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(from EGGS by Michel Roux, page 268)

20g Softened Butter, to grease tin
125g Plain Flour, plus extra to dust
4 Medium Eggs, at room temperature
125g Caster Sugar
30g Butter, melted & cooled to tepid

1. Preheat the oven to 190degC/Gas 5.
2. Butter & lightly flour a 20cm cake tin.
3. Put the eggs & sugar in a bowl, immediately whisk them together for about 12 mins, until the mixture leaves a ribbon trail when you lift the whisk. You can also do this in an electric mixer.
4. Shower in the flour, delicately fold into the mixture with a rubber spatula.
5. Add melted butter, fold in carefully without over working the mixture.
6. Pour the mixture into the cake tin, bake for 30 mins, or till it is cooked.
7. To test, lightly press the centre of the sponge with your fingertips; there should be a slight resistance, the sponge should “sing”, emitting a a soft “zzz”.
8. Invert on to a wire rack, giving the sponge a quarter turn after 10 mins to prevent it sticking.
9. Leave to cool for 3-4 hours.

Note: Before the cake could cool down, while it is still warm, it has found its place in our tummies.

Thanks to Michel Roux’s Eggs that now I can learn to bake confidently. I have always dislike handling greasy buttered utensil, let alone trying to figure out how to be an “oven whisperer”. My oven or toaster oven is a leftover from MIL. I sent it twice for temperature and timer calibration and servicing but still could not get accurate temperature setup. I gave up and bought an oven thermometer to check.

I love Genoese Sponge Cake from Michel’s Eggs  book. In fact was obsessed with it for the past continuous 3 days, baking before and after dinner. I am happy with my progress. Tomorrow I shall bake again if my fever is gone. Like it so much that I have the recipe in my heart all the time. The basic ingredients makes the recipe a safe choice to start learning baking again as I don’t like the idea of wasting food.

Pan fried potatoes, spinach saute with garlic and a failed poached egg for kids starter at dinner.

IK members, these are the Lego stuffs that I bought. It has no indication of maximum temperature for the baking tray.

Six Flavoured Soup  六味汤
Chinese Barley Water 生熟薏米水
Chrysenthemun 菊花
Dried Fig with Chinese Red Dates
White Fungus, Chinese Almonds & Chinese Pear
Sweet Corn Brew