An exceptional, yet simple Vanilla Butter Cake. Adapted from a master Cook’s Illustrated recipe, this sponge cake is made with pantry staples, has a velvety, tender crumb and keeps well for 3 days. An essential addition to every recipe collection!
Want to step it up? Try my ultimate Perfect Vanilla Cake.
Moist and tender Vanilla Sponge Cake
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
WATCH HOW TO MAKE IT
Vanilla Sponge Cake recipe video!
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Butter Cake (Vanilla Sponge Cak)
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 Information:
More cake goodness
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!!)
Made this for my mum for her 70th birthday in lockdown (my first cake in years!) as she requested a simple sponge (and I wanted to bake something seeing as the shops were closed to buy any gifts). I was absolutely delighted with how it turned out – she loved it too and was able to share the rest with her neighbours, many of whom live alone, so in the end that cake brought a little bit of joy to lots of people in these trying times. Thanks so much, Nagi! (P.S. I did msg you on IG to thank you personally for your recipe but realised a review would probably be better!)
Hi Nagi,
Instead of using cream in the middle, would this work with a homemade vanilla custard in the middle? Thanks.
this is beautiful! and delicate in texture, we love it!
Did you try the recipe with both cup measurements and metric/grams?
I did metric but i would love to use cups to just scoop it together quickly but ensure i get the same results
Thankyou!!
I am keen to convert this to 2 x 6″ round pans. Trust I just need to do a percentage conversion? Can I also to whipped cream & cherries for the filling?
Hi Felicia, I would scale the recipe down to 10 servings and use those measurements. Whipped cream and cherries would be divine! N x
Nagi, My friends & family love it very much – kept asking for 2nd helpings! Thank you, this recipe’s a keeper!
hi Nagi, sorry I note I had a typo in my earlier post; had meant to ask if Whipped cream with Cherries go well with this recipe as well. Look forward to hearing from you!
Help! I don’t know what I did wrong but the cake is very dense. All ingredients were at room temperature so don’t know how to get it right next time. Any suggestions?
Me too! I don’t know what I did wrong, but my cake also came out very dense.
Hi Kuulei, if it came out very dense, maybe you’ve overmixed the cake batter. Overmixing can make the cake batter develop more gluten, making it dense and terribly chewy.
A good way ensure the cake batter portion goes well consistently is to measure your ingredients with a weighing scale, if the ingredients have specified how many grams/ounces. You might’ve added way too much flour by accident so please do tell if you made it a second time!
Hey nagi:. This is the best sponge cake we ever had..just a quick question? Can i use mix fruits ( can ones) to fill in between layers. & also on top. Waiting for ur reply asap. Planning to bake one on sunday..
I haven’t tried to be honest Komal – I don’t see why not! N x
Hi, can we put baking soda instead of baking powder?
Can I use just one 9inch tin to bake the sponge and cut into 2? How long should I bake it for?
Hi nagi.
CAn i use this sponge cake & fill it with mango puree in between & frosting with buttercream. ? My daughter wants me to bake a mango flavor cake for her.. i only follow ur receipes.. so pls suggest.
Hi Komal, I think it might ooze out between the layers – but I haven’t tried to be honest! Would love to know if you give it a go! N x
Hi nagi i did make the sponge cake.. then layered with mango pieces with cream & topped it with mAngo slices.. it turned out just beautiful.. thank u so much
Nagi can u pls pls pls send me mango cake recipe…. its my daugters bday this weekend. & m not confident as i dont have a receipe on ur blog..😞😞
is cornstach / cornflour necccessary?
Hi Mishii, yes it is – it changes the texture of the flour (I talk about this in the notes) 🙂 N x
Delicious sponge! Made this for Mother’s Day today and it was a huge hit. Great flavor. Very moist. A crowd pleaser!
Awesome Di, I hope you had a fabulous Mother’s Day! N x
Hey Nagi, quick question – when you are making the butter cake, do you beat the eggs with the oil and vanilla essence at the start?
Would you recommend making this without a mixer?
Lets see recipy for Cherries cheese
Novice baker here and I am planning to bake this soon and also use your amazing butter cream frosting. Can I substitute the butter with half oil and half butter? What would be the proportion please. Thank you and cant wait to hear back from you.
I’m wondering if it’s possible to make this a chocolate sponge by replacing some of the flour with cocoa powder? Thank you 😊
Hi Mel, I have a couple of chocolate cakes on my blog – but changing the ingredients here will change the texture – it would be something I’d need to test. N x
Thank you for sharing your recipe. I used it for a naked 2 tiered wedding cake on the weekend. Wish I could add a pic.
can i use cake flour for this recipe?
Hi Ariana, yes you can (I talk about this in the notes). Just sub the cornflour and plain flour for 2 cups of cake flour. N x
Can this cake be made keto?
Hi Nagi, best sponge cake recipe ever, in my opinion. My children and friends really love it. Thanks for sharing.
Gives it 5 stars.
A total hit with a gaggle of pre-teen boys this eve for a birthday cake – thank you!! Super simple, lusciously moist and leftovers that I know will be just as delicious tomorrow!
Oops, sorry, I typed Hi Maui instead of Nagi in my previous email (blame spell check)!
Hi Maui, Can I use this recipe for lamingtons instead of the one specified for lamingtons? How does the texture etc differ from each other once baked? Thanks