Cheese Sponge Cake

A light cheese sponge cake for those who do not like too strong cheese taste in their sponge cakes.

Ingredients:
(makes one 7″ square or 8″ round cake)
125g cream cheese, cut into cubes
60g unsalted butter, cut into cubes
5 egg yolks (55g eggs)
125g milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 tsp salt
75g cake flour
30g corn flour
5 egg whites
130g caster sugar
1/2 tsp cream of tartar

Method:

1. Line the base and sides of a cake pan with parchment paper.
2. Sieve together cake flour and corn flour and set aside.
3. Melt cream cheese, salt and butter in a double boiler, stirring until mixture is lump free. Remove from heat and add the milk to temper.
4. Add the egg yolks and whisk to combine.
5. Add vanilla extract and whisk again.
6. Finally, add the sifted flours, and whisk the batter until fully incorporated. Set aside.
7. In a clean, dry mixing bowl, beat egg whites until frothy and foamy, add cream of tartar and continue to beat until foamy before gradually adding sugar and beating to soft peaks.
8. Add the beaten egg whites to the cream cheese mixture in 3 separate additions until the batter is even and no streaks of white are visible.
9. Pour batter into the prepared cake pan and lightly run a skewer around the batter to remove big bubbles. Shake the pan lightly from side to side to level up the top.
10. Place cake pan in a baking tray filled with hot water and bake on the lowest rack at 160C for 20 mins then lower to 150C and continue baking for 60-70 minutes.
11. Unmould the cake immediately and peel off the parchment paper on the side of the cake. Then invert the cake and peel off the liner and reinvert it back onto a rack to cool completely before slicing.