Plain cake sponge recipe

Makes one 25cm cake, 5cm deep, or one 30cm cake, 4cm deep

150g clarified butter noisette

200g sifted plain flour

60g cornflour

120g cold water

Preheat the oven to 180C/gas mark 4. To make the clarified butter bring 250g unsalted butter to the boil and allow to simmer gently until the solids at the bottom are pale brown. Remove from the heat and pass through a fine sieve. Discard the solids and add the vanilla to the clear, light brown clarified butter; set aside, but keep it warm so that it remains liquid.

Put the egg yolks and sugar in a large mixing bowl placed over a pan of barely boiling water and use a hand-held electric whisk to mix until the mixture is pale and foamy and nearly triple the original volume.

Mix the flour with the cornflour and set aside. Decrease mixing speed and add the cold water.

Add half the blended flours to the egg mixture then use a large balloon whisk to fold quickly and lightly into the flour. As the flour disappears, repeat with the rest of the flour mixture.

Fold the clarified butter into the mixture with the whisk, as before. Make sure this is done thoroughly before pouring the cake batter into the prepared tin. Bake for 45-60 minutes until the cake is golden brown and feels springy to the touch. As soon as the cake is cooked, turn out on to a rack.

Lay a 4mm thick disc of marzipan on top as a base for the decoration.

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