The trick to making a good sponge cake is to sift the Swerve and potato starch. Also, beat as much air as possible into the separated eggs, folding them gently into the batter without overworking them and causing the whites to deflate.
8 extra-large or jumbo eggs, room temperature
1 1/4 cups Swerve (or 1 ½ cups sugar), sifted***
¼ Cup fresh orange juice**
¼ cup of ground pecans
1 full cup of potato starch, sifted***
Dash of salt
The nuts can be ground like bread crumbs in a Vitamix blender.
Separate the 8 eggs. Using an electric mixer, beat the 8 egg yolks for 2 minutes at high speed. Add the sifted Swerve, ground pecans and orange juice, beating constantly and thoroughly, and mix for 2 minutes at medium speed. Gradually add the sifted potato starch, and continue mixing at medium speed for an additional 2 minutes.
Beat the egg whites with the salt until stiff but not dry. Using a clean, grease free spatula, fold gently but thoroughly into the egg yolk mixture.
Place in an ungreased 10-inch springform, Angel Food cake pan (tube pan). Make sure your mixing bowl, beaters and cake pan are grease free. Otherwise, the egg whites while not beat correctly, and the cake will not rise well. Bake at 350° F for 55 to 65 minutes, or until the cake springs back when firmly-but-gently touched with fingers, feeling near the center, as well as, the edges.
Remove from oven and invert the cake pan immediately. Put it over a bottle if your pan doesn’t have little feet to stand on. Cool cake thoroughly, then run a sharp knife around the edges and center before removing carefully to your serving platter. Enjoy.
This is a fun cake to change by adding different fruits. Instead of the orange juice, substitute pineapple juice, pureed raspberries, strawberries or any other type of fruit that appeals to you. Also, the nuts may be changed to a different type, including coconut. The fruit makes this a very moist cake. Sprinkle the top of the cake with ground nuts, coconut or powdered sugar if you want to dress it up!
The cake is enjoyed by gluten eaters along with non-gluten followers. Even one kitty cat enjoys the orange version!
**I like the juice from Honeybell oranges (Minneola Tangelos), if available.
***You can sift this by putting a wire mesh strainer over a mixing bowl and adding the dry ingredient. Then gently move the strainer back and forth (it can be helped with a spoon) until all the dry ingredients goes through into the bowl.
