Toasted Vanilla Sponge Bruschetta - Two Winter Fruit Ways!

«previous next»

Sunday 30th July 2006

I first came across the idea to toast sponge cake in Rick Stein's Food Heroes Book, where he serves a large wedge of toasted sponge with a gorgeous blackcurrant fool. The idea really appealed to me and influenced me into trying other ways to serve the toasted sponge like here as a sweet sort of bruschetta for Hay Hay it's Donna Day Round #4! - Brilliant Bruschetta

Here I simply used a couple of winter fruits from my fruit bowl, yummy kiwifruits and persimmon, and some feta that was also already in my refrigerator. They were very yummy and I would definitely make them again.
However I guess I would have liked to have made the kiwifruit version together with a chiffonade of fresh mint leaves, naturally I have no mint in the garden at the moment.

After we finished gobbling them up, I enjoyed imagining many different toppings to enjoy on the toasted sponge slices when summer returns downunder!
Like mascarpone, peaches and raspberries dusted with icing sugar or crème fraîche with apricots and crystallised ginger, topped shavings of dark chocolate. Or some softened Nutella folded through Frangelico spiked whipped cream and sprinkled with blueberries to name just a few. Mmmm!
And I'm pretty sure Donna Hay would approve of these sweet bruschetta ideas too! Do you agree?

Vanilla Sponge
3 eggs
½ teaspoon of vanilla essence
110 grams / 3½ oz of castor sugar
75 grams / 2½ oz of flour

Preheat the oven to 210°C (410°F).
Grease and line a loaf tin with cooking paper.
Whisk the eggs, vanilla and sugar with an electric mixer or beater on high until the mixture resembles a thick stable foam, and the mark from a spoon dragged through the mixture doesn't disappear.
Sift in the flour, and very gently fold the flour in with a large metal spoon.
Gently pour the mixture into the prepared tin and smooth out to the corners with a pallet knife.
Bake for 14 to 16 minutes or until the sponge is just coming away from the edge of the tin and cooked through.
Turn out onto a cake rack covered with a clean dry tea towel.
Peel off the cooking paper and allow to cool.
Hide the sponge from the family for a day and slice into 12 to 14 slices.

Toasted Vanilla Sponge, Persimmon and Feta Bruschetta
6 slices of 1 day old vanilla sponge
1 persimmon, finely chopped
120 grams of feta cheese, crumbled
1 lemon, zest and juice

Take the slices of sponge and char-grill on a hot plate 1 to 2 minutes each side.
Meanwhile combine the chopped persimmon, crumbled feta, lemon juice and zest.
Top the Vanilla Sponge with the persimmon mixture and serve immediately.
Makes 6.

Toasted Vanilla Sponge, Kiwifruit and Feta Bruscetta
6 slices of 1 day old vanilla sponge
2 Kiwifruit, finely chopped
120 grams of feta cheese, crumbled
1 lemon, zest and juice

Take the slices of sponge and char-grill on a hot plate 1 to 2 minutes each side.
Meanwhile combine the chopped kiwifruit, crumbled feta, lemon juice and zest.
Top the Vanilla Sponge with the kiwifruit mixture and serve immediately.
Makes 6.