Sugar

Appears in

Published 1984

About

Certain moist spongecake recipes, such as Classic American Spongecake and Hazelnut Sponge With Raspberry Whipped Cream, contain a large amount of sugar, which is the chief reason for their exceptionally moist and tender texture.

Sugar interrupts the gluten development and slows the coagulation or setting of the flour and egg proteins in the oven. During the time it takes for the cake to bake, the sugar retains some of the cake’s moisture. Though sponge cakes made with a lot of sugar blend perfectly with any number of fillings and frostings, they are also delicious without them.