Baking a Traditional Sponge Cake
The sponge cake is a lesson in patience and aeration. Treat the eggs with respect during the folding process, and the cake will reward you with a consistent, uniform crumb.
Temperature and timing matter.
Ensure your eggs are at room temperature before you begin, as they hold air better than cold ones. Do not grease the sides of the pan; the batter needs to grip the walls to rise evenly.
- Stand mixer or electric hand mixer
- 9-inch round springform pan
- Large balloon whisk
- Sifter
- Rubber spatula
What goes in.
- 4large eggs, room temperature
- 1 cupgranulated sugar
- 1 cupall-purpose flour
- 1/4 tspfine sea salt
- 1 tspvanilla extract
Whipping for Structure
Beat the eggs and sugar until the mixture is pale, thick, and falls from the whisk in a continuous, heavy ribbon that leaves a visible trail on the surface for several seconds.
The method.
Prep the oven and pan
Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Line only the bottom of your pan with parchment paper; leave the sides clean to allow the batter to climb.
Whip the eggs
Combine eggs, sugar, and vanilla in a mixing bowl. Beat on medium-high speed for 7–10 minutes until the mixture triples in volume and reaches the ribbon stage.
Sift and fold
Sift the flour and salt over the egg mixture in three separate additions. Gently fold with a rubber spatula using a circular motion, scraping the bottom of the bowl each time to prevent flour pockets.
Bake
Pour the batter into the pan and level the top. Bake for 25–30 minutes until the top springs back when touched lightly and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
Cool
Cool the cake in the pan for 10 minutes, then run a thin knife around the edge to release it. Invert onto a wire rack to finish cooling completely.
Other turns to take.
Lemon Sponge
Replace the vanilla extract with one tablespoon of freshly grated lemon zest during the final minute of whipping the eggs.
Chocolate Sponge
Replace two tablespoons of the flour with high-quality unsweetened cocoa powder, sifting it in with the flour.
When it doesn't go to plan.
Fold until the flour just disappears; over-folding will deflate the air you worked so hard to incorporate.
If using a hand mixer, be prepared for the whisking stage to take closer to 12 minutes to reach full volume.
Do not open the oven door until at least 20 minutes have passed, as a drop in temperature can cause the center to collapse.
The ones that keep coming up.
Why did my cake sink in the middle?
This usually happens if the cake is underbaked or if the oven door was opened too early. Ensure the top feels firm and dry before removing it from the oven.
Can I use butter in this recipe?
This is a fatless sponge. Adding butter creates a different texture, closer to a genoise. For this specific method, stick to the egg-based structure.
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