Vanilla Sponge Cake
This is a base-layer cake. It is light, carries moisture well, and serves as the foundation for everything from fruit-filled layers to simple tea-time slices.
Temperature is your greatest ally here.
Ensure your eggs are at room temperature before you start whipping; cold eggs will not achieve the necessary volume, leading to a dense, flat cake.
- Stand mixer with whisk attachment
- 8-inch round cake pan
- Parchment paper
- Large rubber spatula
- Fine-mesh sieve
What goes in.
- 4 largeeggs, room temperature
- 1 cupgranulated sugar
- 1 cupall-purpose flour, sifted
- 1/4 cupunsalted butter, melted and cooled
- 1 tspvanilla extract
Mastering the Egg Foam
When you lift the whisk from the egg and sugar mixture, it should create a trailing ribbon that sits on the surface for a full three seconds. If it disappears instantly, keep whisking.
The method.
Prepare the oven and pan
Preheat your oven to 350°F. Line the bottom of your cake pan with parchment and grease the sides lightly.
Whip the base
Place eggs and sugar in the mixer bowl. Whisk on medium-high speed until the mixture is pale, thick, and achieves the ribbon stage.
Add aromatics
Fold in the vanilla extract with a spatula.
Incorporate flour
Sift the flour over the egg mixture in three batches. Fold gently from the bottom up, rotating the bowl as you go to avoid deflating the air.
Temper the butter
Stir a small amount of the batter into the melted butter to lighten it, then gently fold that mixture back into the main bowl.
Bake
Pour into the pan and bake for 25 to 30 minutes. The top should spring back when lightly touched and the edges will begin to pull away from the pan.
Other turns to take.
Lemon Sponge
Add the zest of one lemon to the egg and sugar mixture before whipping.
Almond Sponge
Replace two tablespoons of flour with fine almond meal for a nuttier, slightly heavier crumb.
When it doesn't go to plan.
Do not over-mix once the flour is added; you will pop the air bubbles you worked so hard to create.
Cool the cake in the pan for 10 minutes before turning it onto a wire rack to finish cooling.
If the center sinks, it means the flour was folded too vigorously or the eggs were not whipped long enough.
The ones that keep coming up.
Can I use baking powder?
This method relies on mechanical leavening. Adding baking powder changes the texture and is not necessary if the eggs are whipped correctly.
Why did my cake stick?
Always line the bottom with parchment. Even a well-greased pan can fail with delicate sponge cakes.