Rich Sponge Cake.
6 large eggs.
3 gills of sugar.
3 gills of flour.
1 lemon.
Grate a little of the lemon rind into a deep saucer. Squeeze the juice on this. Beat the yolks of the eggs and the sugar together until the mixture is a light, spongy mass. Add the lemon juice and rind, and beat a little longer. Beat the whites of the eggs with a whisk until a thick white froth is formed. Cut the flour and whites of eggs into the sugar and yolks, adding only a little at a time, and doing the work lightly and gently, so as not to break down the frothy egg. Pour the mixture into a well buttered pan, and bake in a moderate oven, the time of baking depending upon the thickness of the loaf. If it be three inches deep when put in the pan, it will take one hour to bake. It is essential that the oven should be very slow at first. This will cause the sponge to rise evenly, making the cake tender, rich, and moist.