What's the secret of a light, fluffy sponge cake?

[PieceOfPaper]

I've just made yet another disappointing sponge. I can't blame it on the oven any longer - it must be me I'd love some pointers! I use the 4oz sugar/butter/flour / 2 eggs method, I cream the sugar and butter til it's light and smooth and I fold in the flour carefully. But they hardly rise, and they're kind of crispy round the edges. I used to be able to make a decent sponge cake, and I don't know where I'm going wrong!

Never use butter - I only ever use butter in my Xmas cake (I don't know why...).

Stork all the way. My cakes are renowned for their lightness (among family and friends - not the whole world ).

Stork and Sugar creamed (in my Kenwood Kmix) until the colour is almost white (I let it go for about 10 minutes) then mix each egg in separately beating for a couple of minutes each time. Then I add the flour, baking powder and Vanilla bean paste (for the best flavor...) using the 'Fold-in' setting on the mixer.

Perfect every time if I do say so myself...

LumpySpacedPrincess

I have just done what you said, the cake is in the oven...

Fingers firmly crossed.

she said 'Oh I do always use this particular flour'. So I tried it - hey presto.

Which one?!

Oh gawd, but the old stork thing again.

Whilst they make LOOK nice, they taste vile.

Butter & sugar beaten, very good quality eggs, infrequently use duck eggs. I use any old flour, but take care to fold in flour, which has been sieved in with the baking flour. I sometimes substitute self raising.

I did a night school cookery course, and when we did Victoria sandwich one of the other students brought in her hand mixer on a stand, and beat and beat her butter and sugar, and then beat in her eggs, and finally she took it off the stand to fold in the SR. flour. Her cakes towered over everyone's including the teacher's. She said (rightly) that if you hold the mixer you get bored/tired before the butter and sugar are whipped up enough. They have to be white.

Mary Berry's tip of putting the chopped up butter in barely warm water to soften for about 10 mins before you drain it and start beating is brilliant.

I read in Mich Turner's Cake Master class that it isn't possible to overbeat the butter (sorry, never Stork) and sugar in the creaming stage, so that's what I do - I have a stand mixer and just let it go and go and go. Probably 7-10 minutes. I scrape down and get it all back into the centre every so often but let it get really soft and pale and fluffy. I then beat the eggs together in a jug and add them, while the mixer is running, in a thin stream till mixed. If everything really is at room temp it shouldn't curdle, but if it does somehow curdle you can always add a tablespoon of flour to get it back in shape. Then a very gentle hand folding in the flour, baking powder etc. My cakes are much more even now in their rising and they are much lighter. Hope that helps!

Mary Berry's tip of putting the chopped up butter in barely warm water to soften for about 10 mins before you drain it and start beating is brilliant.

That sounds like too much faff! Just give the butter a (gentle) blast in the microwave.