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These homemade Vietnamese Sponge Cakes are super light and fluffy, with the perfect amount of sweetness. Served with an amazing homemade strawberry sauce, these little mini sponge cakes are addictively tasty!
When I think of Vietnamese food, I usually don't think dessert.
I NEVER think of dessert.
But everyone eats dessert right?
Many Asian countries have a different idea about dessert than Western countries.
Vietnamese desserts are often far less sugary sweet.
Which I actually like.
Sometimes, especially after a decadent meal (I mean come one, you've see the heart stopping recipes I like to post), I just want a little hint of sweet.
Not a big piece of rich chocolate cake (I know - blasphemy), but just something a little lighter.
Like these Vietnamese sponge cakes.
Light, fluffy, and perfectly sweet, these are great served with a homemade strawberry sauce (recipe below) OR this super super delicious lemon curd for even more deliciousness.
Ingredients
Buy your ingredients here (these are Amazon affiliate link - I earn a small commission if you buy through these links):
Also, I bought these super cute silicone mini pie dishes that are great to cook with. You can buy them through this Amazon affiliate link:
And, I got this new mixer from my mom for Christmas (no, I'm not a KitchenAid stand mixer convert yet) that I absolutely love. It's great for small spaces as it all is contained in it's own little storage box so you don't have to hunt down your pieces and it fits just about anywhere. If you're interested, the Amazon affiliate link is below (I earn a commission off this link).
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Step By Step Instructions
Like most of my recipes, it's not hard. The most important part is to make sure you gently fold the batter into the egg whites to keep everything light and fluffy.
Separate the egg whites and egg yolks in separate bowls.
First, we make the batter by combining the egg yolks and ½ cup sugar and whipping until creamy.
Then mix in the melted butter, vanilla extract, milk and lemon juice. Then mix in your dry ingredients.
Set the batter aside for a moment and grab those egg whites.
You're going to whip the egg whites until stiff peaks form. Once your egg white start getting frothy, add the cream of tartar.
The cream of tartar works to stabilize the egg whites - meaning it helps to keep the egg whites from deflating.
After you add the cream of tartar, slowly add the remaining ¼ cup of sugar while continuing to whip the egg whites.
Once you have your stiff peaks, you're ready to start folding. Now how easy has it been so far?
Take you batter and SLOWLY fold it into the egg whites. I usually do this in 3 batches. Be very careful not to overmix as this will deflate your egg whites.
It's ok if there are still streaks of egg white in your batter. It does not have to be perfect, the key is to not overmix.
It is time to get that oven preheated to 325F degrees.
Now that we have our batter, we're going to pour half of it in a lined muffin tin, and the other half in your mini tart molds.
But really, you can use a spring form pan as well, or two muffin tins, or all mini tart pans. You have FREEDOM guys!
For the muffin tin, I like to cut squares of the parchment paper to line the pan so I end up with cute individually wrapped sponge cakes.
Just remember, only fill your muffin or tart pan ¾ way full. This gives the sponge cakes room to fluff up.
Place your "pans" in the oven and bake for 20 minutes. Turn the oven off, open the door, and let the sponge cakes rest for about 15-20 minutes.
making the strawberry sauce
In the meantime, you can make your strawberry sauce.
Which is super duper easy too.
To make the strawberry sauce, puree the de-stemmed strawberries with the mirin and place the mixture in a sauce pan.
Add the vanilla, lemon juice and sugar and bring to a simmer for 10 minutes. AND DONE.
Ok guys. These Vietnamese sponge cakes are good stuff. I'm glad it made a lot, because I was eating them as I was photographing, and they were disappearing quickly
Even the chocolate obsessed boyfriend fell in love with these...and that is really saying something.
MORE DESSERT...I hear you guys. Here are some other awesome treats to to treat your sweet tooth:
Light & Fluffy Japanese Cheesecake
The Best No Bake Cheesecake Balls
Caramel Marshmallow Crunch Brownies
3 Ingredient Oreo Balls
Salted Toffee Peanut Butter Fudge
Did you make these Vietnamese sponge cakes? Leave me a comment below and let me know how they came out?
Recipe
Vietnamese Sponge cakes
Ingredients
Sponge Cakes:
- 5 eggs
- ¾ cup sugar split ½ and ¼ cups
- ¼ cup milk
- ¼ cup unsalted butter melted
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- ¾ cup cake flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ tsp. cream of tartar
Strawberry Sauce:
- 16 ounces package strawberries
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¼ cup mirin
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- ¼ cup sugar
Instructions
Sponge Cakes:
- Separate the egg yolks from egg whites and set whites aside.
- Add ½ cup sugar to the egg yolks and beat until creamy, 3-5 minutes.
- Add the melted butter, vanilla extract, milk and lemon juice. Mix until combined.
- Add the flour and baking powder and mix until combined and set aside.
- Beat the egg whites until frothy, then add cream of tartar. Continue whipping while slowly adding the remaining ¼ cup sugar. Beat until still peaks form.
- Fold the batter into the egg whites, being careful not to over-mix.
- Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.
- Line a muffin tin with individual pieces of parchment paper (**See other options below).
- Fill each muffin ¾ way full.
- Bake for 20 minutes. Turn oven off and crack the door. Leave the sponge cakes in the oven for 20 minutes.
- Remove from parchment paper and serve with strawberry sauce (optional).
Strawberry Sauce:
- Cut the stems off the strawberries. Combine with mirin in a a blender and puree.
- Add puree in a saucepan with the vanilla extract, lemon juice and sugar.
- Bring to a boil and simmer for 10 minutes.
- Serve with sponge cakes.
Expert Tips:
Nutrition
[nutrifox id="30772"]
Thao @ In Good Flavor
I love Vietnamese sponge cakes! My mom made them all the time when I as a kid. They were light, spongy, and with just the right amount of sweetness. We always had them plain. These look perfect and I love the strawberry sauce!
Danielle
There such a yummy sweet snack! The boyfriend likes desserts really sweet, so I made the strawberry sauce to sweeten it up, but they were awesome without it too!
MariaMay
nice recipe
Danielle
Thanks Maria!
Traci
Wow, love this idea! Baking season is still in full swing and these would be great to try out. Pinning and sharing this one for sure! 🙂
Danielle
Thanks! I hope you enjoy them 🙂
Vicky @ AvocadoPesto
I love the adorable individually wrapped sponge cakes and I LOVE Vietnamese food but never tried these sponge cakes before -- I'm totally intrigued!!
Danielle
Thanks Vicki! I always feel by making individual desserts I'll eat less. It's not true though...
Lisa | Garlic & Zest
I actually prefer less sweet desserts, so these sponge cakes are for me! I really like the strawberry sauce too -- and our strawberries are in season NOW!
Danielle
I know I'm so excited about strawberry season! I hope you get a chance to make them 🙂
Liz @ I Heart Vegetables
I haven't tried a lot of Vietnamese food but those sponge cakes sound delicious! Looks like a perfect recipe to start with!
Danielle
Thanks Liz! I hope you enjoy them if you give them a try!
Jill
I've never thought of dessert when thinking of Vietnamese food either - but these definitely look like a dessert I would eat!
Danielle
Right? They were super addictive too - the boyfriend and I pretty much tore through the whole batch!