This kosher for Passover recipe for the Best Sponge Cake with Strawberries is a fluffy and light treat which makes it the perfect end to a heavy Passover, Shabbat, or Rosh Hashanah meal. The airy lemon flavor of the Passover Sponge Cake tastes amazing with strawberries or blueberries and has only 5 ingredients!. This recipe is kosher for Passover, dairy free, and pareve.
The Best Sponge Cake with Strawberries is usually eaten at Yom Tov or Shabbat meals. Besides being kosher for Passover, this recipe for Passover Sponge Cake is also pareve and non-dairy which means that you can eat it with any meal or as a snack. We like to serve this Passover Dessert after heavy dishes like our Kosher Smoked Brisket or Kosher Chicken Marbella.
Jump to:
- Ingredients used in the Best Passover Sponge Cake Recipe
- How to make the recipe for the best lemon sponge cake step by step
- Variations on the Best Sponge Cake with Strawberries
- Special Equipment Needed to Make Passover Sponge Cake
- Storage of Sponge Cake
- Pro recipe tips
- 📖 Recipe
- Pro recipe tips
- Recipe Categories
Ingredients used in the Best Passover Sponge Cake Recipe
- Eggs - this recipe uses a lot of eggs! The body of the cake is an egg batter and the heavily beaten eggs are what makes it light fluffy.
- Sugar - to make the cake sweet.
- Lemon - the zest and juice are both used in this recipe for Sponge Cake which make it super lemony and delicious.
- Potato starch - gives the Sponge Cake some of its body.
- Matzo cake meal - acts as a binder.
- Strawberries - a fruit garnish that makes the Lemon Sponge Cake taste fresh and invigorating.
See recipe card for quantities.
How to make the recipe for the best lemon sponge cake step by step
This recipe is not as simple as our Gluten Free Brownies but if you follow the steps below, we will get you through it and at the end is a divine lemony experience worth the effort.
Step 1 - Prepare the egg yolk mixture
Separate out 7 egg yolks from the whites into two separate bowls. Put the egg whites aside and add two whole (not separated) eggs to the egg yolks and beat with an electric mixer until they are combined and have a pale yellow color. This should take about 2 minutes on high.
Add 1 cup granulated sugar, the lemon zest, lemon juice, potato starch, and the matzo cake meal. Beat again on high for 1-2 minutes or until the ingredients are fully incorporated. This is the first part of the Sponge Cake batter; put it aside because we will need it later.
Step 2 - Make a merengue
Now we are going to assemble a merengue which is what will make the cake fluffy and airy. Start by beating the egg whites on high for about 2 minutes. At this point you should have what is called "soft peaks." This is where you can take a spoon and make a small peak with the egg whites and it will stay momentarily and then fall back down. At this point, add the remaining ½ cup of sugar and beat on high again until stiff peaks form. Now you have a merengue.
Step 3 - Fold the egg whites into the egg yolks to finish the Sponge Cake batter
Gently fold the merengue into the egg yolk mixture. Do not over stir or your batter will start to collapse.
Get it just to the point where it looks like this:
Step 4 - Transfer the Passover Sponge Cake batter to the tube pan and bake
Gently transfer the batter to the tube pan being careful not to be too aggressive.
Bake for 1 hour at 325ºF. Remove from the oven and invert the tube cake pan. Let the cake cool completely for 1 hour and then remove the cake from the pan. Garnish with fresh strawberries and whipped cream.
Variations on the Best Sponge Cake with Strawberries
If you cannot find good fresh strawberries then you can also try:
- Frozen strawberries or strawberry glaze
- Raspberries
- Blueberries
- Bananas
- Mango
- Powdered sugar over the top of the cake
- Cool Whip whipped topping instead of whipped cream (not on Passover)
Special Equipment Needed to Make Passover Sponge Cake
You will need a tube pan to make this recipe. The reason for this is that the tube pan has a hole in the middle and the batter is poured in around the sides. The hole in the middle of the pan allows for even cooking of the cake at low temperatures. The center of the cake is always the last place to finish baking and this cake doesn't have one!
Storage of Sponge Cake
Wrap the cake in plastic wrap very well and store on the counter for 3-4 days or in the refrigerator for up to 7 days.
If you are freezing this cake, wrap very well with plastic wrap and then wrap again in aluminum foil. The Passover Sponge Cake will keep for 4-6 months in the freezer.
Pro recipe tips
- Make sure your bowl and egg beaters are very clean before mixing or the stiff peaks will not form properly and your cake will be flat and dense.
- When beating the egg whites to get the stiff peaks, do not stop early. Make sure that the stiff peaks look like the ones in the picture above.
📖 Recipe
The Best Sponge Cake with Strawberries
Equipment
- tube pan
Ingredients
- 9 eggs divided
- 1 ½ cups sugar divided
- zest of one lemon
- juice of one lemon
- ½ cup potato starch
- 3 tablespoon matzo cake meal
- strawberries as a garnish
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325ºF.
- In two separate bowls, separate 7 egg whites and yolks.
- To the bowl containing the egg yolks, add two whole eggs. Beat well until pale yellow color (about 5 minutes on high speed).
- To the yolk mixture, add 1 cup sugar and the lemon zest and beat for 30 seconds on high. Then fold in the potato starch, matzo cake meal, and lemon juice. Set aside.
- Beat the egg whites on medium for 2 minutes or until soft peaks form. Slowly add ½ cup sugar, continue beating on medium for another 3 minutes or until stiff peaks form.
- Fold the egg whites into the yolk mixture. Transfer to the tube pan.
- Bake for 1 hour.
- Remove from oven and invert pan. Let cool for 1 hour before removing.
Notes
Pro recipe tips
- Make sure your bowl and egg beaters are very clean before mixing or the stiff peaks will not form properly and your cake will be flat and dense.
- When beating the egg whites to get the stiff peaks, do not stop early. Make sure that the stiff peaks look like the ones in the picture above.
