Everyone needs a trusted sponge cake recipe, and with the help of one – typically vanilla – base recipe it is easy to make plenty of other versions such as chocolate cake, walnut cake, coconut cake, etc. This tall sponge cake recipe is somewhere in between traditional sponge and chiffon, yet has the benefit of both and can be the perfect base for your favorite layered cakes. If you want an airy, tall, delicious, fluffy, tender yet stable sponge cake recipe that is easy to frost for your layered cakes, you found it, look no further! This is hands down the best sponge cake recipe that you will ever make!
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Why this is the best recipe
This is a professional sponge cake recipe that is explained step-by-step and adopted to a home kitchen environment. It is in fact a rathe simple sponge cake, however it is worth to read the entire recipes and follow the technique.
The most important factors to bake a neat super moist sponge cake
- Using the right ingredients on the right temperature eg. low protein content flour, room temperature egg, milk etc.
- Using the right equipment, eg. a cake pan with straight side and cake pan strip
- Learning the right technique, eg. how to whip egg white into merigue without overwhipping
In this recipe I cover all the necessary information about the ingredients and technique you probably haven´t read anywhere else, so your sponge cake will turn out exactly like mine!
Ingredient notes
- Oil: No butter, but oil! The biggest disappointment I often have with traditional butter-based sponge cakes is that they tend to firm up in the fridge and I like my cake soft and tender. The oil not only adds moisture to the cake, but it coats the flour which prevents gluten formation therefore the cake will get super tender even straight out of the fridge. Having said that, where the structure is the priority, like in the case of a huge wedding cake, perhaps butter is a better option. Other than that, I tend to choose oil-based sponge whenever the cake needs to be refrigerated. Use good quality vegetable oil that has no or just very mild taste
- Sugar: Superfine sugar is the most appropriate choice especially at the stage when beating egg white into the meringue, however, granulated white sugar can work fine too. If you want to learn about the different types of sugar and how to use them in baking, please read my article in here
- Egg: The majority of the sponge cake recipes call for beating whole eggs with sugar, however for the fluffiest sponge-like result I do recommend beating the egg white separately into a meringue-like texture then gently folding it into the mixture. Eggs must be at room temperature
- Flour: All-purpose flour or cake flour makes the best cakes. They are so-called “soft flour” which are low on protein resulting in a delicate, tender texture. If you want to be a Pro when it comes to deciding what type of flour to use in your baking, please read my article in here
- Baking powder / soda: Actually none of these! Believe me, if you beat your egg yolk for min. 8-10 minutes until very pale and fluffy, in the meantime beat your egg white separately until shiny, easrly stiff peaks, there is no need for an extra rising agent in the recipe. It won’t get grainy, it won’t get heavy, in fact, it will rise more evenly and definitely won’t crack on the top. The air that you beat into the egg is the actual rising agent
- Milk: Use milk at room temp, I prefer whole milk
Equipment notes
1. Cake pan
There are 3 key considerations when choosing the right cake pan: size, side, material.
Regarding the size, I am using a rather small (15 cm=6 inch) diameter but tall (7 cm=3 inch) cake pan which is enough to make a tall sponge cake for a 2 or 3 layered cake and size-wise more than enough for a family. The side of the cake pan must be absolutely straight in order to bake a neat, straight sponge. In regards to the material, I recommend stainless steel or aluminum, however, the cake pan preparation is very important in case of both, see my tips further down.
Can I make this sponge cake in a smaller pan? Yes, you can but you will need to adjust the quantity as well as baking time (decrease)
Can I make this sponge cake in a bigger pan? Theoretically yes you can, but since it is a very tall sponge cake, the larger the pan the bigger the risk that it won´t bake properly plus you will need to increase the quantity of the ingredients as well as the baking time. If want to make a larger size sponge cake eg. 8 inch + 20cm I suggest you bake 2 cakes instead
2. Cake pan strip
How to bake Sponge cake that does not dome: Use a cake pan strip!
Cake pan strip is one of the biggest hacks in baking, I came across them a few years ago and it works like charm. Why use it? Read what Wilton has to say about their cake strips, could not agree more!
“Say goodbye to high-rise centers, cracked tops, and over-cooked cake edges. Just dampen Bake Even strips and wrap around the pan before baking. The moisture in the strips keeps the edges of the pan cooler for perfectly level and deliciously moist cakes—every time!”
I recommend either purchasing the Wilton cake strips or making your own using a paper towel packed into kitchen foil. I dump the homemade strip into the water the same way as Wilton explains and it works just fine. The key thing is to use some sort of cooling the edge method in order to avoid high-rise centers.
On a side note, I actually like it if the sponge cake edge caramelizes a tiny bit, so I usually remove the strip ¾ of the baking time, but you really don’t have to and strictly do not open the oven door before ¾ of the baking time.
5 Expert tips
1. Step-by-step process
First and foremost make sure you prepare all the ingredients and bring them to room temperature, also prepare the tools such as 15 cm (6 inch) round cake pan, Rubber spatula, Wilton cake strip (if using). You will also have to preheat your oven at least 15-20 minutes ahead.
You will manage to bake a 15 cm (6 inch) wide, 7 cm (3 inch) tall sponge cake with the help of 3 eggs and using the right technique:
- Beat together egg yolk, vanilla extract, and half of the sugar (75 g) for at least 8 minutes until very pale, creamy, and fluffy
- Beat in the rest of the wet ingredients; oil and milk (room temperature) just untul combined
- Whip egg whites starting on low speed on your Stand mixer while adding the rest of the sugar (75 g), one tablespoon at a time. Increase the speed and whip for about 5-8 minutes until stiff and glossy and the sugar completely dissolves. The meringue texture should be sort of early stiff peaks but do not overbeat into super hard meringue as that is a difficult texture to fold with the rest of the ingredients
- While the mixer is on preparing the meringue, sift the cake flour into the egg yolk mixture, then gently fold it in with a Rubber spatula just until combined, do not overmix. This mixture can get somewhat thick and can easily dry out, so do not make it ahead
- With the help of a Rubber spatula gently fold the egg whites into the flour egg yolk sugar mixture. Since the flour mixture is quite thick it's worth first to loosen it up by ¼ of the whipped egg white mixture, then very gently fold the rest of the egg white in
- Pour the batter into the prepared 15 cm (6 inch) round cake pan
- Bake for approx. 60 minutes at 170C / 338F (no fan). Do not open the oven door in the first 45 minutes
- Flip the sponge cake upside down and let it completely cool on a Cooling rack
This sponge will be rather tall so can be used either as a 2 tier or 3 tier cake.
2. How to easily release sponge cake from cake pan
The right cake pan preparation depends on the type of cake and/or pan and with this type of sponge cake and cake pan, I use the following: with the help of a pastry brush, brush the inside of the cake pan with a tiny bit of oil then use parchment paper on the bottom and side as well. The oil is only needed for the parchment to stick to the pan. What I love about this pan preparation is that even though it is a rather tall sponge cake, with the help of parchment paper it is always incredibly easy to release the cake from the pan. Make sure you do the cake pan preparation before starting to mix the ingredients!
3. How to bake
Two considerations regarding oven temperature:
First one is the temperature on paper, if it’s too low, it won't bake especially this rather tall type sponge however if the oven temperature is too high, the sponge will rise too fast resulting in cracks on the top. I find the ideal oven temperature is 170C / 338F (no fan!) for this recipe in my oven, but you will have to test it in your own oven. Neverless, for tall cakes it is usually recommended to bake it on lower temperature for longer so it bakes throughout.
The second consideration is your REAL oven temperature, what do I mean on that? Check my oven for example:
16C / 60F difference is huge (and not unusual for non-professional ovens), it results in an increasing baking time of an extra 10-15 minutes. I can not highlight enough how important to get to know your own oven and purchase an inexpensive digital oven thermometer that certainly will increase the chances to become a more successful home baker.
4. How to further prevent Sponge cake from doming and cracking on top
Sponge cake doming and cracking is mainly the consequence of 1. too high baking temp, 2. the side of the cake heating up too quickly, 3. too small baking pan, 4. inappropriate ingredient quantities and rations in the recipe
Some tips to avoid sponge cake doming and cracking:
- Make sure you get to know your oven and fully aware of its temperature, purchase an inexpensive digital oven thermometer
- Always use the right size baking tin (for this recipe a 15 cm (6 inch) round cake pan) Having too much cake butter in a too small baking means your cake "does not fit" into the tin and can cause doming and cracking
- Consider using the Wilton cake strips or making your own using a paper towel packed into kitchen foil, this will ensure that the side of the cake won´t heat up too quickly
- Baking is science and the ingredients must be measured properly with the help of a Digital scale. Cup measurement is greatly inaccurate and a little bit too much of this, not enough of that can cause inbalance in the ingredient ratios result in all sorts of baking issues
- My recipe does not state rising agent like baking powder because the eggs will be supporting the rise of the sponge however too much rising agent eg. baking powder can also cause the cake too quickly to rise and crack
- Last but not least, sponge cake is very sensitive to temperature change, please make sure you do not open the oven door during baking as oven temperature fluctuation can also cause issues on the cake
5. How to prevent Sponge cake from collapsing after baked
You have to make sure that the Sponge cake is well baked before taking it out of the oven as under-baked sponge will collapse on room temperature.
How to check whether the sponge is ready baked?
1. Check whether toothpick inserted into the middle of the cake comes out clean
2. Check whether the sides of the cake starting to pull away from the pan
3. Gently press the top of the cake, if the sponge springs back, it's done
Pro Tip: You should cool this sponge cake upside down just like an Angel Food cake (my recipe in here)! Until the cake is completely cooled, its structure hasn’t set fully. Flipping it upside down ensures that it doesn’t collapse during the cooling process. Once completely cooled, it should easily pop out of the cake tin if you have done the cake pan preparation correctly.
How to use
This sponge cake is moist, fluffy, very spongy and can be the perfect base for your layered cakes! Use it either fresh the same day or cover in plastic foil and use it within a few days. This sponge cake can be also frozen and used after defrosted like you would normally do.
The sponge can be cut horizontally into 2 or 3 depending on the cake you wish to make. I suggest you use a measuring tape and mark the side of the sponge with the help of the knife in order to cut it evenly.:
Check out my Victoria sponge cake recipe, a stunning yet easy strawberry cake that is made using this sponge cake or use it for your favorite layered cakes!
Recipe FAQs
Yes, you can, however, you will need to adjust the ingredient quantities and baking time accordingly. Having said that, the larger the cake the riskier that it won´t bake throughout, so you have to pay extra attention to the correct oven temperature and apply the toothpick check
The side of the cake pan must be absolutely straight in order to bake a neat, straight sponge and I suggest to apply the parchment paper preparation technique. Since this is a rather runny cake batter springform pan might not be the most appropiate one to use
Most probably yes, you can, however, you can´t just leave out / change an ingredient without reformulating the entire recipe. When one ingredient changes, some other ingredients need to be changed too in order to keep the balance in the texture and flavor. Sadly, I am not able to provide substitutes for all sorts of allergies and diets.
Cake flour due to its lower protein content makes the best cakes. Alternatively, use low protein content all purpose flour
Not very likely since the rise of the cake is only supported by the eggs. Having said that, you might be able to bake some sort of sponge like cake without egg, but not this one and I am not able to help with that
This is a super moist cake due to the oil and high ratio of wet ingredients, and very difficult to mess it up.
A few reasons can cause dry, crumbly texture on your cake 1. ingredients not measured correctly eg. too much flour added to the mixture 2. inappropriate mixing technique eg. over mixed cake batter 3. over baked, meaning it dried out too much. Consider investing into an inexpensive Digital oven thermometer to be able to measure the correct oven temperature and please make sure to use a Digital scale during baking, cups are not an accurate way of measuring for consistent results.
Probably the cake would have needed more baking time. Either, it was taken out of the oven too soon, or perhaps your oven is under heat. Consider investing into an inexpensive Digital oven thermometer if you tend to struggle with the baking part of your desserts.
Another issue that can cause raw texture is measuring the ingredients inappropriately eg. adding less flour to the recipe. Consider using a Digital scale
Once the sponge cake is baked, let it completely cool before using it to make any layered cake. If you do not need it immediately, cover the it with foil and store it for 2-3 days in the fridge
You can easily freeze the sponges after baking, cover it in foil and bring it to room temperature when you need it
RECIPE CARD
Tall & Moist Sponge cake
Equipment
Ingredients
- 3 Eggs room temperature yolk and white separately
- 150 g Granulated sugar
- 2 Teaspoon Vanilla extract pure
- 100 g Whole milk room temperature
- 80 g Vegetable oil
- 190 g Pastry flour AP works too
US customary cup measurement is an indicative figure only. Measure the ingredients with a digital scale by weight (gram). Baking is art but also science which requires precision and accuracy.
Instructions
- Pre-heat oven to 170 C / 338 F and bring all ingredients to room temp
- Prepare a 15 cm (6 inch) round cake pan with parchment paper inside and cake strip around
- Beat together egg yolk, vanilla extract and half of the sugar (75 g) for at least 5 minutes until very pale, creamy and fluffy
- Beat in the rest of the wet ingredients; oil and milk
- Sift in flour then gently fold it in with a Rubber spatula just until combined, do not overmix
- Whip egg whites starting on low speed on your Stand mixer while adding the rest of the sugar (75 g), one tablespoon at a time. Increase the speed and whip for about 5-8 minutes until stiff and glossy and the sugar completely dissolves
- With the help of a Rubber spatula gently fold egg whites into the flour egg yolk mixture. Since the flour mixture is quite thick it's worth first to loosen it up by ¼ of the whipped egg white mixture then very gently fold the rest of the egg white in
- Pour the batter into the prepared 15 cm (6 inch) round cake pan
- Bake for approx. 60 minutes or until toothpick inserted comes out clean. Do not open the oven door in the first 45 minutes
- Flip the sponge cake upside down and let it completely cool on a Cooling rack
- Use according to cake recipe. This sponge will be rather tall so can be used either as a 2 tier or 3 tier cake
Hannah Baker
I’m part of an instagram baking group started by this wonderful lady, and I thought I’d give one of her recipes a go, and let me tell you, this recipe is great! The sponge is super light and soft and rises great, you really don’t need self raising flour. The baking guide is amazing, even reading it as a fairly experienced baker it was useful, so if you’re new to baking definitely read that; the cake strips have changed my life.
admin
Thanks so much for your feedback I am so happy you find my recipe nice and useful at the same time!
Ruth Collins
Hi,
Thank you for the recipe I'm dying to try it 😋
Before I start could I ask two questions. What egg size do you use? And is the oven temperature for a fan assisted oven or should I make an adjustment?
Eagerly awaiting a reply
admin
hey, egg is standard medium size around 50-55g. Oven temp is always without fan in my recipes unless otherwise stated:) Good luck and pls let me know how it goes!
Katy
Great recipe! If I was to substitute the oil for butter for a more firm cake, how much would I need? 🙂
admin
Thanks for your comment. Substituting always means complete reformulation, I can`t give you a simple figure:) If you want butter based sponge pls check my rainbow cake and use that recipe leaving out the colouring.
Sharon
My plain flour is 9% protein - do you think it would be as good as the pastry flour?
admin
Yes that should be fine, have you seen my article about the different kinds of flour? I have a useful summary table in there 🙂 https://www.spatuladesserts.com/the-different-types-of-flour-and-how-to-use-them-in-baking/
Hazel Millar
Hello. I’d love to try your sponge but I only have 7” tins. How would you upscale from 6” to 7” ingredients wise? Thanks.
admin
Honestly, I think it is easier to do the same recipe and accept that it will be not that tall. You can of course always try to increase all the ingredients by 20% and see but baking it in a bigger pan will require longer baking time and increases the risk that the middle won't bake. Just make sure you follow the ratios in the recipe and you should be fine 🙂
Debbie
I made this cake and it is delicious
I have never made any cake without butter and this is the best cake ever
admin
So happy to hear that you liked my sponge cake. Baking with oil is so easy and the best thing is that the cake stays moist and soft even straight out of the fridge:)
Menti
I was skeptical about trying this recipe because I wanted to add cocoa powder too. But it worked! My Grandma said this is the most even cake she ever saw,best textured cake with a balanced taste of all the ingredients. I couldn't agree more.
admin
Kisses to your Grandma, thanks for your feedback:)!
Rabbatul bait
Just the recipe I was in search of!! Thank you so much. Super soft, spongy and moist cake. Will surely try some of your other recipea.
admin
Thanks a lot for your kind feedback, can't wait to see you making some of my other recipes too!
Christina
The sponge cake came out tall, light, soft and moist. I used the sponge cake to make strawberries and cream cake and it was a crowd pleaser. The recipe is very easy to follow and I’ll definitely be using this recipe again!
Juanita
Can I do this recipe using a 20 x 30cm tin? Perhaps double the recipe?
admin
I would not bake it in such a huge baking pan, I image the sponge might collapse or takes forever to bake. If you do not own a tin I used but larger ones, I suggest to double the recipe and use 2 baking pans
Bashir
I baked this cake today and unfortunately it’s come out dense and looks raw from the center when cut in half.
I followed the recipe as written. The only thing I wasn’t sure about was beating in the liquids to the yolk mix.
I poured the liquids down the side of the bowl with the mixer running.
Should I have done it by hand? I didn’t open the oven until the cake started coming away from the sides, about 65 minutes.
The whites were whisked until stiff and flour was sifted and folded gently by hand. I used plain/all purpose flour with protein % of 9.1.
admin
Hey, sorry this did not turn out well for you. There can be a couple of issues I can think of
- ingredients were measured incorrectly, perhaps too much wet ingredients
- inappropriate folding technique
- underbaked due to incorrect oven temperature, I think this is the most likely one
- perhaps you used a larger tin and doubled the recipe? This is a very delicate sponge and I would not recommend to make bigger size than the one in the recipe. Anything bigger than 15cm would require a totally different baking time etc
Theresa
Hello! I unfortunately do not have pastry flour, is it okay to use AP flour for this recipe?
Thank you
admin
Please check the protein content of the flours in the supermarket and use one that is closest to the recommended pastry flour. This article might helps
https://www.spatuladesserts.com/the-different-types-of-flour-and-how-to-use-them-in-baking/
Oyedele Titilayo
Hi, pls what other type of milk can i use other than whole milk? maybe evaporated full cream milk?. i'm from Nigeria. Thanks so much.
admin
Hey, I am not aware of your available options in Nigeria, sorry. I never used evaporated milk, not even sure what is that (only seen in American recipes). My best bet is to use the type of milk you would anyway use making cakes or cupcakes.
Mae
I always wanted to have a sponge cake that get tall and soft , and off course flat on top , and this time it was exactly what I wanted always , a very soft , moist and tasty sponge cake.
Darval Barton
Yum
Toyin Omotayo
No baking powder added...
admin
yes and I explain the why in great details 🙂
Stephanie
Is the oven temperature for conventional oven or convection oven? thank you
admin
All my recipes are made without fan unless otherwise stated
Saja
The recipe was crisp n clear n too detailed in such a way that all sorts of basic errors while baking could be avoided.
The cake really came out well as i followed those instruction. Thanks for sharing the recipe at this detailed level.😊❣
Fatima
Fluffy sponge . Easy to make if you follow the instructions. Thank you for your work xx
Sham A
Looks promising, I am looking forward to trying this, is there a recipe for the cream filling etc as in the picture pls?
admin
You can search for my Victoria sponge cake if want to make that recipe, also there is a link in the sponge cake recipe for that:)
Manny
Just wanted to confirm is 3 eggs? In the picture I see 2 egg yolks. Are these about 59 grams eggs with shell? And bake the cake at the middle rack?
Lena
This was the perfect recipe to make a tiramisu tiered cake. I doubled the recipe and did 2 pans of 10in square cake pans (i shouldve just did 1 pan and put it all together which would make it fluff up more) and i did a letter cake with it so it was perfect to cut out the letter and it tasted perfect as a tiramisu cake. I also did a 6in sponge cake (one recipe) so i put the batter in 2 pans - of 6in x 2in with the parchment paper going up and it was perfect! The fluff came up !! And i made that with regular whipped cream and strawberries. I will def keep using this sponge cake recipe from now one!
Janet Smithers
Hi.. how would I adjust for a chocolate cake? Thank you
admin
You can replace some part of the flour with cocoa powder, I will make one chocolate version soon on the blog 🙂
JD
I’ve made a few sponge cakes over the years and the one where you let it cool upside down is what I e always done, but it always specifies not greasing the bottom because it will most likely fall out. How could you line it with parchment and not expect it to fall out when turning it upside down?
admin
it is fine if it falls down, the important part that it should be upside down while set:)
Mama Mia
I agree with JD about not greasing the pans for sponge cake where you cool the cake inverted. I had baked sponges only using loose bottom pans without lining the pans .
Also I like to share this . I always bake sponges on the lowest rack of oven at 150 deg C on fan & it works fine.
Kata
Each cake pan and recipe (ratio) requires a different technique. The safest option for most people is always to use parchment paper, and that is why I recommend that.
Latifa
I tried to bake this cake today but failed. It came out a bit gummy. At first I thought it was underbaked but it wasn’t. How can I fix this? I measured everything by a digital scale and it was all room temperature. I folded everything in gently.
admin
Hey, sounds under baked to me, or perhaps your technique needs to be improved or the oven temp was fluctuating.
Penguine+(rumana)
Superb cake outta oven 🤩😘
Jacqui
Hi hi
I love sponge cakes.
I have a 6inch round pan that is 4inch deep.
Should I grease the sides or use a parchment paper like you did?
Thank you.
admin
I suggest you follow the recipe incl. the baking pan preparation 🙂
Jacqui
Hi
I just got my new 6 inch pan, 4 inch deep Fat Daddios Andonized pans.
I was advised to bake them 25F lower. (Low and slow). Do you know if I should also bake them for an hour?
Would you have some experience with these pans?
Thanks
admin
Hey, I don´t have experience with that baking pan but 25F is not not much. I would not worry about it too much if you measure the ingredients, follow the technique explained in the recipe and make sure to use an oven thermometer, it should turn out well:)
ramesh
Thanks For Sharing this amazing recipe. My family loved it. I will be sharing this recipe with my friends. Hope the will like it.
SueEvaM
Lovely cake, however it was quite domed when I took it out of the oven- I’m guessing it shouldn’t be? What did I do wrong?
Kata
Hey, did you use the "cooling the edge" method with the cake pan strip - as explained in the recipe? If yes, then I imagine temp was too high or tin too small.
Sue MALLINDER
Hi Kata, I did use the cooling strips (home made with foil and wet paper towels), so I tried it again with the oven temperature at 160 instead and it worked a treat !! I have a fan oven and I think the temperature is not completely accurate so thanks for the tip. Had lots of compliments on how light and moist the cake was. It will be my go to recipe from now on.
Kata
very happy to hear:)
Viviane
Hi Katalin,
I made your cake and it was divine! My husband and toddler almost ate the whole thing in one sitting 😅. Now I have a question, can I add chocolate to this to make a chocolate cake? If yes what kind? Thank you 😊
Jenn
Hey, I really like this recipe, but could I add to the batter some sprinkles or it would ruin the cake??
Kata
Sorry hard to say I haven´t tried. Since it is a rather runny cake batter, it might all go down to the bottom.
louise kirby
Hello there,
I haven't baked this yet, but the depth of info you have given is fab. I have been looking for tall sponge cake recipe. Can you tell me how to make this a chocolate cake, I wanted to make a tall sticky chocolate cake but can't find a recipe that gives the right quantities for this size tin.
Thank you for the helpful info
Kata
Hey this can be turned into a chocolate cake by replacing some part of the flour with cocoa powder, however, it won´t be sticky, more like fluffy. Pls check my German chocolate cake recipe for a super moist sticky chocolate sponge cake.