Sponge Cake with Orange

From the recipe box of our magazine’s editor-in-chief, Julie Talerico, comes this delicious sponge cake soaked in fresh orange juice and topped with billows of fresh whipped cream.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

To make the cake: Carefully separate four eggs. Beat the egg whites until they form soft peaks and set aside. In a large bowl or standing mixer, combine four egg yolks with one-and-one-half cups of granulated sugar. Mix in one half cup of hot water. Fold in one-and-one-half cups all-purpose flour and one teaspoon baking powder.
With a wooden spoon, gently fold in the beaten whites. Divide batter equally between two lightly greased and floured 8-inch round cake pans.

Bake for 20 minutes at 350 degrees.

To make the juice mixture: Remove zest from three oranges (to make about one-and-one-half tablespoons) and juice five oranges (to make about two cups of juice). Add one half cup of sugar and orange zest to the juice.

When cakes are done, cool and remove them from the pans, then place onto two separate large plates. Pour juice over the cakes, dividing it evenly. Cover cakes with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight or for a minimum of four hours.

Before serving, whip one pint heavy cream. Use the whipped cream to frost the cakes. Garnish with mandarin orange wedges or spiral curls of fresh orange peel. Serves eight.