CookEat Recipe
Sand Cake
A buttery cake with a fine crumbly texture, made with rice flour, wheat starch and potato starch and lightened with whipped egg whites.
Method
Steps
Step 1
Gather the ingredients: 190 g softened butter: 185 g for the batter and 5 g for the tin; 190 g icing sugar: 185 g for the batter and 5 g for the tin; 125 g rice flour; 125 g food-grade wheat starch, finely powdered; 60 g potato starch; 4 eggs, separated; Juice of 1/4 lemon; 15 ml cognac; 1 level teaspoon bicarbonate of soda, about 5 g; A little vanilla, such as 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract; 5 g plain flour for dusting the tin.
Step 2
Heat the oven to 165°C. Grease a deep 22 cm cake tin with the reserved butter and dust with the reserved icing sugar and plain flour. Mix the rice flour, wheat starch and potato starch. Use starch sold for cooking, never laundry starch.
Step 3
Beat the softened batter butter alone until very light. Beat in the four yolks one at a time, fully incorporating each before adding the next. Add the batter icing sugar and continue beating until light and smooth, then mix in the cognac, lemon juice and vanilla. With an electric mixer, allow roughly 18–25 minutes for these creaming stages, pausing to scrape the bowl and following the appliance instructions; this modern estimate replaces the source’s two hours of continuous manual work.
Step 4
Work the mixed flours and starches into the butter mixture, then sift in the bicarbonate and mix evenly. Whisk the four reserved egg whites to firm peaks. Stir two tablespoons of these same whites into the thick mixture to loosen it, then gently fold in the remainder.
Step 5
Transfer immediately to the tin and bake for about 55–65 minutes, until set and a skewer inserted into the centre comes out without wet batter. Cover loosely with baking paper if the top colours too quickly. Cool briefly in the tin, then unmould carefully onto a rack; the tender cake becomes firmer as it cools. Serve plain, traditionally with tea, without adding an icing or sugar topping.
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