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 5 minutes. The texture should be airy, yet stiff.
- 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 adding the flour will ensure you don’t overmix 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 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. 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
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Recipe
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 °F.
- Beat 5 eggs (no need to separate them) with sugar for up to 5 mins or until it’s three times in volume.
- Using a spatula, fold in flour by thirds; be very gentle with the dough so you don’t over mix it and lose the fluffiness.
- Add cake batter to an oiled baking sheet. 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 dough should not stick to the toothpick.
Mine came out very dense and flat!
Hi Taylor - Sorry to hear that you didn't have a good result. Could there be a chance that you over mixed the batter? This is the prime reason the cake comes out dense and flat. If that's not the case, let me know if there's something else that didn't seem right and I can try and help. Thanks for your feedback.
Same happened to me. I used a stand mixer with the eggs and sugar for 5 min then folded the flour in until it was all incorporated
Thank you at long last a recipe that works and doesn't taste like eggs.It turned out perfect!
Thank you Melody! That is so kind. Really appreciate you taking the time to reach out. 🙂
Good morning!
Quick question, in directions it says beat eggs 15 minutes and in video it was 5.. making this for my sons birthday on Saturday (he LOVES fruit flan) and I have tried a few other recipes with no success. Hopefully this one tastes like he remembers my Omas flan
Thank you 😊
Hi Petra - Thank you for catching that. It should take about 5 minutes. We will update that now and apologies for the confusion!
Hi
I just wanted to know if i could add some vanilla into the sponge cake or will it affect the cake in any way?
Hi Zulfah - It shouldn't affect the cake whatsoever! You should be totally fine. Thanks for reaching out and let us know how your sponge cake turns out!
Would it be possible to usr gluten free flour to make a gf version?
Hi Dee - Unfortunately, we have never tried this recipe with gluten-free flour, so it's hard to say if it will work or not. If you try it and it turns out well, please share which flour you used so we can add it as a Hot Tip in the blog post. 🙂 Good luck!
If someone whant to try this for modeling some multilayering cake with modeling chocolate on top - chose other recepie or at lest give it some time to "sit". My "owl" fell into "book" before I was able to finish it =)
I did it with some buttercream.
It is absolutely delitious and fluffy, so everyone liked it anywhay.
But I didn't whatch the video and beat eggs for 15 minutes as sudgested in description, it looked like meringue, - and it turned out absolutely perfect.
I tried several differect recepies before this one and I always end up with cake that didn't raise or cake that raised only in the middle. And it never ended up so soft and fluffy.
Hi Anna- I'm so glad this sponge cake recipe turned out so well for you! Thank you for commenting.
Hello, my sponge sank in the middle while in the oven. It was certainly cooked and smells scrumptous. Hoping it will taste fabulous.
Faye
Hi Faye- oh, i'm sorry to hear that! Some tips for the future: use room temperature eggs, and make sure to beat them until tripled in volume but not to over-beat as this can also lead to a sunken cake. Also, please make sure not to open the oven door while the cake is baking to prevent the cake from sinking. I hope the cake still tasted delicious!
Hi there I love your recipe but every time I make the sponge cake it sinks after taking out of the oven what do you suggest it’s nice and puffed in the oven and it’s cooked but as soon as I take it out it sinks
Hi Lisa, it's very likely it's not fully baked, that would be the main reason why it would sink in the center. Hope this helps but keep me posted.
Hi! Can I add in strawberry puree for a strawberry cake? And if yes, what amount should it be? Thanks so much!
Hi there- I have not tried adding strawberry puree so I'm not sure. The puree may affect the way the cake turns out since you're adding extra liquid. If you give it a try, let us know how it went!
Thanks so much! I think I'll add some strawberry flavour instead!🤭🤭
Or you can get freeze dried strawberries and turn them to dust in a food processor. I have had good results doing this in other baked goods to get a strong strawberry flavor.
Mmmmmmm that sounds awesome. Thanks for sharing!
or add a bit A flour until it turns to a consistency that is familiar
Hi, I'm hoping this is the cake used in a lot of bakery slab-type layered cakes that has some type of custard with peaches or strawberries in between ... maybe put some type of Grand Marnier or something on the layers.
Hey Elaine! I'm not sure if it is. You would have to give it a try and see how it compares. This sponge cake is the perfect base for many cake recipes though, so I'm sure it could work well with whatever cake or toppings you envision it with! 🙂
Can I bake this in a cupcake pan and how long should I bake it for? Thanks.
Hi Alex- I actually have not tried making sponge cake in cupcake format, so I don't know how it would turn out or how long it would need to bake for. I would recommend using a cupcake recipe instead for guaranteed results- I have this delicious vanilla cupcake recipe on my blog you can try. https://momsdish.com/recipe/4…
I will try this. I already tried your chocolate sponge cake. And it was a bomb! Thank you for this great recipe.
You're welcome, Ronya. Enjoy!
I tried this recipe and it was so delicious and perfect. Please try it. Please !🥺🥺
Glad you loved it, thanks for sharing!
Hi! I’m working with Celsius & fan forced oven.
What is my temp please?
😊🌼
Hi Kellie- 350° converts to 176°C. I haven't made this sponge cake on the convection setting before, so I don't know if you should lower the oven temperature. I'd say reduce the baking time to about 20 minutes and check with a toothpick to see if its ready at that point. What do you normally do when baking in your oven- lower the temp or reduce time? I'd follow that method. Good luck and I hope this helps!
Is it best to use a whisk attachment or regular beater attachment when mixing?
Will this work in one 8 inch round cake pan? I don’t have a 9 inch.
I’m very excited to try this.
Thank you
Hi JJ- I recommend using a 9-12 inch pan, so that the batter doesn't overflow. Also, whisk attachment would be best for this recipe so that your egg/sugar mixture gets as airy as it needs to be. Enjoy!
Can I use cake flour instead of all purpose flour?
Hi Dee - We've never tried it with cake flour and have only used all-purpose flour so I can't guarantee how it would work. My recommendation would be to use all-purpose flour for best results!
I am making this tomorrow, I was going to use two 8” pans. Should I bake them for a little longer?
Hi, Lydia. Yes you can use two 8inch pans, you'll want to adjust the baking time down though. I'd say start checking after 15-20 minutes using a toothpick, I wouldn't want it to over bake since you're splitting it into two pans! Let us know how it turns out.
I have to say, this cake was incredible! I've made it twice recently (the first time I accidentally blended the eggs flour and sugar altogether. Terrible terrible mistake). Made it properly this time and the flavor and texture are both beautiful! I do recommend using parchment paper on the bottom of the pan. It was a great recipe for layers. (I divided two batches into six layers for a rainbow cake and it was fantastic)
Thank you for the feedback, Hannah! Glad you enjoyed the recipe. Feel free to share or tag us in a photo of your final result!
Perfect cake and wonderfully simple! I have a cooking show on YouTube and we will be featuring your recipe when we make a trifle on the next episode! Thank you again for such a great simple recipe!
Randy Sharp
Dinner Party Tonight
YouTube
Hello, Randy. How exciting! Thank you for letting us know so we can tune in and watch it as well! Happy Cooking!
Awesome thnx so much for this easy and simple recipe..nut next time can you cut cake so we can seen what the inside is supposed to look like..appreciated...Yes lets do the chocolate cake TOGETHER!
Hi Dell - That's a great idea! Thanks for the feedback. So happy it worked out for you and you found it easy. Here's to some tasty chocolate cake in our future!
I think the recipe is perfectly written, its not overly descriptive and lengthy.
Hi Peter - Thank you! Appreciate the feedback. How did your cake turn out?
This is a fine cake and turns out just how I want it to, but I am giving 3 stars because the recipe is poorly written. When mixing the eggs, it would be helpful to say what kind of mixer attachment, mixer speed, and approximate time to mix or other indicator rather than "3 times in volume" as that's very subjective. I have gathered that the batter should be at ribbon stage, which I achieve using a whisk attachment at medium speed for 8-10 minutes. Again, great cake, but every time I come back to it, I just wish the recipe were a bit more descriptive.
Hi, if you check out the title “ Tips for The Best Sponge Cake” in the above, you will see the recommended time for beating eggs.
Second tip:
• Beat the eggs with sugar for at least 15 minutes. The texture should be airy, yet stiff.
Hi Katie - Thank you for your feedback. We will take that into account and see where we can improve. Happy that you like the result and the happiest of New Years to you!
It is very easy to make, but I'm not sure about how long to mix the eggs for. I just kept watching it.
Hi Ann - You'll want to beat 5 eggs (no need to separate them) with sugar until it’s three times in volume. This will depend on your specific mixture, so go by volume versus time. Hope this helps!
Hi, will it be okay if mixed by hand? The only flour I have is all purpose flour that is mixed with 25% superfine wholegrain flour, will it work?
Hi Cherry - You can mix it by hand, just make sure not to overmix it as it won't turn out as fluffy. I'm not sure how it will turn out with the superfine whole grain flour, as I've only used all-purpose flour for this recipe. If you try it, let me know how it turns out!
Hi Natalya, I just made the cake and it turned out fine! I used a handheld mixer to whisk the eggs and sugar. Then folded in the flour with a spatula. But I was a little too wary of overmixing so my sponge had teeny tiny random spread specs of flour after cut.
(Tip to share from exp: Use a spatula, not a whisk to fold in flour to break less bubbles. BUT make sure there are no clumps of flour.)
I made this sponge in a 9" springform pan. The sponge was spongy but slightly firm (maybe due to the 25% superfine wholegrain flour in my APF) but yummy nonetheless.
I use a toaster oven, 175°C(350°F) was a bit high and the top got slightly darker than desired.
But it's okay! Cause I meant to cut the cake into 2 smaller rounds (10cm diameter each) and frosted it to make a vertical Yule log for Christmas and it worked. =)
Hi Cherry - Thanks so much for the detailed feedback. I'm so glad this worked out for you - especially with the wholegrain flour. I've never tried that before! Hope you and yours really enjoyed your Christmas Yule Log! Happy holidays!
I only had self raising flour at the time and wanted to try this, it came out perfect.
I noticed that there wasn’t any baking powder or soda in recipe but you used self-ridding flour…. Does this matter?
Hi Mary- you are correct, no baking powder or soda. I actually use All Purpose Flour in this recipe. Hope this helps!
Hi, thank you for taking the time to share that feedback, I'm so glad the results were great!
Do you know if this can be made using gluten free flour? I have successfully used all purpose gluten free flour in several other cake recipes but I haven’t tried a sponge cake. I am hoping to use it for a cannoli cake. Thank you
I use cup4cup GF flour in another sponge recipe very similar to this and it works fine.
Oh awesome! That's great to know, Lynn. Appreciate you sharing and Happy New Year!
Hi Laura - Unfortunately, we've never made sponge cake with gluten-free flour, so I can't say for sure. If you try it, let me know how it turns out. I'm very curious!
Seems easy, will try it today. Thank you
Let me know how it goes, I would love to hear back!
How yo make the perfect cup cake mine always goes flst.
Hi Gladys - Thanks for reaching out! Sorry your sponge cake is turning out flat, but I think I have a good solution for you. They key to making your sponge cake fluffy and moist is to beat the eggs with sugar until the volume increase by 3X. That said, you'll want to make sure you don't overbeat the eggs past this point - it's the main cause of the sponge cake turning out flat! You will know when your eggs are ready when the beaters hold a thick ribbon when removed from the mixing bowl. Hope this helps!
Hi there! Would this sponge cake recipe work in mini cup cake tins?
Hey Aana, yes but you will need to bake it for a much shorter time. Enjoy
I followed the recipe but used cake flour and did everything as indicated and my cake flopped in the oven. No, I did not open the oven door. I’m completely puzzled. It was too good to be true
Hi Elyse – So sorry to hear that happened to you! I think where it went wrong is the use of cake flour. We use all-purpose flour for this recipe because it has a higher protein content and is denser in texture. Cake flour is finely milled and more delicate. When used in this recipe, it will cause the cake to collapse and lose it’s fluffiness. Additionally, make sure you don’t overmix the batter, as this will cause the cake to collapse no matter which flour you use. Hope this helps you nail it the second time around!