Vanilla Sponge Cake

The Light, Airy & Versatile Foundation for Endless Desserts

A true vanilla sponge cake is soft, fluffy, and delicately flavored, with a fine crumb that soaks up syrups and holds up to frosting. It’s the perfect base for layer cakes, trifles, or simply enjoying with berries and cream.

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🍰 The Perfect Recipe (Classic Genoise-Style)

Prep Time: 20 mins | Bake Time: 25-30 mins | Servings: 8-10 (Two 8-inch layers)

Ingredients

Dry Ingredients:

• 1 ½ cups (190g) cake flour (or all-purpose flour + 2 tbsp cornstarch, sifted together)
• 1 ½ tsp baking powder
• ¼ tsp salt

Wet Ingredients:

• 4 large eggs, room temperature
• 1 cup (200g) granulated sugar
• 2 tsp pure vanilla extract (or 1 tsp vanilla bean paste)
• ¼ cup (60ml) whole milk, room temperature
• ¼ cup (½ stick / 57g) unsalted butter, melted and cooled

Optional Soaking Syrup:

• ¼ cup sugar + ¼ cup water, simmered until dissolved + 1 tsp vanilla

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👨‍🍳 Step-by-Step Instructions

1. Prep:

• Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease, line with parchment, and flour two 8-inch round cake pans.
• Sift together flour, baking powder, and salt twice. Set aside.

2. Whip Eggs & Sugar (The Key to Fluffiness):

• In a stand mixer with whisk attachment, combine eggs and sugar.
• Whisk on high speed for 5-7 minutes until the mixture is very pale, thick, and tripled in volume. When you lift the whisk, it should leave a ribbon trail that holds for 3 seconds.
• Beat in vanilla.

3. Fold in Dry Ingredients:

• Sift ⅓ of the flour mixture over the egg foam. Gently fold with a spatula using a figure-8 motion until just combined. Repeat twice more until no dry streaks remain.

4. Incorporate Butter & Milk:

• In a small bowl, mix melted butter and milk.
• Take 1 cup of the batter and whisk it into the butter-milk mixture (this tempers it and prevents deflation).
• Gently fold this mixture back into the main batter until just combined.

5. Bake:

• Divide batter evenly between prepared pans. Smooth tops.
• Bake for 25-30 minutes until cakes are golden, spring back when touched, and a toothpick inserted comes out clean.
• Do not open the oven before 20 minutes to prevent collapsing.

6. Cool:

• Let cakes cool in pans for 10 minutes. Run a knife around edges, invert onto a wire rack, and peel off parchment.
• Cool completely before frosting or filling.

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🌟 Pro-Tips for a Perfect Sponge

1. Room Temperature Eggs: Cold eggs won’t whip to full volume.
2. Don’t Overmix: Fold gently to keep air in the batter.
3. Weigh Ingredients: For precision, use grams (especially flour).
4. Cool Upside Down: For extra flat layers, cool cakes upside down on a wire rack.
5. Flour Substitution: Cake flour gives the softest crumb. If using AP flour, replace 2 tbsp per cup with cornstarch.