This European sponge cake is made in the most classic way! Using only three ingredients, you will get the most moist, leveled cake that pairs perfectly with any of your favorite creams.
Okay, I’ll admit it. I love Twinkies. I know they are terrible for me, but why do they have to be so good?! Making sponge cake at home gives you all the deliciousness of the packaged stuff, but without any of the nasty preservatives. That is a win-win!
I use this sponge cake in so many of my desserts! It is the perfect base for my Tiramisu and Prune Walnut Cake.
What is a Sponge Cake?
Now, don’t try cleaning your dishes with this cake! You’ll be sorely disappointed. Okay, no more mom jokes, I promise. Below I will describe what makes sponge cake different than other types.
Sponge cakes are primarily made with eggs and a bit of sugar and flour. This makes this cake both light and airy and sturdy and absorbent. Therefore, sponge cakes are perfect for spreading on filling or topping with heavy fruits.
Other cakes tend to be comprised of the opposite — less eggs and more flour. This makes for a denser texture that isn’t as absorbent.
What Makes Sponge Cake Fluffy and Moist
Eggs are the key to making your sponge cake fluffy and moist. You will want to beat your whole eggs with the sugar until the volume increases by three times. You will want to make sure you don’t overbeat the eggs, as this will result in a flat cake. You will know when your eggs are ready when the beaters hold a thick ribbon when removed from the bowl.
Tips for The Best Sponge Cake
- Keep the eggs at room temperature before you make the cake. Room temperature eggs beat better!
- Beat the eggs with sugar for at least 10 minutes, on medium-high speed in a stand mixer. The texture should be airy, yet stiff, and you should get thick ribbons. If using a hand mixer, you may need to beat for twice as long.
- Sift the flour first. Getting rid of any lumps and clumps of flour will ensure that you have a consistent texture.
- When adding flour, carefully add it in by thirds into the egg mixture. Lightly mixing in the flour with a rubber spatula (not a whisk) will ensure you don’t over-mix and compromise the fluffiness of your beaten eggs.
- Your baking pan size should be 9 inches or larger. This cake can easily overflow during the baking process.
- Don’t open the oven door during the early baking process because the cake can collapse when hit with a sudden temperature change.
- Test to see if the cake is fully baked by pricking it with a toothpick. Only test towards the end of baking time. If it comes out clean, you’re good to go!
- Cut the sponge cake only when its fully cooled to room temperature.
Hot Tip: To make a chocolate version of the sponge cake, add 3 Tbsp of cacao powder to the flour.
Cakes to Make with Sponge Cake
- Ferrero Raffaello Cake: Modeled after my favorite candy, this cake is a perfect combination of chocolate and hazelnuts.
- Caramel Apple Cake: Every time I go to a fair, I have to get a caramel apple. This cake is the perfect fall treat.
- Strawberry Chocolate Cake: This is my Valentine’s Day go-to. Just like a chocolate-dipped strawberry, but in cake form!
- Chocolate Liquor Cake: I am a fan of the boozy cake. Adding alcohol to baked goods is not just festive, it serves a purpose! It adds a great punch of flavor and also moistens the cake.
Making Sponge cake in Advance
This is the perfect cake to make a few days in advance. Store it for a few days on the counter in an airtight container. Or, it can be refrigerated up to a week. You can also freeze this cake for up to 3 months. Just make sure you store it in a flat box so it doesn’t lose its shape!
Sponge Cake Video Tutorial
Recipe
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 °F.
- In a stand mixer, beat 5 eggs (no need to separate them) and sugar on low speed and then on medium-high speed for about 10 minutes or until it's three times in volume.
- Using a spatula, fold in flour by thirds; be very gentle with the batter so you don't over mix it and lose the fluffiness.
- Add cake batter to an oiled baking pan. Springform baking pan works amazing, size 9-12 inches is perfect.
- Bake at 350F for 30 minutes and check it using a wooden toothpick. If the cake is ready, the toothpick will come out clean.
- This recipe doesn’t need baking soda or baking powder. The leavening agent is the air that is beat into the batter.
- The sponge cake may have a slight eggy taste, but if you beat long enough (at least 10 minutes) this shouldn’t happen.
- The sponge is best used as a base for making other cakes where you would add frosting, fillings, etc. If you prefer, you can add some vanilla extract in step 2.
Just a brilliant recipe! I might try letting my vitamix do the beating next time - 10 minutes is a lot with my beater - but just a delicious cake! Here is a GF flour mix I found somewhere for the GF people. It worked BEAUTIFULLY!!
1 c mochiko
1/2 c +4 T oat flour
1/2 c millet or sorghum flour
1/2 c cornstarch
4 T tapioca
5 T ground chia
OK. Nix the vitamix. I'll use my hand-beater next time. 🙁 Not a total disaster, but this cake will no doubt separate - the sugar/egg mix was a fail, and may have even heated up a little in the vitamix. I'll report back.
Hi Judith, Thank you for sharing a gluten free flour mix! We appreciate the feedback. 🙂
Hi Natalya. Thanks for this recipe. I was thinking of filling it with lemon curd and icing it as a birthday cake for a friend. Any tips?
Hi Grace, Lemon curd sounds delicious - I would just recommend not too much of it. Let us know how it turns out. 🙂
What a great recipe. Couldn’t be easier, and a wonderful first sponge for my 9-yr-old. Rose beautifully with no sinking at altitude and with King Arthur GF flour. Rave reviews from family.
Hi Mary, Thanks for sharing! I'm happy your whole family loved it!
My first time making a sponge and I was soooo nervous! But it came out perfectly, I’m stoked with this recipe. I used caster sugar and added a little vanilla essence when I was whipping my eggs, if you use an electric mixer for the eggs and sugar this is an incredibly simple and quick easy cake. Will be filling with cream and jam for my friends birthday tonight!
Hi Angie, thanks for giving it a try, I'm so glad it turned out amazing for you! Adding vanilla extract is such a great call. Hope you have a great time celebrating your friend!
Wonderful sponge!! I am baking in higher altitude, so it took less than the 30 minutes.
Hi Dagny Kuril, Thanks for taking the time to share your wonderful feedback. Enjoy!
This cake honestly was the worst cake ever I’ve ever had. I made the cake to specific directions and it came out so dry. It reminded me of paper towel. It cooked up well, tasted ok but it’s so dry.
Hi dear, this cake is not meant to be eaten on its own, its a base for all the creams you want to use. It will be dry if you just eat the way it is. Hope this makes sense. Did you see our cream suggestions?
Can I use a Bundt pan?
Hi Stephanie, I personally have not tried it but I think it should work. But this cake is used as a base for any of your favorite frostings. On its own it can feel a bit unfinished. Hope this is helpful. Enjoy
I have never attempted to make a sponge cake before because they always scared me. I tried your recipe and the family loved it. I have to make one nearly every week now the only thing I did different was I used corn flour instead of all purpose flour, so my family thanks you 😊
Yvonne, wow, I have never considered using corn flour. I am so glad that it turned out great for you because the texture of flour is so different. Thank you for sharing this feedback.
Hi!
I am going to use your recipe to bake a 5 layer, 6” smash cake for my soon to be 1yo. The pans are only 1” tall so I’m hoping I can divide the batter evenly so that it doesn’t overflow! Wish me luck.. any tips would be appreciated.
- Tina
Hi Tina, This would be a perfect cake for a kid, it's so soft. I made colorful layers for one of the birthdays. Let me know how it goes for you.
Hi, well the cake came out a little dense. I suspect it was maybe due to me having to mix in the food coloring?
Now I will say that I substituted coconut palm sugar and used cake flour. I’m not sure how it came out sense - whether it was due to the substitutions or the extra hand mixing of the colors.
Any tips on how to make this work? Perhaps I’ll try AP flour second time around. This was a practice cake, luckily!
Hi Tina, I am pretty sure its the sugar and flour. You would need to use grnaulated sugar and AP flour for this recipe to work. Also, when you add food coloring, try not to over mix the batter. It should be light and airy. Hope all the tips help.
Hey! Can’t wait to make this! Is the temperature 350F with or without fan? Thanks so much!
Hi Connie, baking would be without a fan. Keep in mind sometimes ovens don't run exactly correct temperature. Learned this from all of our moves and different ovens. 🙂
well, the amount of likes on here didn't fail me today for mother's day. Success! Wonderfully fluffy, white and tall sponge cake with fresh berries and cream to celebrate the day.
Taryn, This made me smile. I am so so happy that the recipe worked out well for you. Thank you for sharing your feedback.
Why did my cake sink in the middle I followed the video
Hi Barbara, one of the main reasons why it would do that is when it's under baked or the oven was open during baking process. Hope this is helpful for the future baking.
Just like my mother made when I was little. I 'm 75.
My sister in-law in Ashville brought this to Tennessee with strawberries and whipped cream and shared your recipe.
A Delicious memory. So glad to get this recipe. Thank you
Hi Kathryn, I am so thrilled that you loved this recipe! Thank you for sharing your feedback with me. Enjoy!
Can I put cream on top and had suguar with it or will it be too sweet
Hi Amani, honestly it depends on your preference and the kind of cream you decide to use. I hope this helps. Enjoy!!
5 eggs (fine), but 3/4 cup sugar and 4/4 cup flour !?!
How much is 1 cup exactly remains a mystery.
Choose metric for the gram measurement?
Hi Dana, I am not sure I understand.
Hi!! Would this recipe work with cake flour instead of the all purpose flour?
Hi Selah, I have not tested this recipe with cake flour. I would love to know how it works if you do give it a try.
Hi, can I triple this recipe for 3 9-inch pans and use the same beating time of 10 minutes, all in one batch?
Hi Kate, I think it really depends on the mixer you use. I almost feel like tripling the recipe wouldn't fit into any mixers. I would also recommend that you use the video as a reference. Thanks so much for reaching out. I hope this helps.
This is the best sponge cake I have ever made. I have made this recipe 3 times in the last 3 weeks. It is perfect.
Hi Dodie, I am thrilled to hear that you have found your go-to sponge cake recipe! Thank you for sharing your feedback. Enjoy!!
Could I make this with gluten free flour?
Hi Kristi, I have not tried this recipe with gluten free flour before. If you give it a try, I would love to know the result.
This looks easy and amazing and I'd like to try for a party this weekend. Does it rise high enough to create a 2 layer cake? My son requested sponge cake with raspberry filling and vanilla buttercream.
Hi Angie, yes, the cake is big enough to cut in half and use for two layers. If you use a 7 inch pan, the cake will be 3-4 inches tall and a 9 inch pan will make 2-3 inch cake. I hope this helps. Thank you for reaching out! Have a great day!
hi! Does this work in a sheet pan 9x13?
Hey dear, yes but it will not be as tall as it would with a just a 9 inch pan. Enjoy!
This is my go-to sponge now, and I make a lot of sponges. Love love love this easy recipe..always produces great results.
Hi Hana, I am thrilled to hear that you found a recipe that you love!! Thank you for your feedback, enjoy!
I would separate the eggs and beat the whites so the cake becomes fluffier.
Hey there, thank you so much for this great tip! I appreciate your feedback. Have a great day!
Hi Natalya,
I just made this sponge cake and I am thrilled with the outcome! I will be adding it to my recipes ! A keeper for sure! I have never made sponge cake in my 47 years in the kitchen making meals and treats for family and friends! Thank you for posting this recipe!
Patricia , thank you for taking the time to leave feedback! I'm so glad you gave this recipe a try and enjoyed it 😀
Can this be made in a Bundt pan ?
Hey there John, I have not tried it in a bunt pan, but I dont see why not. You may need to adjust the bake time to avoid over-baking. if you give it a try, let me know how it goes! Good luck!
I am 76 and it is the first time I have had success with it. My husband always told me how good his mother was at it, so I always failed ! They are both dead now, so I think this is why I made a good one😁! Thank you.
Cloe, you made my day! Thank you so much for sharing this. So happy you found a recipe that works.
Hi, loved this recipe and it came out well. But was wondering if taking 2-3 egg yokes out and adding some oil would reduce the chance of the egg taste?
Hi Dan, Your sponge cake has an egg taste? I have not tried any substitutions for this recipe. If you give it a try, I would love to know how it turns out. Good luck!
I love this recipe!! I have baked this cake several times already and it comes out perfect every time! Everyone loves it!!
I add to the bottom layer a mix of espresso coffee and a liquor then add a vanilla pudding custard. It's delicious!
Hi Marina, That sounds absolutely delicious! Thanks for sharing your spin on it! Have a great day!
I came here after failing to make a earl grey sponge cake from another site twice with 8 inch pans. I made the same cake a third time but with your proportions of sugar, egg, and flour + shorter bake time since I am splitting cakes into 2 8 inch pans. I also watched the video which helped me realize I need to fold way more than I was folding before and that it's okay to be a bit more vigorous.
Anyway, I finally have two sponge cakes I can serve after throwing out 2 batches of cakes. Yay.
Hi Clara, I am so glad to hear this recipe worked for you! Thank you for your feedback! Enjoy!
The fact I have mine in the oven right now and the anxiety is getting higher and higher looking at these reviews 🫣😰
Hi Zoe- ah I'm so sorry it's causing anxiety. I do hope the sponge cake came out perfectly for you!