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NATIONAL SPONGE CAKE DAY

2 min. read
May 1, 2014 8:06 pm CDT

NATIONAL SPONGE CAKE DAY

On August 23, enjoy National Sponge Cake Day with the quintessential classic of the cake world. This airy queen of teas is the guest of honor, but we get the pleasure of tasting!

#SpongeCakeDay

One of the trickiest cakes for bakers to master, a perfect sponge stands tall. Another balancing trick for bakers includes maintaining a fine crumb while keeping the cake moist. If you enjoy layering berries and whipped cream, the sponge handles this task beautifully.

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The sponge cake is believed to be one of the first non-yeasted cakes.

The sponge cake is thought to have originated in the Caribbean. However, the earliest English printed recipe for sponge cake comes from an English poet and author, Gervase Markham. In 1615 he published a sponge cake recipe in the book The English Huswife, Containing the Inward and Outward Virtues Which Ought to Be in a Complete Woman.

In 2003, the sponge cake played a tiny role in the movie Calendar Girls starring Helen Mirren. In the scene, Mirren's character, Chris, enters a baking competition. However, she forgets she entered, and instead of entering a sponge cake of her own making, she submits a store-bought Victoria sponge cake.

HOW TO OBSERVE NATIONAL SPONGE CAKE DAY

Get some sponge cake and enjoy it. Or, if you are up to the challenge, try this Glorious Sponge Cake recipe. Serve it with berries or a preserve. Use #SpongeCakeDay to post on social media.

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NATIONAL SPONGE CAKE DAY HISTORY

Our research was unable to find the creator of National Sponge Cake Day.

Did you know there are 28 cake-related holidays on the calendar? Of course, not including pancake days. If we were to include pancakes in the count, every month would celebrate some kind of cake.