Dessert

Mum’s ginger sponge with feijoa cream filling

There’s just something about a sponge cake that fills you with delight! Nici Wickes' mum made them often when she was growing up, with fillings of strawberries, passionfruit, peaches or whatever fruit was in season and always with plenty of whipped cream.
Ginger sponge with feijoa cream filling
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Feijoas are here for a short time, not a long time, so here are some of our favourite feijoa recipes to make the most of NZ’s most popular fruit.

Watch below as Nici Wickes shares her tried-and-true tips for making the perfect sponge cake.

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Ingredients

Method

1.Preheat oven to 180˚C standard bake (not fan). Line a 24cm loose bottom cake tin with baking paper. Do not grease the sides – the sponge needs something to hold onto as it rises!
2.In a small saucepan, gently bring the sugar and water to the boil, then simmer for 3-4 minutes. While this is cooking, beat the egg whites in a large glass bowl with an electric beater until soft peaks form – don’t overbeat.
3.With the beater still going, pour the sugar syrup into the egg whites in a steady stream.
4.Add the 4 egg yolks and continue beating until pale and creamy.
5.Sift the cornflour, 3 tsp ground ginger, flour and baking powder together, then add to the mixture. Fold gently, so as not to lose any volume, until all the dry ingredients have been incorporated.
6.Pour the mixture into the lined cake tin and carefully place in the oven to bake for 25-30 minutes or until it springs back when lightly touched and a skewer inserted comes out clean.
7.When you remove the sponge cake from the oven, drop it on the floor from about one foot high – this helps prevent it from sinking in the middle. Cool it in the tin for 10 minutes before turning it out onto a wire rack.
8.Once cooled completely, use a large serrated knife to split the cake in half.
9.Add the remaining ground ginger to the sweetened, stiffly beaten whipped cream, and top the bottom cake layer with it. Scatter over feijoa pieces before carefully placing the top layer.
10.Dust with icing sugar. Cut into big, fat wedges and enjoy!

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