Vanilla Sponge Cake

How to make a soft and airy vanilla sponge cake with this classic and easy-to-make recipe at home. This fluffy sponge cake recipe is perfect for all your homemade cakes and other home-baked goods.

The sponge cake is a basic recipe of génoise originating in England and very popular in the world of pastry and cakes for its both light and fluffy texture and firmness.

This vanilla sponge cake is also found in the famous Victoria sponge cake recipe also known as sandwich cake (created for Queen Victoria) where it is garnished with strawberry jam and a generous layer of whipped cream.

Quite similar to the genoise sponge in its composition, this vanilla cake has an additional ingredient in addition to eggs, sugar and cake flour, butter which gives it a richer texture.

With its spongy cake texture (hence the name sponge cake) and firm crumb, this is the perfect sponge cake for cake design and layer cake.

It's a very simple recipe to make and it cuts perfectly for layered cakes, wedding cakes, birthday cake, or sculpted cakes covered in sugar paste.

>> See all the sponge cake recipes from the blog

Ingredients & Substitutions

Here are the ingredients needed and possible substitutions to make this basic vanilla sponge cake recipe at home, scroll down to see the quantities in the recipe card.

• Butter: Use unsalted butter, especially softened at room temperature to ensure a smooth mixture but not melted butter. Take it out of the fridge in advance or warm it up slightly in the microwave.
• Sugar: Use white granulated powdered sugar or flavored sugar such as brown sugar. 
• Eggs: Use large eggs at room temperature, if you didn't have time to take them out in advance, leave them in a bowl of warm water for a few minutes.
• Flour: Use preferably cake flour or even all-purpose flour.
• Vanilla extract and salt: Essential for flavoring, pure vanilla essence extract, and salt to bring out all the flavors.

Option

• Baking powder: The classic recipe does not contain baking powder, but you can add the equivalent of about ½ bag of baking powder for a fluffier cake.
• Cocoa: For a chocolate sponge cake version, replace ¼ of the flour with unsweetened cocoa powder to add along with the dry ingredients.
• Flavors and spices: ground cinnamon, gingerbread spices, lemon juice or lemon zest, bitter almond flavor, etc.

⚠️ You will find the quantities and complete instructions in the recipe card at the end of the page.

How to Make an Easy Sponge Cake Recipe

1 - Cream butter and sugar

1. Place softened butter and granulated sugar in the mixing bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment.
2. Beat at medium speed for about 5 minutes until creamy and smooth.
3. Add eggs one at a time while running the mixer at medium speed until well incorporated.
4. Then add the vanilla extract and mix again at medium speed for about 5 minutes until the mixture has doubled in volume.

2 - Add dry ingredients

1. In a separate bowl, sift together all the dry ingredients, cake flour, baking powder and salt.
2. Change the whisk to a paddle attachment and add the previously sifted dry ingredients.
3. Mix at a slow speed just enough to incorporate the dry ingredients.

Tip: You can also mix in the cake flour mixture directly by hand with a spatula to avoid over-mixing the cake batter and keep its texture fluffy.

3 - Baking

1. Preheat oven to 165°C and prepare 2 round cake pans 8 inches / 20 cm in diameter, lined with parchment paper only on the bottom.
2. Divide the batter and pour it evenly into the two prepared pans.
3. Bake the sponge cake for about 30 minutes until golden brown on top.
4. Remove the cakes from the oven and let them cool a bit in the pan before carefully removing them from the pan and letting them cool completely on a cooling rack.

Tip: Be careful not to overcook the cakes as they may be too dry in the mouth. At the end of the baking time, stick a toothpick in the center of the cake, it should come out clean if the cake is well baked.

Filling suggestions for this cake

This sponge is delicious with its soft and light texture and can be eaten on its own or as a layer cake. Here are some ideas for fillings to go with this vanilla cake:

• With whipped cream and fresh fruit
• Whipped chocolate ganache or vanilla ganache
• Coconut Cake
• With mascarpone whipped cream sweetened with icing sugar and strawberries.

Tip: This tender sponge cake even if it is made of butter has a crumb a little dry and I advise you to soak it with a sugar syrup.

Storage and freezing

At room temperature: The sponge cake can be stored at room temperature for up to 1 week or in the freezer for up to 3 months.

How to freeze it? Once completely cooled, wrap in plastic wrap or place in a storage box and store in the freezer for up to 3 months.

Defrosting: Let it slowly come back to room temperature overnight.

Tips and Tricks

1. Use room temperature ingredients, which is essential for a smooth cake batter.
2. Cream the butter and sugar for at least 3-5 minutes before adding the other ingredients.
3. Gradually add the eggs, beating enough between each addition to incorporate them.
4. Do not open the oven door while baking, to avoid temperature shock and having a cake that falls apart while baking.
5. Cut your cake cold, the cuts will be perfect and it will crumble less.
6. Soak the sponge cake with sugar syrup to moisten its texture a bit.

More sponge recipes

• Molly Cake Sponge
• Chocolate buttermilk cake
• Chocolate genoise sponge
• Chocolate Molly Cake
• Vanilla Chiffon cake
• Angel Food Cake
• Fluffy White Cake

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