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–+ servings
a slice cut out of the cake.
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5 from 6 votes

Simple Cake Recipe (Sponge Cake)

A simple cake recipe for beginners and professionals, this sponge cake is easy to make and the best. It is moist, light, fluffy, soft and just perfect! Let me show you how to make sponge cake from scratch.
Prep Time25 minutes
Cook Time25 minutes
Total Time50 minutes
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American, Australian, British, International
Keyword: how to make sponge cake, simple cake recipe, simple sponge cake recipe, sponge cake, sponge cake recipe
Servings: 10
Calories: 197kcal
Author: Kemi

Equipment

  • 8 inch round cake pan
  • Mixing bowl
  • Electric hand mixer
  • Spatula
  • Cooling rack
  • Cake tester or skewer

Ingredients

  • 125 g Flour Self raising flour ( If using All purpose flour also known as plain flour check notes below.)
  • ⅛ teaspoon Baking powder
  • 125 g Butter
  • 125 g Sugar Caster or Granulated sugar
  • 2 Eggs
  • ½ teaspoon Vanilla extract
Metric - US customary

Instructions

  • Rub the inside of the baking pan with some butter and line with parchment paper. Set aside.
  • Add baking powder to the flour and sift. Set aside.
  • Preheat the oven at a temperature of 180C/360F (160C fan).
  • Add butter and sugar into a mixing bowl and mix with an electric mixer for 15 minutes or until it's pale in color. 
  • Break the eggs one at a time into the butter-sugar mixture and whisk until the mixture comes together. 
  • Add the sifted flour into the wet mixture and mix with a spatula till well combined then use the mixer to mix for about 30 seconds to smoothen the batter. 
  • Pour the cake batter into the butter/parchment paper lined cake tin. 
    Place the cake tin in the middle rack of the oven and bake at a temperature of 180C/360F (160C fan) for 25-30 minutes. 
    Test for doneness after 25 minutes. If the cake tester or skewer dipped in the middle of the cake comes out clean, then it is ready.
  • When the cake is cooked, bring it out of the oven and leave it to cool in the pan for 5 minutes before turning it on to a cooling rack. 
  • When it is completely cooled, cut and serve or proceed to decorate the cake.

Notes

  • If using all purpose flour (plain flour), add additional 1 teaspoon of baking powder.
  • You can double the ingredients, and bake in two 8 inch cake pans.
  • Choose and use a mixing bowl that is deep enough to prevent splatter during the mixing of the cake batter.
  • Use caster sugar as the first choice of sugar for sponge cake and if not available, granulated sugar works fine too.
  • Cream the butter and sugar for at least 10 - 15 minutes before adding the eggs. The creaming process is one of the determinants of how fluffy the cake comes out.
  • You can use any type of flavoring you desire from vanilla extract to strawberry, lemon, and others.
  • Butter the cake pan before lining with parchment paper so it's easy to remove the cake from the pan after baking.
  • Bake cake on the middle rack of the oven as this is the best place for even heat distribution.
  • Don't bake for too long to avoid dry cake. Check the cake for doneness after 25 minutes.
  • The cake should come out cleanly if you follow the above tip however if the cake is stuck to the pan, use a flat to loosen the edges before turning it onto the cooling rack.
  • If you'll be icing the cake, make sure it's well cooled before covering with icing and decorating it.

Nutrition

Calories: 197kcal | Carbohydrates: 22g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 11g | Saturated Fat: 7g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 60mg | Sodium: 107mg | Potassium: 29mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 13g | Vitamin A: 360IU | Calcium: 13mg | Iron: 1mg