Vanilla Sponge Cake Recipe

This vanilla sponge cake is a light, springy two layer cake made with 6 eggs, sugar, cake flour, warm milk, melted butter and vanilla, then filled and covered with whipped vanilla cream. The layers bake in two 8 inch pans at 340°F (170°C) for 22 to 25 minutes, and the cake serves 10 to 12.

There is no baking powder. The lift comes from beating the eggs and sugar for 8 to 10 minutes, until they triple in volume and fall in thick ribbons. Get that right and fold gently, and the rest is easy. It is the sponge I keep at the front of my binder.

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What This Two Layer Sponge Takes

• Pans: two 8 inch round pans, bottoms lined with parchment, sides left ungreased
• Oven: 340°F (170°C), 22 to 25 minutes
• Time: 25 minutes prep, 25 minutes baking, plus cooling before you frost
• Batter: 6 large eggs, 1 cup (200 g) sugar, 1 cup (120 g) cake flour, ¼ cup each warm milk and melted butter
• Frosting: 2 cups cold heavy cream, ½ cup powdered sugar and 1 teaspoon vanilla, whipped to soft peaks
• Serves: 10 to 12 slices

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Sponge Cake or Butter Vanilla Cake: Which One to Bake?

A sponge rises on whipped eggs, so the crumb is open, springy and light, and it does not feel heavy under cream or fruit. A butter cake like my simple moist vanilla cake is creamed with lots of butter and leavened with baking powder. It is denser, richer, and strong enough to carry buttercream and fondant.

Choose this sponge for whipped cream cakes, berry cakes and trifles, where you want the layers to soak up a little cream. Choose the butter cake for a sturdy birthday cake, or a vanilla sheet cake for a crowd.

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The Eggs Do the Lifting

Six large eggs at room temperature are the whole structure of this cake. Cold eggs whip to much less volume. If you forgot to take them out, set them in their shells in a bowl of warm tap water for about 10 minutes.

The sugar holds the air in place while you beat, and it gives the top its thin, golden skin. Salt sharpens the vanilla. The warm milk and melted butter add moisture so the crumb stays tender for a day or two instead of drying out. Use pure vanilla extract; it keeps the flavor clean and the crumb pale.

Cake Flour or All-Purpose Flour?

Cake flour has less protein, so the crumb is finer and softer. I have baked this cake with all-purpose flour in a pinch and it works, but the crumb is tighter and the layers feel heavier.

No cake flour? Measure 1 cup of all-purpose flour, take out 2 tablespoons, add 2 tablespoons of cornstarch, and sift it twice. It gets you most of the way there.

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Beating Six Eggs to the Ribbon Stage

Beat the eggs and sugar on high speed for 8 to 10 minutes. Yes, that long. The mixture goes from yellow and thin to pale, thick and about three times its starting volume.

To check, lift the beaters and let the batter fall back into the bowl. It should leave a ribbon that sits on the surface for a few seconds before it sinks in. If the trail disappears at once, keep going. A stand mixer gets there in the 8 to 10 minutes; a hand mixer usually needs a few minutes more.

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Folding in the Flour and Warm Butter Mixture

Sift the cake flour and salt over the eggs in three additions. Fold each one in with a large spatula: cut down through the middle, sweep along the bottom of the bowl, and turn the batter over. Stop as soon as the streaks are gone. Flour likes to hide in a pocket at the bottom, so scrape there once at the end.

Now the step people skip. Stir the warm milk, melted butter and vanilla together, then mix a big scoop of batter into that bowl. This lightens the fat. Fold it back into the main batter gently. Poured straight in, heavy butter sinks through the foam, knocks out air, and bakes into a rubbery layer at the bottom of the cake.

The finished batter should look glossy, thick and light. It should not look runny or flat.

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Baking and Releasing the 8 Inch Layers

Line only the bottoms of the pans with parchment and leave the sides bare. The batter grips the dry sides as it rises, which helps it climb evenly. Divide the batter between the pans and get them into the oven right away, before the foam starts to settle.

Bake for 22 to 25 minutes without opening the door, since a rush of cool air can collapse a sponge. The tops should be golden and spring back when pressed lightly, and a toothpick in the center should come out clean.

Cool the layers completely in the pans on a wire rack. Then run a thin knife around the edge, turn each layer out and peel off the parchment.

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Why a Sponge Sinks, Turns Rubbery or Bakes Dense

• Sunken middle: the cake was underbaked or the oven door opened early. Bake until the top springs back.
• Rubbery bottom layer: the butter and milk were not tempered with batter, or not folded all the way in.
• Dense, short layers: the eggs were cold or not beaten to a lasting ribbon, or the batter was stirred instead of folded.
• Dry crumb: baked too long or too hot. Keep the oven at 340°F and start checking at 22 minutes.
• Stuck to the pan: let it cool fully, then use the knife. A warm sponge tears.

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Whipped Vanilla Cream for Filling and Frosting

The whipped cream frosting here is light and only lightly sweet, so it suits the sponge instead of burying it. Chill the bowl and beaters first. Whip the cold cream, powdered sugar and vanilla together on medium-high until soft peaks form: the cream holds a shape, but the tip curls over.

Stop there. Past that point the cream turns stiff, then grainy. If it starts to look grainy, fold in a few tablespoons of cold cream by hand and it smooths out again.

Want a frosting that holds longer at room temperature? Try Chantilly frosting with mascarpone. For a richer filling between the layers, spread a thin layer of vanilla pastry cream under the whipped cream.

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Filling and Covering the Sponge With Whipped Cream

If the layers domed, level them with a serrated knife. Set one layer on a plate, spread it with whipped cream, and top with the second layer. Cover the top and sides with the rest of the cream, then press shredded coconut or white chocolate curls onto the sides if you like.

Fresh berries or strawberry cake filling between the layers make it a summer cake. Cubes of leftover sponge also go straight into a Christmas trifle.

Making It Ahead and Storing Leftovers

I prefer to bake the layers a day ahead. Once they are completely cool, wrap them in plastic and keep them at room temperature overnight; they slice more neatly the next day. Frost just before serving, because whipped cream softens the sponge as it sits.

Keep a frosted cake in the fridge for up to 2 days. The cream firms up but the sponge stays tender, and slices taste best after 15 minutes at room temperature. Wrapped, unfrosted layers freeze for up to 2 months.

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Quick Answers on Sponge Cake From Scratch

Why is there no baking powder in this sponge cake?

The air beaten into 6 eggs is enough to raise the layers. Baking powder would make the crumb coarser and more like a butter cake.

Can I bake it in one pan?

Two 8 inch pans give the bake time and texture in the recipe. One deeper pan takes longer and can sink in the middle, so stick with two.

How do I make it more moist?

Do not overbake, and fill it the day you serve it. You can also brush the layers with a little sugar syrup before adding the cream.

Can I make cupcakes with this batter?

A whole egg sponge is best as layers. For single servings, try this vanilla mug cake.

For a winter version with a few more flavors, my winter vanilla cake also works with this whipped cream. If you bake this sponge, tell me in the comments whether you filled it with cream or fruit.