Wheat Free Lemon Sponge Cake

I wanted to bake a cake for my friend Rose that I could bring to our prayer meeting that is held at Dorothy's house. It is Rose's birthday in a few days.  I thought it would be appropriate to celebrate it after our prayer meeting with Sr. Paula.   After all prayer groups are top in the list of Rose's favorite things in life and they are in mine too.  I actually wrote an ode to groups, like my prayer groups, today that can be found in this blogpost.  

It has to be gluten free in deference to our host's food preference.  I googled for the best and easiest recipe I could find. I found the recipe for Wheat Free Sponge Cake in a delightful website Ancoo Journal.  I could not believe the list of ingredients.  Not only is it short with no use of butter or baking powder;  it does not use any of the usual gluten free flour that are so expensive to buy like almond or flax or soy flour. Instead it uses good old corn flour aka cornstarch!  

The delightful website, Ancoo Journal, gives helpful pictures that demonstrate the proper techniques.  If one follows the steps shown in this website it actually works and results in a sponge cake with a great texture that is delicious as well. I tweaked the recipe by adding lemon extract aside from the vanilla in the original recipe. Did I say it is pretty too with powdered sugar and fruit of your choice on top?  A fruit jam can be also used. Lemon curd if you happen to have it would be perfect.  

Here are pictures of Rose celebrating her birthday in advance with the prayer group facilitated by our dear Sr. Paula Drass. We are grateful to Dorothy for generously hosting this group in her beautiful house this year. By the way the group members gave this cake the two thumbs up. Advance Happy Birthday Rose!

Wheat Free Lemon Sponge Cake

(Adapted from the Ancoo Journal website)

• 3 large eggs
• 1/2 cup caster sugar (I prepared this by blending granulated sugar in the blender till powdery in texture but not as fine as confectioner's sugar)
• 3/4 cup corn flour or cornstarch (sifted twice)
• 1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/2 tsp lemon extract

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.  Grease an 8-inch round pan and line it with wax paper that fits the bottom of the pan.  Set aside.
2. Beat the eggs, the vanilla and lemon extracts at medium speed for 10 minutes till it turns pale yellow and creamy.  (I used my Kitchen Aid Mixer for this step).
3. Add the sugar gradually to the beaten eggs at medium speed till the sugar dissolves.
4. Add the sifted corn flour or cornstarch through a sifter and into the sugar egg mixture.  Gently fold the flour with a spatula till fully incorporated with the sugar egg mixture.
5. Transfer to the prepared round pan.
6. Bake for 20 minutes at 350 degrees Fahrenheit or until a toothpick comes out clean.
7. Transfer the cake in a cooling rack.
8. Drizzle the cooled cake with powdered sugar and top with any fruit or jam of your choice.  I used blackberries I happened to have in the fridge.  Lemon curd will also be good to use.  Enjoy this pretty and delicious cake.