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

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

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

YES she's here to save summer for sure

We are getting so spoiled with all these Claire videos!

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 ✨

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

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 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

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

The people need more Claire.

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!

Claire is like everyone’s favorite aunt

Back to back Claire is the weekend treat we deserve

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 cracked effect actually looks like they're there by design

I love how she explains everything

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