yolk mixture and thoroughly fold in the whites until the mixture is loosened. Working more gently, fold in half of the remaining egg whites until only a few streaks remain. Fold in the remaining whites, scraping the bottom and sides of the bowl, until you have a light, smooth, evenly mixed batter. 6.) Scrape the batter into the pan and smooth into an even layer. Firmly rap the pan on the surface once or twice to pop any large air bubbles. Bake the cake until it’s golden brown, firm and springy to the touch across the entire surface, 25 to 30 minutes for a jelly roll and 30 to 35 minutes for a 9-inch cake. Remove the cake from the oven and immediately invert the pan onto a wire rack. Let the cake cool completely upside down to prevent it from collapsing. 7.) Reinvert the cooled pan and cut along the sides with a small offset spatula or paring knife to loosen the cake. It will sink a bit, which is normal. If making a jelly roll, turn the sponge out onto the wire rack and peel off the parchment. If making a 9-inch cake, remove the ring of the springform pan, invert the cake onto the rack, and carefully peel off the bottom of the pan (it should come away cleanly, leaving behind just a thin film). 8.) Use the sponge as desired. The unfilled sponge cake will keep at room temperature, tightly wrapped, for several days, but will become sticky after the first day. Strawberry & Cream Layer Cake INGREDIENTS 1 ½ pounds fresh strawberries, hulled ½ cup/100 grams granulated sugar 1 cup/240 grams heavy cream, chilled 1 cup/240 grams crème fraîche, mascarpone or sour cream, chilled Pinch of kosher salt 1 Sponge Cake recipe, baked in a 9-inch springform pan and cooled PREPARATION 1.) Fill a small saucepan with about 1 inch of water and set over medium heat until the water steams. 2.) Meanwhile, coarsely chop about a quarter of the strawberries and combine in a medium heatproof bowl with the sugar. Cover the bowl tightly and set it over the saucepan. Reduce the heat if necessary to keep the water just below a simmer and allow the berries to sit, swirling the bowl once or twice to dissolve any stubborn sugar clumps, until they’ve released all their juices, are mushy, and swim in a translucent red liquid, 35 to 45 minutes. Remove the bowl from the heat, uncover and strain through a fine-mesh strainer. (You should have 1/2 to 3/4 cup of strawberry syrup.) The mushy berries will have given off their color and flavor, and even though you won’t use them in the cake, they’re still tasty. Reserve the berries for spooning over pancakes or yogurt. 3.) In a separate medium bowl, combine the heavy cream, crème fraîche and salt. Whisk the mixture vigorously by hand, or beat with a hand mixer on medium-high, until thick, light and holding a medium peak. Chill the bowl of whipped cream. Thinly slice the remaining raw strawberries lengthwise. 4.) Invert the sponge cake on a flat serving plate or cake stand. Holding a long serrated knife horizontally and parallel to the work surface, use it to lightly score all around the side of the cake at the midway point. Then, using long, even strokes and still holding the knife parallel to the surface, slice clean through the cake, using the score marks as a guide, to cut it into two even layers. Set the top layer aside. 5.) Use a pastry brush to dab several tablespoons of the strawberry syrup across the bottom layer, lightly soaking the entire surface. Pull the bowl of cream from the refrigerator and dollop about half of it across the soaked layer, then spread in an even layer all the way to the edges. Arrange half of the sliced strawberries on top of the cream, then place the second cake layer on top of the first, cut side up. Lightly soak the top layer of cake with the strawberry syrup, reserving any remaining syrup for serving. Spread the remaining cream on top of the cake, then pile the remaining sliced strawberries over top. (If not serving immediately, cover loosely and refrigerate until ready to serve.) 6.) Slice the cake with a serrated knife and serve. Drizzle the slices with any remaining strawberry syrup. The cake is best served the day it’s made, but will keep, covered and chilled, for up to 3 days.

I love that she is doing this with nyt cooking, between this and her RU-vid channel we are getting a double dose of Claire which is what we all need right now

I love Claire. She's both very awkward and confident, which makes her super fun to watch.

¼ cup oil 4 large eggs, separated, at room temperature ½ cup granulated sugar (split in half) ½ teaspoon kosher salt ¼ teaspoon cream of tartar ⅔ cup cake flour 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

YES she's here to save summer for sure

I love that you referenced Schitts Creek. FOLD IN THE CHEESE DAVID! 🤣🤣🤣

Loved this series, I hope we eventually get to see more of Claire here. Luckily in the meantime we still get to see her each week on her own channel Claire Saffitz x Dessert Person. This is just a PSA for anyone not already subbed ✨

We are getting so spoiled with all these Claire videos!

Those strawberries looked DIVINE - and sponge cake with fresh cream and great berries is such a simple yet delicious, underrated dessert, it was perfect for this series!

I love how Claire admits when recipes are hard, even for her. That makes us home cooks feel less incompetent lol

I'm 14 and I made this yesterday, relatively simple and super delicious! It's even better the next day when it's soaked up all the strawberry juice!

¼ cup/50 grams olive or vegetable oil, plus more for greasing if baking in a jelly roll pan 4 large eggs, separated, at room temperature ½ cup/100 grams granulated sugar ½ teaspoon kosher salt ¼ teaspoon cream of tartar ⅔ cup/85 grams cake flour 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

btw, @NYT Cooking, you really should secure Claire for more videos on this channel. 🥺A new series would be awesome! I'm gonna miss seeing her here on Fridays!

You are smart for hiring Claire, she’s a views queen. 👑 I see Claire I click and watch till the end.

Claire is like everyone’s favorite aunt

The moment she said folding 😂 my mind went to David from schitts creek and then she said it .... That was awesome I love her so much

The people need more Claire.

Thank you for having Claire here. I've been watching a lot of baking videos on RU-vid past two months, and came across BA channel too. I was completely unaware of the controversy there, but after a point I noticed Claire videos are missing. So I googled to find out about Condé Nast using their non-white staffers as props. I unsubscribed the channel and now constantly hiding their content from my RU-vid feed. Thanks for hosting Claire.

The cracked effect actually looks like they're there by design

I made Claire’s flourless chocolate cake the other day and kept saying “Fold it in, David.”

There are countless sponge cake recipes and videos out there from professional bakers and bloggers alike but this one is the best and easiest sponge cake you will ever make. Trust us! Thank you Claire for sharing your easy, delicious sponge recipe! Follow her recipe exactly and you will have a fail proof sponge.

Someone has to get her on The Great British Bake Off to host/judge. Please.

The reference to Shitts Creek, is hilarious. “Just fold it, you know, fold it”

16:33 So relatable. That's why I love Claire!

What's better than a new video of Claire Saffitz once a week? A new video of Claire Saffitz twice a week. All Hail the Dough-yen of Cakes, Breads, and Pastries.

Can I just say Claire looks so radiant and beautiful here! The hair the makeup

“I’m not gonna grease it or line the bottom either” 👁👄👁 Is that...legal?

TWO Claire videos a week! Heaven, I'm in heaven. . . ⛅

Back to back Claire is the weekend treat we deserve

I love how she explains everything

The last time I saw her was at BA and she is GLOWING!

I just made this today. First time making a sponge cake. Claire is so ridiculously amazing at showing us the proper simple way to success! It is DELICIOUS! Thank you, Claire!

Great teacher.

I made this and loved the results - except for the whipped cream. I only had sour cream so I used that and it was inedible! So glad I tasted it first before I put it all over my cake.

Just made this cake yesterday and my family loved it! The sponge was so light, soft, and wasn’t overly sweet. A perfect cake for summer and is now my brother’s favorite cake I have made. The recipe was so straightforward and easy to follow so any beginner bakers should give this one a try.

Hey @nyt! Please secure more videos with Claire! She’s a bright star in the world of cooking and I thoroughly enjoy seeing her!

I love your explainations with terms like "ribbon" and "peaks" , and how you show what it should look like. I really appreciate that, its really helpful

Hey, great recipes 👌 As a word of professional advise, and, I'm sure you've seen this done in your research as well - the roulade looked perfectly cooked! To avoid those cracks and train the sponge, take it out of the tray while it is still warm, not completely steaming hot, and roll it as loosely as you did in the towel (sprinkled with icing sugar, cornstarch and shaken off excess) and let it cool to room temp rolled. The slight humidity will help the surfaces to not dry out as much, becoming more malleable to the roll - without loosing volume or texture. Give it a try =) Great work!

This recipe is giving me flashbacks go my pastry school days where we had to use the bottomless cake rings and fold the parchment paper around it like flippin' origami to make a bottom for the pan 😪

Thx Claire, this reminded me of my childhood. Raspberry roulade was the first cake I learned how to make from my mum ☺️ One thing she taught me differently is to pre-roll the cake while still hot, so it‘s more flexible.

"and by a minute I mean like an hour" - yupp, that's my kinda minute :) This was a satisfying video. I learned something. Now I want to go and bake. Thank you.

We want more!! I have LOVED this series!

I'm a simple little lad, I see berries and cream- I like it.

RU-vid would be boring without Claire. Thanks for the awesome recipes.

Yes!! Loving all these Claire videos

I love how your videos are so chill! Thanks for the amazing recipes!

Looks absolutely lovely

Everything Claire shows me makes me want to try and bake, thank you!!! 😭

This recipe is amazing and works beautifully! Hope NYT Cooking will continue to invite Claire to share new recipes. Her series on the channel is one of the best.

Make a chocolate sponge - whipped cream, and fresh peaches ... I love berries and cream, but the peaches and cream is amazing as well ...

Amazing! So many helpful, pro tips!

I ABSOLUTELY LOVE all of this Claire content we are getting on a weekly basis 🥰

I bought an extra set of beaters - easy to order as spare parts. Makes life so much easier. 😀

Can't wait to try this with summer blackberries!

How on earth can people push dislike! Claire is the Queen of well thought out, helpful recipes.

Thank you!

Yes more Claire! And I was just looking for a sponge cake so this is perfect! Please we want more of her, it's never enough!

I adore you Claire, you’re an amazing teacher and communicator. Thanks for the recipes and tutorials.

This looks amazing. Quintessential beauty!!!!!

Claire, I learn so much with you, every time :) Thank you and NYT Cooking for this series

Thank you for sharing this basic and essential recipe 😊

I am definitely baking this sometime this summer! 🍰

tried the roulade today and it's divine!!!

Great job Claire! Will definitely look for more of your videos. Good tips all along the way. And it looks phenomenal!!

Claire loves berries and cream so much she almost did the little lad dance.

OMG. This looks sooooo amazing. 😭🙌🏼🍓

Thank you for bringing this absolute gem back into a pro kitchen for our viewing pleasure. Go Claire!

I made this sponge cake today and it was excellent. It is pretty much as easy as Claire makes it look!

Both look amazing! I will be attempting to make these. Hope mine come out as great looking! TY

NY Times hitting gold by making an easy cooking channel - good competition with BA

Delightful to watch Claire. She’s a fantastic instructor.

I have never been so inspired and so assured that I could make something until I started watching you. You’ve literally made my life a sweeter place! Thank you.

This video makes me want to learn to bake....absolutely divine!!

Love to see more of Claire and her absolute dedication and passion for baking. You are so conceptual with every step of your baking. Love from India!!

Oh my god, the recipe scales! I trust Saffitz so much, I quintupled it without checking, came out like a dream.

Excellent explanation and demo! Tried the cake version. Followed the recipe and instructions exactly as given and it was excellent. Thank you!

Made it twice...kept falling! LOL. Thanks for this - was lots of fun.

soo ready to make this!

Yay! More Claire :D

Claire is such an inspiration, every time I see her cooking makes me want to try it! And recently I have been trying.

Tip for Claire: get a few extra sets of beaters for your hands mixer. So nice to have clean utensils.

Claire, thank you. Learned something new, today. Look forward to making much better sponges.

OMG that looks sooo delicious!!

Absolutely the best sponge cake recipe. I've made it 3 times in two weeks.

Yay claire! im so happy your back, thank you for sticking up for what you believe in you make a difference

I’m trying this this week! Wish me luck!! 🤞🏻🤞🏻🤞🏻

This sponge cake recipe was amazing! Yesterday, I made a strawberry roulade and it was absolutely perfect! It is very delightful to eat and very light. Best spongecake recipe. Thanks Claire!

she's done it again. love

This is one of my absolute favoritest combinations. So much so that my wedding cake was berries with creamcheese. When I make it, I use the recipe and proportions my mother taught me back in the day: 1 egg, 1 tbsp sugar, 1 tbsp flour. Multiply according to the size of your baking vessel. Beat the whites to firm peaks with all of the sugar, add the yolks one by one into the whites until they're incorporated, and then incorporate the flour with the mixer on the lowest setting. To avoid getting yolk in your whites, crack your eggs in a glass before you separate the yolks. Do the separating over a smaller bowl that is not your mixing bowl in case the yolk ruptures unexpectedly. Once you've separated them successfully, add the white to the mixing bowl. If you get any mishaps, wash the contaminated bowl before you use it again or simply get a clean one. Following these precautions ensures that you don't contaminate the whites whatsoever. Thank you Claire for some amazing tips that I'll be sure to keep in mind in future baking. Love all of your content!

We need more Claire! Don't stop 🙃😊

Love the grey Claire you’re a stunner but you’re also so much more than your looks. You’re smart, driven and extremely talented. Keep it up girl!

omg I love this woman !!!

Oooooh it's Claire!!! I loved her Gourmet Makes on BA. Glad to see her!!!! 🥰

So great. 🙂

This sponge cakes great for a yummy strawberry trifle 🥰

I made the crossaints yesterday they came out so good exited to try this next 😄

Tried making the roulade today and was very nervous but it turned out great! The recipe is easier/more forgiving than I thought it would be.

Yummy sponge cake 👍🏻

Yay, my favorite! My Birthday cake every year is a Jelly Roll. Really struggle to get the height. I look forward to trying this technique.

I made the layer cake today this recipe is the real deal