Bubbi’s Passover Sponge Cake

The Bubbi in question is Grandma Aptaker, my husband’s grandmother.  She came to Pueblo, Colorado, from Brooklyn, and before that, Russia.  I used to watch her cook, ask questions, and write down what she did.  This is one of the recipes that I transcribed.

Since then, I figured out how to make reduced sugar and gluten-free versions, which appear below.

Passover Sponge Cake

1 dozen eggs, separated

2 cups sugar

2 cups cake meal for Passover (or matzo meal pulverized in processor)

juice of 1 orange

juice of 1 lemon

Beat the egg whites in a large bowl until they are stiff.  In a second bowl, beat the yolks and gradually add the sugar.  Add the lemon and orange juice and beat together.  Then gradually add the cake meal.  Gently fold in the egg whites.

Gently ladle the mixture into an ungreased tube cake pan.  Bake at 350 degrees for 1 1/4 hours to 1 1/2 hours.  Slide a knife into the cake to test to see if it is done. (If the knife comes out clean, the cake is done.)

Invert the cake pan on a plate and let it cool.  Slide a knife around the inside and outside edges to make it easier for the cake to slide out.

I love this cake the way it is, but you can add grated orange and lemon peel if you like.  If you want to be fancy-schmancy, serve it with sliced strawberries.

And for adaptations:

–For a reduced sugar version, replace one cup of the sugar with Splenda.  (NOTE:  the Splenda available to consumers is not Kosher for Passover.)  Another alternative is to cut the sugar down to 1 1/4 cup.  This will reduce the volume of the cake just a bit, but the cake holds together with 1 cup of sugar.

–For a gluten-free version, replace the matzo meal with potato starch (Kosher for Passover readily available). The texture is a little different, but this is still a lovely cake.

You can make a gluten-free cake with reduced sugar.  Here is what it will look like.

And here is my recipe card for Grandma Aptaker’s Sponge Cake.

By Randa Dubnick

Drawing is “Bubbi’s Passover Sponge Cake” by Randa Dubnick.  All rights reserved.