An exceptional, yet simple Vanilla Sponge Cake. Adapted from a master Cook’s Illustrated recipe, this is made with pantry staples, has a velvety, tender crumb and keeps well for 3 days. An essential addition to every recipe collection!
I call this a plain-jane Vanilla Sponge Cake, but it’s really anything but that. Everyone should have a classic vanilla sponge cake in their repertoire, and it took me many years to find the “perfect” one.
This is a classic, simple Vanilla Sponge Cake that is made with basic ingredients – eggs, milk, butter, flour, sugar, vanilla, baking powder and salt. That’s it. No sour cream, no buttermilk – these are not pantry staples in my world – or any other schmancy ingredients. Yes adding sour cream and/or buttermilk makes an even more tender, more moist cake. But I wanted to share a truly great Vanilla Sponge Cake that is made with just pantry staples.
I have a soft spot for old fashioned Vanilla sponge cakes. I am pretty sure the Women’s Weekly Best Ever Sponge was the first cake I ever (attempted?) to make. 🙂 Freshly made, they are lovely, albeit a wee bit dry for my taste. But the biggest issue I’ve always had is that after 12 hours, the sponge is incredibly dry. Even slathered with copious amounts of cream and frosting can’t hide it.
This recipe I’m sharing today is made with the same ingredients as old fashioned Vanilla Sponge Cakes, but there’s one very important step that you won’t see in any Women’s Weekly recipe books from the 1980’s: beating softened butter into the dry ingredients. THIS is the secret to a moist, tender sponge cake made without sour cream or buttermilk.
How do I know this?
Because this is a Cook’s Illustrated recipe. 🙂 They’ve gone and done all the hard work with the recipe testing for us.
Regular readers know I’m never going to win any awards in the cake decorating category. I’m much more focussed on the body of the cake – getting that sponge right. So I kept this simple and just slathered on lots of cream and and sandwiched it with strawberries. In addition to adding some lovely fresh juicy flavours into the cake, the strawberries also stop the cream from oozing out of the cake when you cut into it.
You’ll see in the video. 🙂
Happy weekend everyone! Hope you have a lovely one. I’m off to a festival of some sort – for a friends’ birthday. I’m not really a festival-type gal, so it will be an experience. I don’t even know what the festival is for – music, I’m guessing. Guess I should probably leave my stilettos behind. 😉 – Nagi x
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Vanilla Sponge Cake
Ingredients
- 225 g / 2 sticks unsalted butter , cut into 8 pieces and softened
Wet:
- 4 large eggs (55 - 65g / 2 - 2.5 oz each), at room temperature
- 1⁄2 cup / 125 ml milk (whole or low fat, not no fat), room temperature
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
Dry:
- 1 3/4 cups / 265g plain flour (all purpose flour, 7 oz) (Note 1)
- 1/4 cup cornflour / cornstarch (Note 1)
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1 1/2 cups / 330g caster sugar / superfine sugar (normal white sugar also ok)
- 3/4 tsp salt
Strawberries & Cream:
- 2 1/2 cups / 625 ml whipping cream
- 2 tbsp white sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 400 g/ 14 oz strawberries , halved (1 1/2 punnets)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 180C/350F (standard) or 160C/320F (fan / convection). Put the rack in the middle of the oven.
- Butter 2 x 20cm / 8" cake pans (Note 2). Line the base with baking paper.
- Place Wet ingredients in a bowl and whisk to combine.
- Place Dry ingredients in a bowl and use a handheld beater on speed 1 (slowest) to quickly whisk.
- Add 1/3 of the butter, then put the beater whisk in the butter, and mix using speed 1. Once the butter is incorporated a bit, speed up to 5 and whisk for 10 seconds.
- Add another 1/3 of the butter then repeat, then add remaining butter and repeat again. It should look like wet sand (see video / photos in post).
- Add half the Wet mixture, beat until incorporated. Add remaining Wet mixture, then beat on speed 5 (medium) until almost completely smooth.
- Divide between cake pans, smooth surface (it levels out in the oven), then bake for 25 minutes.
- A skewer inserted into the middle should come out clean but moist.
- Cool on cooling rack for at least 15 minutes then remove cake from pan.
Frosting / Decorating with Strawberries & Cream:
- Optional: Use a serrated knife (I use a bread knife) to cut the top off each cake to make it completely flat. This makes neat layers when you cut into the cake.
- Place cream, vanilla and sugar in a bowl. Beat on high with a handheld beater or stand mixer until firm peaks form.
- If piping little swirls around the edge like in the photos, transfer 1 cup of cream into a piping bag fitted with a large star nozzle.
- Place a cake on a serving platter. Spread a thin layer of cream over the top.
- Cover with strawberries, cut side down.
- Top with 1/3 of the cream.
- Place 2nd cake on top. Cover top and sides with remaining cream. Pipe cream around the edge.
- Decorate with remaining strawberries, as desired.
Recipe Notes:
Nutrition
WATCH HOW TO MAKE IT
Vanilla Sponge Cake recipe video!
LIFE OF DOZER
You do not want to know how big the puddle on the floor was….EEEEWWWW!!!! (watch me teasing him with this in the video!!)
I just made this and it’s cooling down right now. So far it looks great, has a nice crumb to it and tastes really nice. Next time however, I think I’ll will be reducing the amount of sugar, as it’s personally too sweet for me.
Hi Minh, I’m so glad you like it – love to know what you think if you try it again with a reduced amount of sugar ❤️
Hi Nagi, love your recipes! Am planning to make this for a birthday- I’m a novice baker and a bit nervous. I own 1x23cm pan- rather than go and get another pan, could i bake one cake first then the next? Should I keep the mixture in the fridge til the next cake is ready to be done? I’m in qld so quite hot and humid during the day. Thanking you in advance.
Hi Agnes, no that won’t work unfortunately, once you activate the rising agent (the baking powder) you can’t leave it. You’re better to make a half batch and then cook. Then make another half batch for the second cake. You can drop the serving size in the recipe to 6 and you’ll get the amount on ingredients for a half batch. Love to know how you go!
I actually had to switch to a square pan because the round tin seemed way too big for the amount of mix i had for the half serve. But i did 2x half batches and both turned out perfectly!!! For someone who rarely aces cakes, this was a small miracle!
Hi Nagi,
Thanks for the recipe! The base went well however I bought a spray whipped cream but it turned out not sticky to be used as frosting. Do you know if i got the wrong cream?
Hi Rose, yes you need to use thickened/whipping cream and beat it ☺️
Literally the best vanilla cake I have ever made! Truly exceptional. Thanks so much for sharing this awesome recipe. It’s a keeper!!!
Woot! So happy you love it Neha!
Hi Nagi
Could u covert this recipe for me to fill 2 10 inch pans. Have to make it for a birthday and I’m totally perplexed. Don’t want to mess it up.
Kind regards
Aminah.
Hi Aminah, I’d just increase the ratio slightly – drag the servings size slider bar to say 15 servings and all the ingredients will all increase for you. I hope you love it!
Thank you my dear. Really appreciate it. Shall I make the increased amount iin 2, 10” pans or 3
Kind regards
Hi Nagi!
First of all, I am sooo obsessed with your recipes. They are always a hit when I make them! This is def. my favourite sponge cake!!
I just want to ask, how many minutes (approx.) do you have to beat/whip the frosting until firm peaks form?
Thank you!
Recipe looks good! Cant wait to try making this
Hope you get a chance! N x
Can I bake three layer separatedly for three times ?
What if i want to make it in an English cake mould of length 25 cm….it will need 2? Should i fill yhe mould up tonits half only?
For rolling up???
Hi Nagi,
I wanted to add sour cream. How much would you recommend I add? Do I replace the milk?
I’m afraid I don’t know, I haven’t tried for this recipe. Sorry! 🙂 N x
Hi Nagi, I tried making the whipping cream frosting but it didn’t turn out well but the cake tasted good.
Hi Precious, I’m sorry to hear that. Are you sure you got whipping cream not pouring cream that cannot be whipped?? Glad you enjoyed the cake though! N x
Hi nagi thanks for the recipe. I have made it today. Everything like you said but the baked at 160c for 25mts when i inserted a skewer i felt like the cake was gooey i still didn’t take the cake out. Where did i go wrong?
Can this be made with brown sugar?
Hi there. Can I use buttermilk instead of milk? Will I need to change any baking powder quantities?
Hi Hayfa! Nope that should be fine 🙂
Hi I wanted to try this recipe out but could you let me know in grams how much corn flour is required.
Many thanks and I look forward to trying this out. 😉
Hi Nagi, l have tried your vanilla sponge cake recipe. It comes out nice. I really love the taste.
Thanks for the feedback Osundare! Glad you enjoyed this 🙂 N x
Hi Nagi, I’m planning on using this receipe in a rectangle pan that is 14 x 10 x 2 – should I double it? Also how long should I cook it for ? Thanks so excited to try it !!! Rae
Hi Rae! Umm that’s a bit tricky because of the size. I think I’d do a double batch then give it an extra 10 – 15 minutes in the oven. Check it and gently shake the pan – you’ll easily see if it needs longer in the oven!