If Youre Looking For Ways To Use This Sponge Cake Recipe Check Out These Cakes:
- Peaches & Cream Cake Sponge cake with peach syrup and light cream.
- Boston Cream Cake Simple cake with sponge cake, custard, and a chocolate ganache.
- Kiev Cake Yellow Sponge Cake combined with Hazelnut Meringue, Russian Buttercream, and Tart Cherries.
Also, check out this other version of Simple Yellow Sponge Cake, which tends to be a little denser than other sponge cake recipes, but is easier to get right.
Ingredients For Easy Vanilla Sponge Cake
Self-raising flour sifted
Caster sugar better than granulated sugar. It makes creaming process easy
Cake butter or any other quality butter. Ensure this is at room temperature
Eggs : I hate eggy smell in cakes, so I always use one less egg than the recipe calls for. Eggs in cake recipes or any other baked goods are added to make the cake moist and to avoid it becoming too dry or chewy. I have used 3 large eggs for this sponge cake
Vanilla paste or vanilla extract flavouring: any of these works just fine
Milk: this is almost optional but recommended if you have it on hand. Without going into the baking science of why it is essential, use it if it’s available to you.
Baking powder: You dont necessarily need this when using self-raising flour but I added about ½ teaspoon for good measure
2 x 8-inch cake pans
Easy Vanilla Sponge Cake
I want to learn how to make other types of cakes, but this easy vanilla cake recipe was the first cake I learnt to bake. Thanks, mum!!!
Although I learnt the hard way as we had no stand mixer or hand mixer. If we wanted cake then which my mum would happily bake, we had to cream the sugar and butter by hand until light and fluffy and I mean proper light and fluffy. I do not miss those days at all!!!
Before we start experimenting with other types of cake, it is important to be able to nail the basic which is this vanilla sponge cake here. No, I wont make you do it the hard way.
As mentioned above, this is my basic and easy vanilla sponge cake recipe which only calls for self-raising flour instead of cake flour. I will share my cake flour recipe at some point but today, lets do the classic.
Don’t Miss: Ceramic Pie Plate With Lid
How To Make Sponge Cake:
Beat the egg yolks with half of the sugar until creamy pale and at least tripled in size. Most of the sugar granules should be completely melted.
Whip the egg whites into glossy meringue with stiff peaks. This is the secret to nice tall and light cake.
Now carefully fold in the meringue into the egg yolk mixture in 3 stages. Itll be easier to incorporate egg white in stages. Be careful not to deflate the batter! We need all that air for beautiful tall cake!
And then add flour also in stages to ensure a nice and smooth batter.
I absolutely LOVE this beautiful velvety batter!
You can bake this cake into one tall cake, or divide the batter into 2 9-inch cake pans. If baking in one pan, make sure the pan is at least 3 inches tall.
Now, how gorgeous is that sponge cake?!! Its now ready to take on all the flavors!
I bake 1 tall cake if I want 3 layers, but if I want 4-6 layers I usually bake in 2 or 3 cake pans.
Fold The Flour Into The Batter The Right Way
Folding the flour into the batter needs to be done the right way as well. Some people just dump dry ingredients into the batter one after the other without thinking about how to mix things in and get good results.
Itd be a lot better to combine all of your dry ingredients in a bowl before beginning. This means that youll be adding salt, baking soda, cocoa, and whatever other dry ingredients the recipe might call for into the dry ingredients bowl with the flour.
Once you have those ingredients combined in the dry ingredient bowl, youll be able to move forward. Slowly sift the dry ingredients into the batter and try to turn the dry ingredients over into the batter.
You dont want to aggressively stir this mix because youll run the risk of having the cake turn out tough. Just keep gently folding the dry ingredients into the mix until everything is even.
Its recommended to use a thin rubber spatula to get the job done. You should be able to use the spatula to fold the flour into the mix properly without destroying the air bubbles that youve created.
Recommended Reading: How Many Carbs In Crab Cakes
What You Need To Make This Recipe
Self-rising flour this is flour that has baking powder and a bit of salt already added, yielding light and tender cake layers. Make sure the flour has not expired, as the baking powder in the flour will be less efficient.
Baking powder if you use a brand of self-rising flour other than the one Im using , add the baking powder. Skip it if you are using King Arthur.
Butter use unsalted butter to avoid the cake becoming too salty as the recipe has salt added, and theres salt in self-rising flour. Make sure the butter is soft enough so your finger leaves a dent when you press into it. Itll be challenging to cream cold butter.
Eggs make sure you have enough eggs! All the eggs will help your cake rise and become light and fluffy.
Heavy cream it is vital to use heavy cream with a fat content over 35% to ensure that the whipped cream will thicken. Also, the heavy cream needs to be cold as itll stay emulsified longer when cold.
Powdered sugar also labeled as icing sugar or confectioners sugar, youll need this as a sweetener for the whipped cream.
Strawberry jam I love using strawberry jam for a classic Victoria sponge cake, but you can always change it to your favorite jam, such as raspberry or blackberry jam. Make sure to use a good quality jam. See my homemade strawberry jam recipe to make your own!
Theres No Substitute For Cake Flour
Sponge cake batter is filled with tiny air bubbles from whipped egg whites and yolks. As the cake bakes, these air bubbles heat up and expand, lifting the cake to a light, spongy texture. At the same time, a critical mass of flour must be present to produce gluten , because gluten creates the internal scaffolding of a cake. Cake flour is the right flour for the job. Its lower in protein than all-purpose flour, meaning it produces a relatively weak gluten matrix , but its still enough to support the airy crumb.
You May Like: Who Sells Lemon Meringue Pie
Cream The Butter And Sugar Properly
The big trick to get the sponge cake to turn out fluffy is to pay close attention to how you cream the butter and sugar. If you dont get this right, then the cake wont be as fluffy and light as youd like it to be.
Whisking these two ingredients together is something that you have to learn how to do the right way. During this process, youre going to be whipping air into the batter.
The air that you whip in will be what helps to make the cake light and fluffy. If you dont cream the butter and sugar properly, then it wont have enough air and it wont be fluffy.
Its certainly possible to cream your butter and sugar by hand if you know what youre doing. Many skilled bakers do this just because they can, but itll likely be easier for you to use a hand mixer.
Using a hand mixer will allow you to cream your butter and sugar without having to tax yourself. You can get consistent results and you just need to know when to stop.
Generally, youre going to want to mix with the hand mixer until the batter has a pale yellow color. This should be the point in time when the batter is full of air.
Its also good to note that youll have an easier time with this if the batter is at room temperature. Doing the creaming process the right way like this should lead to good results.
You might have been whipping the batter too much or too little in the past. This can lead to problems and the cake might turn out a bit dry or too dense.
How To Bake The 3 Ingredient Sponge Cake Biskvit
For easier cleanup line a 8 inch round cake pan with foil and spray the bottom, not the sides, with cooking spray.Pour the batter into the baking pan, then grab both sides of the pan and swirl the pan in circular motion back and forth several times. Wrap the baking pan with wet baking strips if you have them and place in preheated to 350F oven for about 30-35 minutes.
Check the cake with a toothpick or a skewer by inserting it in the middle. The toothpick should come out clean with no crumbs. Do not check sooner than 25 minutes, or the cake will deflate.Remove from the oven and allow to cool inside the pan for about 30 minutes. Unpeel the foil and cool completely on a cooling rack.
For best texture, leave the cooled cake covered in plastic wrap on the table for around 8 hours. You can use the cake even if you dont let it mature for 8 hours, but the cake will be a lot crumblier if you do not.
You May Like: Texas Pecan Pie In Wood Box
Tips For The Perfect Sponge Cake
- Baking your sponge cake at a slightly lower temperature ensures it rises evenly and doesnt dome.
- Dont rely on the cooking time use visual cues and a toothpick test to check your cake is done. Oven temperatures can vary so get to know your oven!
- This sponge cake would benefit from a simple syrup brushed on the layers before assembling as a layer cake. This helps keeps the layers moist and adds flavor. You can use vanilla syrup for a vanilla sponge or flavor your syrup with anything you like. For a tropical flavor use my Passion Fruit Syrup. You can also brush the layers with a liqueur, coffee, tea etc.
- Ideally allow the cake 6-8 hours to cool down if you are slicing it in half the texture will be less crumbly if the cake rests.
- Replace the vanilla with almond extract or any flavoring you like. Adding citrus zest is another great way to adapt your sponge cake.
Preparation Is Key To Making The Perfect Sponge Cake
Before you begin any mixing, weigh out all the ingredients for the cake so that when you come to start mixing you will be able to work quickly. Working quickly prevents you from over-mixing the cake or conversely, leaving the cake mixture standing while you weigh something out. If the cake mixture stands too long, the cake will start to lose air.
The tins need to be greased and the bottom lined with baking parchment. If you do this in advance, then the tins can be filled once the cake is mixed. Less lingering means a lighter cake.
Always preheat the oven before you start for the same reason. Also, arrange the shelves in advance most sponge cakes like to be in the middle of the oven .
Recommended Reading: Make An Ice Cream Cake
Perfect Chocolate Sponge Cake
Moist and perfectly leveled this Chocolate Sponge Cake recipe is the one to have. Find out my tips and tricks to perfect sponge cake every time.
If youre looking for the Vanilla version of this Chocolate Sponge Cake click HERE.
Theres not a recipe I get asked for more often than a regular sponge cake. A lot of people have a hard time with this simple, but delicious classic that is part of so many delicious cake recipes.
How To Further Prevent Sponge Cake From Doming And Cracking On Top
Sponge cake doming and cracking is mainly the consequence of 1. too high baking temp, 2. the side of the cake heating up too quickly, 3. too small baking pan, 4. inappropriate ingredient quantities and rations in the recipe
Some tips to avoid sponge cake doming and cracking:
- Make sure you get to know your oven and are fully aware of its temperature, purchase an inexpensive digital oven thermometer
- Always use the right size baking tin round cake pan) Having too much cake butter in a too-small baking means your cake “does not fit” into the tin and can cause doming and cracking
- Consider using the Wilton cake strips or making your own using a paper towel packed into kitchen foil, this will ensure that the side of the cake won´t heat up too quickly
- Baking is science and the ingredients must be measured properly with the help of a Digital scale. Cup measurement is greatly inaccurate and a little bit too much of this, not enough of that can cause inbalance in the ingredient ratios to result in all sorts of baking issues
- My recipe does not state rising agent like baking powder because the eggs will be supporting the rise of the sponge however too much rising agent eg. baking powder can also cause the cake too quickly to rising and crack
- Last but not least, sponge cake is very sensitive to temperature change, please make sure you do not open the oven door during baking as oven temperature fluctuation can also cause issues on the cake
Also Check: Nothing Bundt Cake Cedar Hill
What Makes Sponge Cake Fluffy And Moist
Eggs are the key to making your sponge cake fluffy and moist. You will want to beat your whole eggs with the sugar until the volume increases by three times. You will want to make sure you dont overbeat the eggs, as this will result in a flat cake. You will know when your eggs are ready when the beaters hold a thick ribbon when removed from the bowl.
Cake Sank In The Middle Why
- Opening the oven door in the early stages of baking can cause the cake to sink in the middle.
- Closing the oven door too abruptly.
- Cooling the cake too quickly. Dont move freshly out of the oven-baked sponge cake to a cool, drafty room.
- The batter sits too long before it goes into the oven.
- Over-beating of the batter at the last stage.
Read Also: Pyrex 9 Glass Pie Plate
How To Make The Chocolate Sponge Cake
- Prep: Gather your ingredients and measure them before starting.
- Sift or combine together the flour, cocoa powder, and the baking powder together.
- Melt the butter.
- For easy cleanup and removal of the cake, line the baking pan with foil and spray with nonstick spray.
Alternatively you can cut out a parchment paper circleto place on the bottom of the pan as well. Buying the pre-cut parchment circles can also be a good idea
- and fasten it around the bottom of the cake pan. This will guarantee an even rise, without a dome. I have been using the cake strips for years now and all of my cakes come out perfectly leveled.
- Whisk the eggs until foamy, then add the sugar and continue whipping for about 15 minutes.
- When you lift the whisk from the mixture the ribbon should not disappear right away. Not whipping the egg mixture long enough will yield a dense cake.
- Add the flour mixture in halves and fold it in carefully. Next, add the butter and fold it until completely incorporated.
For this amount of batter, you can either use one baking pan and then split the 2-inch tall baked cake into two 1 inch tall layers later, or you can bake it in two separate cake pans at the same time which will give you two separate 1-inch tall cake layers.
- Pour the batter into the baking pan and swirl the pan quickly back and forth a couple of times to even out the batter.
How To Make An Easy And Fluffy Sponge Cake
Method
Don’t Miss: What Is A Pie Iron
Vanilla Sponge Cake Recipe
The easiest and perfect 5- ingredient sponge cake that you can make so many different types of dessert with. Its a simple recipe that can be elevated with various flavored syrups, jams and frosting. If you want to make a two-layer cake, you can use an 8 inch or 9 inch round cake pan.
Air Fryer Cake Recipe. This air fryer cake recipe is easy to make, requires few ingredients, and comes out perfect! No hard or burnt cake here. Unless you are baking more than 1 pan at a time, the air fryer is faster than the oven, and depending on the size of your air fryer you can bake a 6 or 8-inch cake in it.
You can use round, square, or rectangle baking pans to make your Italian sponge cake. For the sponge cake in the picture, I used a Wilton round pan 15 cm wide and 8 cm high . If your baking pan is not very deep, use parchment paper. Trace the bottom of the pan on a piece of parchment paper. Cut it out and line the bottom of the pan.
How to make cream for baked sponge: Mix all ingredients. Stir with a mixer on high speed. How to Serve Cheese Baked Sponge Cake: Cut the cooked sponge cake into 2 pieces. Place the cheese sheet, cover the sponge cake, then spread with cream and sprinkle with grated cheese. Garnish with red cherries.