This better than bakery sponge cake recipe is light, airy, and just straight up DELICIOUS! It’s so versatile that you can pair it with literally anything. I love filling mine like a classic Victorian sponge cake with my homemade raspberry filling recipe and whipped cream – YUM!
What is a Sponge Cake?
A sponge cake is a light and airy cake that is made primarily from whipped egg whites. Unlike other types of cake, such as butter or oil cakes, sponge cakes do not contain much fat which contributes to it’s light texture.
Sponge cake is often used as a base for other desserts, such as layered cakes, trifle, or as a component in various French-style pastries. It can also be served on its own, dusted with powdered sugar or paired with fresh fruit and whipped cream like a Victorian sponge cake (which is how I love mine!).
What makes this recipe stand out?
I am so proud of my sponge cake recipe and it is no doubt my favourite sponge I’ve tried, with the simple reason being – I don’t use that much flour!
Some flour is needed to help with the structure of the cake, however many recipes I’ve tried I feel use way too much and just end up being too heavy (almost like a regular cake). What I’ve done instead is substituted a lot of the flour with cornstarch, which helps thicken the batter without forming more gluten than we need. This results in the softest, airiest, bakery like sponge cake!
How to make Sponge Cake
Now I’m not going to sugar coat it, sponge cakes are a little more challenging to master than regular cakes! BUT, if you carefully follow the steps below you should end up with the perfect sponge 🙂
Begin by preheating your oven to 160 °C (320°F) with the fan on (see note 2 on recipe card if you don’t have a fan function) and line the bottom of two 8×3 inch baking tins with baking paper without greasing the bottom. Leave the sides of the cake tins ungreased and bare (do not line with baking paper). This will prevent the cakes from shrinking once they’re baked.
In a bowl combine your flour, cornstarch, baking powder and salt. Mix until well combined (you do not need to sift it yet). Set aside.
In a medium sized bowl add in the egg whites and white vinegar, and using a hand or stand mixer, whip on a medium high speed for 30 seconds until foamy. Gradually add in 1/3 cup of the sugar and then continue mixing for a further 2 minutes. Then turn your mixer down to low and mix for a further minute (about 4 minutes of mixing altogether). You should end up with stiff peaks (see note 3 on recipe card). Set aside.
In a large bowl add in your remaining 1/3 cup of white sugar and warm water. Mix so that the sugar is coated in the water. Add in the egg yolks and vanilla, and with a hand or stand mixer, whip on a medium high speed for 4 minutes, and then turn the mixer down to low and mix for a further minute (5 minutes of mixing altogether). Your mixture should now be thick and you should be able to create ribbons with it when you lift it up with a spoon.
Stream the vegetable oil into the egg yolk mixture while mixing on a medium speed. Mix until well combined.
Add in half or your egg whites to your egg yolk mixture, and using a spatula gently fold together until just combined. Then sift in your dry ingredients, and gently fold through until just combined.
Finish off by adding in the remaining egg whites and gently fold until just combined. You can use your spatula to break up any large chunks of unmixed egg whites but try not to push out too many of the air bubbles and do not overmix.
Distribute the batter into your baking tins and then tap your baking tins lightly on your counter. Then run a thin knife or toothpick through the batter to remove any large air bubbles and then bake for 25 minutes. To test whether they’re done, gently touch the tops and it should create a little indent which slowly bounces back.
Once the sponges are done, immediately tap them on the counter from a height of about 10cm, and lay them upside down (while still in their baking tins) on a wire rack to completely cool (see note 4 on recipe card).
Once cooled (about an hour later), run a thin knife around the edges to release the cakes from the cake tins, and then turn them out onto a wire rack.
To make my cake layers look nice and neat, I gently rub my fingers around the edges and the top and that removes the dark crust on the sides and tops of the cake (see video for demonstration).
APPLY SIMPLE SYRUP: Combine sugar and hot water together for the simple syrup and mix until the sugar is completely dissolved. Using a pastry brush, generously brush the top and sides of the sponges with the simple syrup (see note 5 on recipe card).
How to Decorate a Sponge Cake
You can decorate your sponge cake however you like 🙂 but I like to fill mine with raspberry filling, strawberries and cream – YUM!
Place one sponge cake layer down, and cover the top with a thin layer of my raspberry jam filling.
Place strawberries on top (I like to cut mine in half and place them upside down). Cover with generous amount of whipped cream and spread it out evenly with an offset spatula or knife.
Place your next sponge cake layer on top and then cover with more whipped cream. Finish decorating with more strawberries on top. Enjoy!
Light & Airy Sponge Cake Recipe
Print Pin VideoIMPORTANT: For accuracy, I would recommend using the gram measurements provided, as those are the exact quantities I use. Cup measurements are given as estimates (based on US cup measurements) to make it easier for those who do not have a scale.
Ingredients
Sponge Cake
- ⅓ cup (40 g) flour - regular, all purpose (see note 1)
- ½ cup (60 g) cornstarch
- ¼ tsp baking powder
- ¼ tsp salt
- 4 large eggs - whites and yolks separated, room temperature
- ⅛ tsp white vinegar
- ⅔ cup (132 g) white granulated sugar - separated in half - ⅓ cup (66g) for the egg whites & ⅓ cup (66g) for the egg yolk mixture.
- 1½ tbsp warm water - not boiling
- 2 tsp vanilla essence/extract
- 2 tbsp (30 g) unflavoured vegetable oil - I use canola
Simple Syrup
- ½ cup (100 g) white granulated sugar
- ½ cup (110 g) boiling water
Whipping Cream
- 2 cups (375 g) cold whipping cream
- 2 tsp icing sugar - also known as confectioners sugar/powdered sugar
- ½ tsp vanilla essence/extract
- 1 punnet fresh strawberries for decorating
Raspberry Jam
Instructions
Sponge Cake
- Preheat oven to 160 °C (320°F) with the fan on (see note 2 if you don't have a fan function) and line the bottom of two 8x3 inch baking tins with baking paper without greasing the bottom. Leave the sides of the cake tins ungreased and bare (do not line with baking paper).
- In a bowl combine your flour, cornstarch, baking powder and salt. Mix until well combined (you do not need to sift it yet). Set aside.
- In a medium sized bowl add in the egg whites and white vinegar, and using a hand or stand mixer, whip on a medium high speed for 30 seconds until foamy. Gradually add in 1/3 cup of the sugar and then continue mixing for a further 2 minutes. Then turn your mixer down to low and mix for a further minute (about 4 minutes of mixing altogether). You should end up with stiff peaks (see note 3). Set aside.
- In a large bowl add in your remaining 1/3 cup of white sugar and warm water. Mix so that the sugar is coated in the water. Add in the egg yolks and vanilla, and with a hand or stand mixer, whip on a medium high speed for 4 minutes, and then turn the mixer down to low and mix for a further minute (5 minutes of mixing altogether). Your mixture should now be thick and you should be able to create ribbons with it when you lift it up with a spoon.
- Stream the vegetable oil into the egg yolk mixture while mixing on a medium speed. Mix until well combined.
- Add in half of your egg whites to your egg yolk mixture, and using a spatula gently fold together until just combined.
- Then sift in your dry ingredients, and gently fold through until just combined.
- Finish off by adding in the remaining egg whites and gently fold until just combined. You can use your spatula to break up any large chunks of unmixed egg whites but try not to push out too many of the air bubbles and do not overmix.
- Distribute the batter into your baking tins and then tap your baking tins lightly on your counter. Then run a thin knife or toothpick through the batter to remove any large air bubbles and then bake for 25 minutes. To test whether they're done, gently touch the tops and it should create a little indent which slowly bounces back.
- Once the sponges are done, immediately tap them on the counter from a height of about 10cm, and lay them upside down (while still in their baking tins) on a wire rack to completely cool (see note 4).
- Once cooled (about an hour later), run a thin knife around the edges to release the cakes from the cake tins, and then turn them out onto a wire rack.
- To make my cake layers look nice and neat, I gently rub my fingers around the edges and the top and that removes the dark crust on the sides and tops of the cake (see video for demonstration). I find the dark crust on sponge cakes are also what contain that slight eggy after taste sometimes, which is why I prefer to remove it.
- APPLY SIMPLE SYRUP: Combine the sugar and hot water together for the simple syrup and mix until the sugar is completely dissolved. Using a pastry brush, generously brush the top and sides of the sponges with the simple syrup (see note 5). I use about 3/4s of the simple syrup mixture in total.
Whipped Cream
- In a large bowl add in the whipped cream, icing sugar and vanilla. Whip until you reach stiff peaks. Be careful not to overwhip the cream.
Assembly
- Place one sponge cake layer down, and cover the top with a thin layer of my raspberry jam filling.
- Place strawberries on top (I like to cut mine in half and place them upside down). Cover with generous amount of whipped cream and spread it out evenly with an offset spatula or knife.
- Place your next sponge cake layer on top and then cover with more whipped cream. Finish decorating with more strawberries on top. Enjoy!
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional information are estimates only as they are automatically calculated by a third party application. Actual values may differ based on brands and types of products used.
619 Comments
This cake was the best! Last year I made the recipe on the Preppy Kitchen YouTube channel and it was hard, dry and did not turn out well:( Thought I’d give it another go ans this recipe was truly so great! First time I’ve successfully made a sponge cake and it turned out better than I could’ve expected.
Thanks so much for the wonderful feedback Ellie! So so happy to hear you found success with this recipe. Sponge cakes can be tricky to master, but sounds like you’ve nailed it!! 🙂
A wonderfully light cake!
Thanks so much Erika! So glad you enjoyed the recipe 😀
Hi, I’m hoping to use this recipe for my child’s birthday. Would it still be nice if I made it the day before serving? Thanks.
Hi Emma! 🙂
Yes you can totally make the cake layers the day beforehand, just apply the simple syrup to the cake layers and then store the cake layers overnight in an airtight container. I would recommend assembling with the whipped cream the next day though as the whipped cream can lose it’s structure a bit after some time.
Hope that helps and hope you enjoy the recipe 🙂
Hi, could I add free dried strawberry into the batter or would this affect it too much?
Hi Keith 🙂
Great question! I haven’t tried that myself so I’m not too sure sorry! I think if you add in a little bit (like a couple of tsp to give it a bit of flavor/color) it may be okay, but I can’t say for sure sorry! Would love to hear how it goes if you decide to try it out 🙂
Love this recipe. I have made four cakes for special occasions and everyone loved them. Going to make another one soon for my nieces 18th.
Aww yay! So glad everyone is loving the recipe Sophie! Hope your niece has a wonderful 18th birthday 🙂
I am excited to try this recipe!
Can I know why white vinegar is used in your recipes? and If there’s a substitute for that? Unfortunately, I have family members who are allergic to vinegar. I hope you can help !
Keep up the good work!
Love your recipes 🙂
Thank You.
Hi Osuri 🙂
So glad you’re wanting to give the recipe a go!
So for this recipe, vinegar is used to stabilize the egg whites, but you can substitute it with cream of tartar or lemon juice 🙂
For some of my other recipes, it’s used to create a lighter texture in the cake. You can read more about it here: https://cakesbymk.com/recipe/why-is-vinegar-used-in-baking/
It’s a bit harder to substitute for those recipes so you can simply leave it out 🙂
Enjoy!
Hi, thanks for this amazing recipe, I have a question about cooling the cake.
I doubled the mixture and made 1 big oblong cake baked for 5 min less and it came out beautifully – I can’t tell you how much I love this recipe and appriciate the time you put in to explaning the process, you are a baking genius!
But I didn’t think, and when I went to flip the cake upside down to cool it, of course it plopped right out of the tin because there wasn’t enough surface area of cake without baking paper on to hold it in place – so silly of me!
Can this recipe be cooled in the tin right side up?
or would it benefit from being removed and left to cool on a rack?
since I can’t flip the tin on such a flat cake I’m not sure how much difference it makes! Thanks so much for your help.
I was planning to make another one to sandwich with the original for my daughters birthday party, but although I think the original is rescuable, I’d rather not go through such a heart stopping moment again, haha!
Hi,
So… I’ve been looking for a light airy cake base to make a pineapple gateaux for my husbands’ birthday. I went through so many recipes as I lacked the confidence to make this cake. I thought I’ll probably get something more straight forward because I’ll definitely mess this up (I bake with boxed cake as all my cakes turn dense) but, because my husband was insistent on the cake being (he’s not a cake person) I came back to your recipe and took plunge!! What an amazing cake it turned out to be!! I knew I’ve done it right when I took the cake out of the oven, as it weighed like air.. literally like there was nothing in there. After so many years of baking, I can say this is the first ever time I was proud of it. (As normally if it’s boxed cake, I think I’ve cheated haha!)
You are a genius!! I will never buy another boxed cake again and will always follow your recipe on anything I need to bake. Thank you ever so much!! And sorry for such a long ‘story’ of success. Thank you!
Ohh this makes me so so happy Fazana! Do not apologise at all – stories like this make all the hardwork that goes behind the recipes worth it 😀
I am so glad to hear you and your husband loved the recipe, and I’m so happy you’ve gained the confidence to make your own homemade cakes from scratch – go you!! Sounds like you did an incredible job 🙂
Hi Claire!
So happy to hear you loved the recipe and are finding the instructions helpful 😀
Ooohh good question about a larger cake being flipped! Hmmm I think it would still be best to let it cool upside down, even if it’s not in the tin. So what I would recommend is turning it out onto a wire rack (so it’s upside down – the easiest way to do this with large cakes is to place the wire rack on top and then hold both the rack and cake pan together and flip it) and just let it cool like that and hopefully it should be fine 🙂
Can imagine the panic in the moment!! Still happens to me all the time when trialling out recipes haha! Hope these tips help for next time and hope your daughter has a wonderful birthday 🙂
Can I cook together in a 10 inch pan ? Would it be less fluffy/airy if cooked as one cake ?
Hi Hilda! 🙂
Yes you could make 1x this recipe in a 10 inch pan – it will give you one cake layer thats about the same thickness as a single layer in the original recipe 🙂
If baking in a 10 inch pan it should be fine, I just advise against putting too much batter into one cake tin (so say if all the batter was placed into one 8 inch pan then it may affect how the cake rises). Hope that helps and hope you enjoy the recipe 🙂
Have tried this and is great. Can I use 3 x 1” pans instead?
Hi Barbara 🙂
So happy to hear you loved the recipe! Yes that should be fine, the only thing that would change is the cook time – they will bake up much faster so just keep a close eye on the cakes to ensure they don’t overbake 🙂
Awesome cake. I used pineapple syrup to soak and added pineapple chunks to the cream. It’s the best cake. My husband loved it. Can we double this recipe? What size cake pans can I use for double the recipe and how long should I bake it.
Aww yay! So so happy to hear you and your husband loved the recipe Nisha 😀
Yes you should be able to double the recipe, just the whipping may take a little longer to reach the desired consistency. For double the recipe I would use two 10 inch cake pans and bake time should roughly be the same, maybe a little longer so just keep a close eye on them once they’re almost done baking to ensure they don’t overbake 🙂