Looking for an easy, light and airy cake recipe to make for every occasion, from brunch to birthdays to cookouts?Strawberry sponge cake from Gabriel Gaté’s So French So Sweet: Delectable Cakes, Tarts, Cremes and Dessert is the scrumptious answer.

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Strawberry Sponge Cake

Servings: 14 servings

Time:

Ingredients:

9 ounces caster (superfine) sugar

8 large eggs

1⅔ cups all-purpose flour, sifted

3½ ounces butter, just melted

1 pound 5 ounces strawberries, hulled

1 ¼ cups confectioners’ sugar

7 ounces cream, whipped until firm

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Butter and flour a 10-inch-round cake pan.

2. Using an electric mixer, beat the sugar and eggs until the mixture forms a thick ribbon, about 10 minutes.

3. Add the sifted flour all at once and, using a rubber spatula, fold it into the egg mixture, gently but quickly. Mix in the melted butter, gently but quickly.

4. Pour the mixture into the cake pan and smooth the top with a spatula. Bake until the cake is lightly browned and springs back when lightly touched in the center, 30 to 40 minutes. Set aside for a few minutes before gently turning out onto a wire rack to cool completely.

5. In a medium bowl, mash two of the strawberries, then gradually stir in the confectioners’ sugar until the mixture has the consistency of frosting.

6. Slice the remaining strawberries in half. Cut the sponge cake in half horizontally. Spread the bottom half with the whipped cream and top with two-thirds of the halved strawberries. Replace the top half of the cake and spread the icing over the top. Garnish with the remaining strawberry halves.