The inaugural "test run" of converting my grandmother's traditional Passover Sponge Cake recipe to be gluten free and Low FODMAP for last year's Passover Seder turned out to be an amazing hit! My childhood memories are of eating my MomMom Eve’s sponge cake by my little fistfuls without any garnish or toppings. This time, I topped it with a blood orange gel glaze (I could not resist the color, flavor, or the symbolism!), maple whipped cream, fresh fruit, and spearmint leaves. A similar combination would be perfect for any springtime celebration be it Pesach, Easter, baby shower, bridal shower, or just a fun gathering of friends and family. This cake is so scrumptious that they might just demand an encore performance!

{Please review the ingredient notes listed under Tips for the Posh Belly if following either the Gluten Free, Low FODMAP, or Low Fermentation diets.}

INGREDIENTS

3/4 cup + 2 T (almost a full cup) cake meal {equal to 90-92 g}
2 heaping T potato starch {equal to 27 g}
12 extra large or jumbo eggs room temperature eggs (jumbo preferred) – leave out of refrigerator all day or night before for morning use
1 lemon (or 1/4 cup) juiced
1 orange (or 1/2 cup) juiced
Pinch of salt
1 1/2 cups sugar {equal to 300-302 g}

Optional Gel  Glaze

3/4 cup powdered sugar
3/4 cup blood orange juice (or other fruit juice)
2 1/2 T butter, melted
1 heaping tsp potato starch

Optional Maple Whipped Cream

16 oz heavy whipping cream
4 T pure maple syrup

Optional Garnish

Mixed seasonal fruit
Mint leaves
Edible flowers
Holiday themed decorations

EQUIPMENT

Wax paper (optional)
Misc. measuring cups and spoons
Misc. mixing bowls
Stand mixer
Fork or whisk
Rubber spatula
Tube pan with removable bottom (do not use non-stick)
Long thin knife or a skewer)
Small saucepan (for optional glaze)
Whisk or stick blender (for optional whipped cream)

METHOD

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Pour cake meal and potato starch on a piece of wax paper or into a mixing bowl and gently fold into each other mixing them together

Separate 12 eggs the putting egg whites into a the large bowl of your stand mixer and the yolks into a smaller bowl. 

Pour lemon and orange juices into egg yolks and beat with a fork or whisk.

Put the dash of salt into the egg whites and beat with a mixer until very stiff. This will fill at least 3/4 or more of a large mixing bowl. Slowly pour the sugar into the stiff egg whites while beating.

Then turn the mixer to a slower speed and carefully add the mixture of egg yolks, lemon juice, and orange juice.

Finally, add potato starch and cake meal mixture. Keep the bowl turning and keep scraping as it overflows.  Make sure that the spatula gets all the way to the bottom. Get all the lumps out but make sure that you do not over beat.

Pour into the tube pan and bake exactly 1 hour.

Take the cake out of the oven and turn it over immediately to sit on overturned bowls or over the neck of a wine bottle. The cake can be left overnight or all day to cool. When the cake has cooled, carefully run a knife or skewer around the sides and center of the tube pan. Then turn tube pan upside down over a plate. Separate sides of the pan from the bottom of the pan. Gently separate the bottom of the pan from the cake with a knife. Serve as is or with your choice of glaze and garnishes.

Optional Gel  Glaze

In a small saucepan, stir together the powdered sugar, blood orange juice, butter, and cornstarch. Bring to a simmer and cook until thickened and bubbling. Cook for 2 minutes more. Brush or pour the sauce over the cooled cake.

Optional Maple Whipped Cream

Add the pure maple syrup to the heavy whipping cream. Beat with whisk or stick blender until whipped. Dollop or pipe whipped cream onto the center of the cake covering the hole created by the tube pan.

Optional Garnish

Add to cake in decorative fashion.

TIPS FOR THE POSH BELLY

GLUTEN:  Be sure to select gluten free cake meal, potato starch, and gluten free ingredients for any garnish chosen.

FODMAPs | FRUCTOSE MALABSORPTION:  Be sure to select FODMAP Friendly cake meal and FODMAP Friendly ingredients for any garnish chosen. Sucrose is FODMAP safe in moderation however some people with Fructose Malabsorption prefer to limit sucrose intake and/or use the substitution of dextrose to help with the digestion of free fructose. While this recipe may work with dextrose, I would highly recommend sticking with sucrose unless sucrose does not fit your personal dietary needs beyond FODMAP.

SIBO | DR. PIMENTEL'S CSMC LOW FERMENTATION DIET:  This recipe is SIBO safe in moderation.