In my family, every Passover my mother would bake her famous sponge cake. Throughout the year, sponge cake can be made with flour; however, at Passover, it cannot. My mother always made hers with potato starch (instead of flour), and she used extra-large or even jumbo eggs to provide the leavening.
This is not an easy task, but somehow my mother’s cakes always stood tall. Neither my sister nor I can remember her ever having one that deflated, a situation that has happened to most of us at one time or another as part of our baking ups and downs.
Whereas some recipes for Passover sponge cakes call for matzo cake meal as well as potato starch, I prefer the amazingly light texture that results from a cake made with potato starch only. Once you give this one a try, you'll see why.
The trick to making a good sponge cake is to beat as much air as possible into the separated eggs, folding them gently into the batter without overworking them and causing the whites to deflate.
Following in my mom’s footsteps, I make this delicious Passover Lemon Sponge Cake recipe every year. Some years it's higher than others, but it's always a sweet lemony and light finish to our Seder meal. Also feel free to make it with flour any time of year if you're craving a delicious cake like this one.
Note: This recipe also qualifies as a gluten-free cake since there is no flour in it. —dinner at sheila's
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