Help! Sponge Cake From A Box Mix?

Baking By scrumdiddlycakes Updated 18 Feb 2013 , 9:19am by Evoir

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scrumdiddlycakes Posted 16 Feb 2013 , 8:51pm
post #1 of 15

My husband's cousin is getting married tomorrow evening, and got a call from her cake decorators husband saying she was in the hospital and wouldn't be able to do the cake.

I agreed to do it, but time is a real problem, obviously :)


It's a big deal to her to have a traditional Victorian Sponge cake, (they paid for custom menus, and are giving out little jars of lemon curd and raspberry preserves with a poem about the cake as favours).

All that to say, it has to be a sponge, lol.

 

I have an amazing sponge recipe, that takes hours to make, and I need to make enough for over 200 people. I just don't have time for that!

 

The bride said she doesn't care if I use a boxed mix, but I am not a mix user, I don't even know if it's possible to make sponge from a mix?

Any recipes out there?

14 replies
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Annabakescakes Posted 16 Feb 2013 , 8:58pm
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 Add a package of instant pudding and use milk instead of water, and a stick of butter instead of oil.  It will be dense and moist.

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Annabakescakes Posted 16 Feb 2013 , 8:59pm
post #3 of 15

And the baker just now figured it out? The cakes should be baked by now!!! See if you can go pick them up, and just decorate???

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scrumdiddlycakes Posted 16 Feb 2013 , 9:08pm
post #4 of 15

That sounds easy enough, thank you!

 

I'm not sure what the deal is with the other baker, her husband said she went into the hospital on Thursday, but he couldn't find the bride's phone number until now, or something like that.

Kind of sounds like a weird excuse to not do the cake, but I'm trying to keep my nose out of the drama, lol, I'll have enough going on!
 

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Annabakescakes Posted 16 Feb 2013 , 9:41pm
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I have seen many members over the years post that they use that method with the cake mixes, while I have not. But many of them have real businesses, so I believe them! If you are not so trusting, I would bake one up and test it, but how bad could it be? lol! Use the same amount of milk, because the butter has adds water, but the pudding needs it. I read it is very thick, and must be spread.

 

Maybe make it as I said, then bake a cupcake, and test it, and if it is too dry, add milk a little bit at a time, and test it with another cupcake. I really hope this helps!

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Annabakescakes Posted 16 Feb 2013 , 9:42pm
post #6 of 15

And I bake on Wednesday for a Saturday wedding.

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Annabakescakes Posted 16 Feb 2013 , 10:13pm
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Since you are busy, and I loafing around, I did some research and read a bunch of opinions, and it looks like you need to use about 20% or more butter for oil. So, if your box calls for 1/3 cup oil, the sick will work great. If it is a half a cup, then add another couple tablespoons, or a tablespoon of oil. Otherwise it will be very dense and not quite as moist, but I do think that is what you are going for, yes? More dense, not fluffy, and while not dry, not oily, either?

 

You may not need the whole pudding box, according to some, a half box will do! OH! I hope this goes wellicon_cry.gif What a terrible thing to be left in the lurch, and then very generous of you to fill in for her!

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kikiandkyle Posted 16 Feb 2013 , 11:17pm
post #8 of 15

AIs Victorian sponge something different here than it is in the UK, where Victoria sponge is just vanilla cake with a jam and cream filling? You could just use a regular vanilla cake mix, in the UK we call that sponge. Usually we use strawberry jam but raspberry would work too I guess, along with vanilla buttercream instead of whipped cream.

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Annabakescakes Posted 16 Feb 2013 , 11:23pm
post #9 of 15
Quote:
Originally Posted by kikiandkyle 

Is Victorian sponge something different here than it is in the UK, where Victoria sponge is just vanilla cake with a jam and cream filling? You could just use a regular vanilla cake mix, in the UK we call that sponge. Usually we use strawberry jam but raspberry would work too I guess, along with vanilla buttercream instead of whipped cream.

I have always heard it is way more dense than a box mix? Is that wrong? And buttery, as well.

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kikiandkyle Posted 17 Feb 2013 , 3:45pm
post #10 of 15

The sponge cake I grew up making is made with all the same ingredients as any vanilla cake I make here - butter, sugar, eggs, flour, vanilla and milk and baked the same way. Obviously a box mix has oil instead of butter, but the basic idea is the same. 

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scrumdiddlycakes Posted 18 Feb 2013 , 6:20am
post #11 of 15

I started out using Annabakescake's suggested method, and splitting it into a few small batches and did something different with each, then baked a cupcake with each.I was going for a rich cake with lots of volume, but not 'airy', if that makes sense, lol.

I ended up using 3 full eggs, instead of just whites, and beating them until they frothed to twice their size, then folding in in the cake mix, pudding, melted butter and butter,ilk instead of water.

It tasted good without beating the eggs, but was just a bit too dense for what she had explained wanting.

 

Thank you SO much for the help! I have never made so much cake in so little time, haha.

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Chellescakes Posted 18 Feb 2013 , 8:19am
post #12 of 15

A Victoria Sponge  must be different where you live , Light and Airy is exactly what I would have been aiming for. 

A vanilla cake is denser than a sponge , A sponge should be "light as a feather" .While they do have similar ingredients the methods are quite different. 

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scrumdiddlycakes Posted 18 Feb 2013 , 8:30am
post #13 of 15
Quote:
Originally Posted by Chellescakes 

A Victoria Sponge  must be different where you live , Light and Airy is exactly what I would have been aiming for. 

A vanilla cake is denser than a sponge , A sponge should be "light as a feather" .While they do have similar ingredients the methods are quite different. 

 

The sponge I grew up with was the super light and airy cake with cream and jam, but around here popular opinion seems to be that it is an 'airy pound cake'. If that makes any sense, lol.

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Chellescakes Posted 18 Feb 2013 , 8:49am
post #14 of 15

Oh I see,  I also grew up with the lighter than air sponges that the CWA ( Country Women's Association ) were famous for. My Mum used to make prize winning sponges that were really just a heavenly , tasty cloud .  And the only way to have them is with good homemade strawberry jam and lashings of fresh cream. Mmmmmmm

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Evoir Posted 18 Feb 2013 , 9:19am
post #15 of 15

AThat's how I interpret Victoria Sponge. The fact that they're giving little jars of lemon curd and jam makes me think its a proper sponge, but from what you described above, it's sounding like what we call a Madeira cake.

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