Place the eggs and sugar in the bowl of a mixer large enough to accommodate the volume of the fully beaten eggs. They will typically expand four to six times their original volume.
Using the wire whip attachment, whip the mixture to maximum volume on high speed.
Remove the bowl from the mixer. To determine when the eggs have reached maximum volume, watch as they are beaten; when the aerated mixture just begins to recede, maximum volume has been achieved.
Fold the sifted dry ingredients into the beaten eggs gently and gradually, but quickly, to prevent excessive loss of volume. For folding, use a large rubber spatula or other implement with a large, broad, flat surface. This will allow for a larger amount of batter to be lifted with each fold, facilitating the rapid incorporation of ingredients without breaking down the fragile aerated structure.
Fold the melted fat into the batter last. You may want to temper in the butter; some chefs feel this eases the fat’s full incorporation and lessens any deflating effects on the batter. To do this, first lighten the butter by incorporating a small amount of batter. Then fold this mixture into the remaining batter.
Immediately after mixing, scale the batter into each prepared pan and bake.
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