40+ of the best sponge cake recipes (2024)

FAQs

What is the secret to a good sponge cake? ›

Go with room temperature ingredients

Make sure that the butter you use is not too cold. Using cold butter can make you over-mix since it takes a long time to thoroughly mix butter, sugar and eggs. You can end up with a cake that is too heavy. Avoid all that by simply using room temperature ingredients.

The most crucial tip? Instead of buying an entire box of cake flour, simply incorporate two tablespoons of cornstarch into 3 1/2 cups of all-purpose flour. This blocks the formation of gluten in the flour, which produces a lighter, fluffier cake.

Give it some air

The magic of a light, fluffy sponge with tender crumb is to incorporate as much air in as possible. After all, it is the entrapped air that expands in the oven, creating the magic of the cake rising.

As with all ingredients when baking a sponge cake, ensure it is at room temperature before starting. No one said School Cake was healthy and the sweetness is probably why we all love it so! Caster sugar is the sugar of choice here and is preferable over granulated sugar, as it is finer and mixes better into the batter.

Make sure that all of the ingredients are at room temperature. If the ingredients are at different temperatures then they may not combine properly and the cake will be dense. If the eggs are stored in the fridge then remove them several hours before using, so they are properly at room temperature.

Why do cakes not rise? A: No or insufficient raising agent, mixture too stiff, mixture overbeaten or air knocked out, or insufficient whisking (whisked sponge). Too cool an oven.

We advise folding the ingredients together, not beating them, as this will keep the mixture aerated. Check your oven is at the correct temperature. If it is too hot, the cake doesn't have time to rise, and if it is too cold it will rise too high and then sink at the end.

Get as much air into the cake as you can

Cream butter and sugar until the mixture lightens in texture and colour. This increases the air and volume of the cake, giving you a lighter result. Sift flour and other stated ingredients together to mix, add air and make them easier to fold in.

You've probably heard of creaming butter and sugar together when baking, but did you know if you mix your butter with the flour before adding the wet ingredients it can coat the flour in fat? This can really help a cake stay moist while it bakes.

While oil has a more neutral taste, which means that other flavours in the cake can stand out more. Our preference is still butter for a lot of recipes where possible, especially when you are aiming for a classic tasting cake such as Victoria Sponge.

Why do you put cornstarch in a sponge cake? ›

When added to cake, cookie, pie filling and shortbread recipes, cornstarch helps create a crumbly and tender dessert-like texture. Commercially, cornstarch is often used as an anti-caking agent.

Heat the oven to 180C/160C Fan/Gas 4. Grease two 18cm/7in cake tins and line the bases with baking paper. Cream the butter and the sugar together until pale and fluffy. This will take a few minutes using an electric mixer.

So when making any recipe based on whisking egg whites or whole eggs, including those for soufflés, meringue mixtures and some cakes, such as sponges, choose the freshest eggs you can get your hands on and make sure they are at room temperature.