A good sponge cake is a must-have recipe on hand for every baker. It's often the base for many dessert variations from vanilla to chocolate and everything in between. This recipe is simple and easy with 10 minutes to prep and 30 minutes to bake.

Table of Content
This has got to be one of the first cakes I learned with mom as a kid. And I make it so often because it is so simple and the taste is amazing. My kids love it.
Why make this sponge cake?
- The batter is a classic batter made with butter, white sugar, and flour using the creaming method. A surprisingly simple and easy recipe to make from scratch from start to finish.
- And to keep it classic, I've paired this is my vanilla buttercream frosting. Having said that, there are so many other choices for the frosting you can use for this cake, such as:
- Timeline and process for this cake.
- Prep and bake the cake - (40 mins)
- Prepare frosting and simple syrup (10 minutes)
- Crumb coat cake (15 mins)
- Frost the cake (20 mins)
- Final smoothing (10 mins)

Ingredients and substitutes
- All-purpose flour - Yes, regular all-purpose flour works great. No need for special cake flour. And if you have only self-raising flour on hand, use it but reduce the baking powder by half.
- Unsalted butter - I always use unsalted so I can control the amount of salt. And yet, if salted butter is all you have, use it and omit salt in the recipe.
- Sugar - I'm using white sugar so I can have a white cake. It's always best to use fine-grain white sugar, so it dissolves easily in the butter.
- Vanilla - A good quality vanilla will make a huge difference in anything you make. You can use vanilla extract, bean paste or sugar.

Best sponge cake recipe
Cake
- Preheat the oven to 325°F/165°C/Gas Mark 3
- Grease and line 3 x 7-inch round cake pans or 2 x 8-inch round cake pan with parchment paper.
Pro tip - You can also make 4 x 6-inch round cakes for a tall cake.

- Dry ingredients - Vanilla cake - Sift flour with baking powder and salt. And set aside. Chocolate cake - Sift flour with baking powder, baking soda, cocoa powder, and salt. And set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, on medium-high speed, cream butter and sugar until you get a light and fluffy texture.
Pro tip - We want to add some volume in the batter and dissolve the sugar completely, so make sure to cream well. - Next, add large eggs, one at a time. Followed by the vanilla extract.
Pro tip - Ensure the eggs are at room temperature or the batter will curdle. If that happens, just add a tablespoon or two of flour and combine well. - Then, add the flour mixture and milk alternating in three batches. And combine on low speed.
Pro tip - Since whipping cream is thick the batter looks a bit stiffer than regular vanilla cake. But the cream will melt in the oven, so don't add any more milk. - Scrape the sides of the bowl, and ensure you have a smooth batter. Then, divide the batter between the prepared baking pans.
Pro tip - Use an offset spatula to spread the batter evenly in the baking pan so it bakes evenly.

- Bake for about 25 to 30 minutes, in the center of the oven, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
Pro tip - I like to use cake strips to ensure my layer cakes bake flat. - Then, cool in the pan for 10 minutes then invert on a cooling rack (wire rack) and cool completely. Always cool cakes completely before you decorate or store them away.
Pro tip - Wrap in plastic wrap and place in the freezer for an hour. This will make fewer crumbs when torting and leveling the cake.

Vanilla buttercream
- In a stand mixer with a paddle the attachment, cream butter with salt for a minute. Then, gradually add the powdered sugar and vanilla extract.
- Once all the powdered sugar is in - gradually add the whipping cream. Continue to whip until you have a light and fluffy whipped cream consistency ( 2 to 3 minutes).
Pro tip - If you do not whip the consistency will be very soft. The whipping will add volume to the buttercream making it light and fluffy.

Assemble
- Prepare simple syrup - cool completely before using.
Pro tip - Simple syrup is just sugar water that has been boiled and cooled. Used to keep cake layers moist. - Then, using a bread knife (serrated knife) or cake leveler, cut the domes off the cake layers. Next, cut each layer in half horizontally giving you a total of four layers. Brush each layer with the cooled simple syrup.
- Place a cake layer on the cake board or cake stand.
Pro tip - If you plan to move the cake again, it is best to use a cake circle under the cake, so you can pick the cake with its base and without any accidents. - Filling - Top with a big dollop of the buttercream – spread evenly with a straight-edged rubber spatula.
- Top the second cake layer on top followed by more frosting until you have used up all the layers.
Pro tip - It is best to lift individual cake layers on pieces of clean cardboard or cake lifter so you do not break them from table to cake. - Next, place the cake in the fridge for 15 minutes so the layers hold together.
Pro tip - Chilling the cake at this point will ensure the layers don't move when you frost the outside. Though, if you leave the cake uncovered in the fridge for too long it can dry out. So, 10 minutes is all you need. - Frosting - Next, spread the remaining frosting on top and around the cake.
Pro tip - A straight-edge spatula for the top, an off-set spatula, and a bench scraper for the sides work better. - Final touches - You can place the remaining frosting in a piping bag with a star or round piping tip and pipe a border or swirls on top.

Variations
- Lemon sponge cake
- replace 2 tablespoon milk with lemon juice.
- Add ¼ teaspoon lemon extract along with the vanilla extract.
- Adding 2 drops of lemon yellow food color is optional
- Orange sponge cake
- replace the milk with orange juice
- Add ¼ teaspoon orange extract along with the vanilla extract
- Adding 2 drops of orange food color is optional
- Strawberry sponge cake
- replace the milk with reduced strawberry puree (pulsed in the food processor)
- Add ¼ teaspoon strawberry extract with the vanilla extract
- Adding 2 drops of pink food color is optional

Ways to serve sponge cake
I like to add a few tbsps. of simple syrup or fruit juice on my sponge cake to give it a bit more moisture.
Strawberry cream cake – Filled with strawberry jam and decorated with whipped cream and strawberries.
Victoria sponge cake – Jam filling and frosted with vanilla buttercream.
Vanilla custard cake – Custard filling and frosted with vanilla buttercream.
Lemon sponge cake – Lemon curd filling and frosted with lemon flavor buttercream.
Orange sponge cake - Orange curd filling with Orange Swiss meringue buttercream.
Chocolate Mousse Cake – Chocolate mousse filling and frosted with chocolate buttercream.
Chocolate Ganache – Filled and frosted with Chocolate Ganache.
I hope you enjoy this recipe.

More cake recipes
- One Vanilla Cake Recipe Many Different Flavors
- One Bowl Vanilla Cake, One Bowl Chocolate Cake
- Mom's Vanilla Cake Recipe, 8-nch BEST Chocolate Cake EVER!
- Vanilla Birthday Cake, Homemade Chocolate Birthday Cake
- Microwave Vanilla Mug Cake, Chocolate Fudge Mug Cake
- See all vanilla cakes or see all layer cakes
Frequently asked questions
If properly stored, this cafe latte cake will last for 2 to 3 days at room temperature. It can be kept in the fridge for up to 5 or 6 days.
No, this recipe works best with eggs but you can use my Eggless Vanilla Cake or Eggless Chocolate Cake to make a birthday cake.
If you don't want to make a layer cake like this, you can make this into a sheet cake - a 'Vanilla Sheet Cake'.
You can also pour the batter into a well-greased and dusted bundt pan for a 'Vanilla Bundt Cake'.
This recipe can also be baked into 24 beautiful cupcakes
Printable Recipe
Sponge Cake - Vanilla and Chocolate
Print Pin Rate Share by Email Share on FB Save GrowDescription
Conversions Used
1 lb = 453 grams, 1 cup = 240 ml, 1 stick = 113g, 1 tbsp= 15 ml, 1 tsp= 5 ml,
Ingredients
Vanilla sponge Cake
- 2 cups (250 g) All purpose flour
- 1 ½ teaspoon Baking powder
- ½ teaspoon Salt
- 1 cup (226 g) Butter (unsalted, room temperature)
- 1 cup (200 g) Sugar
- 4 large Eggs (large)
- 2 teaspoon Vanilla extract
- ½ cup (120 ml) Milk
Chocolate sponge cake
- 1¾ cups (220 g) All-purpose flour
- ⅓ cup (30 g) Cocoa powder
- 1 teaspoon Baking powder
- ½ teaspoon Baking soda
- 1 cup (227 g) Butter (unsalted room temperature )
- 1 cup (200 g) Sugar
- 4 large Eggs
- 2 teaspoon Vanilla extract
- ½ cup (120 ml) Milk
Vanilla buttercream
- 1 cup (227 g) Butter (unsalted, room temperature)
- 4 cups (480 g) Powdered sugar
- ½ teaspoon Salt
- ½ cup (120 ml) Whipping cream (38%)
Simple syrup
- ½ cup (120 ml) Syrup
- 1 cup (240 ml) Water
- 1 teaspoon Lemon juice
Instructions
Cake
- Preheat the oven to 325°F/165°C/Gas Mark 3
- Grease and line 3 x 7-inch round cake pans or 2 x 8-inch round cake pan with parchment paper. Pro tip - You can also make 4 x 6-inch round cakes for a tall cake.
- Dry ingredients - Vanilla cake - Sift flour with baking powder and salt. Set aside.Chocolate cake - Sift flour with baking powder, baking soda, cocoa powder, and salt. Set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer hand mixerwith the paddle attachment, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy.Pro tip - We want to add some volume in the batter and the sugar completely dissolved, so make sure to cream well.
- Next, add eggs one at a time. Followed by the vanilla extract.Pro tip - Ensure the eggs are at room temperature or the batter will curdle. If that happens, just add a tablespoon or two of flour and combine well.
- Then, add flour mixture and milk alternating in three batches.Pro tip - Since whipping cream is thick the batter looks a bit stiffer than regular vanilla cake but the cream will melt in the oven so don't add any more milk.
- Scrape the sides of the bowl, ensure you have a smooth batter. Then, divide the batter between the prepared baking pans.Pro tip - Use an offset spatula to spread the batter evenly in the pan so it bakes evenly.
- Bake for about 25 to 30 minutes until a skewer inserted in the center comes out clean.Pro tip - I like to use cake strips to ensure my layer cakes bake flat.
- Cool in the pan for 10 minutes then invert on a cooling rack and cool completely. Always cool cakes completely before you decorate or store them away.Pro tip - Wrap in plastic wrap and place in the freezer for an hour. This will make fewer crumbs when torting and leveling the cake.
Vanilla buttercream
- In a stand mixer with a paddle the attachment, cream butter with salt for a minute. Then, gradually add the powdered sugar and vanilla extract.
- Once all the powdered sugar is in - gradually add the whipping cream. Continue to whip until you have a light and fluffy whipped cream consistency (2 to 3 minutes).Pro tip - If you do not whip the consistency will be very soft. The whipping will add volume to the buttercream making it light and fluffy.
Assemble
- Prepare simple syrup - cool completely before using.Pro tip - Simple syrup is just sugar water that has been boiled and cooled. Used to keep cake layers moist.
- Using a bread knife or cake leveler, cut the domes off the cake layers. Cut each layer in half horizontally giving you a total of four layers. Brush each layer with the cooled simple syrup.
- Place a cake layer on the cake board or cake stand.Pro tip - If you plan to move the cake again, it is best to use a cake circle under the cake, so you can pick the cake with its base and without any accidents.
- Filling - Top with a big dollop of the buttercream – spread evenly with a straight-edged spatula.
- Top the second cake layer on top followed by more frosting until you have used up all the layers.Pro tip - It is best to lift individual cake layers on pieces of clean cardboard or cake lifter so you do not break them from table to cake.
- Place the cake in the fridge for 15 minutes so the layers hold together. Pro tip - Chilling the cake at this point will ensure the layers don't move when you frost the outside. Though, if you leave the cake uncovered in the fridge for too long it can dry out. So, 10 minutes is all you need.
- Frosting - Next, spread remaining frosting on top and around the cake. Pro tip - A straight-edge spatula for the top, an off-set spatula, and a bench scraper for the sides work better.
- Final touches - You can place the remaining frosting in a piping bag with a star or round piping tip and pipe a border or swirls on top.
Recipe Notes & Tips
Other sponge variations
- Lemon sponge cake
- replace 2 tablespoon milk with lemon juice.
- Add ¼ teaspoon lemon extract along with the vanilla extract.
- Adding 2 drops of lemon yellow food color is optional
- Orange sponge cake
- replace the milk with orange juice
- Add ¼ teaspoon orange extract along with the vanilla extract
- Adding 2 drops of orange food color is optional
- Strawberry sponge cake
- replace the milk with reduced strawberry puree (pulsed in the food processor)
- Add ¼ teaspoon strawberry extract with the vanilla extract
- Adding 2 drops of pink food color is optional
Additional notes
- Fondant cake - This cake can be covered with fondant. It is a butter-based cake and works beautifully in tiered wedding cakes.
- Lighter cake - You can whip the eggs separately to make the cake light and fluffy just as I have done in my recipe for fluffy vanilla cake.
- Celebration cake - this is a simple recipe but can be frosted to make a celebration cake as I did with my Vanilla Birthday Cake
- Freezing the cake - Freeze it on a baking tray for a few hours then wrap well in cling/plastic wrap, followed by the parchment paper and then aluminum foil. Thaw wrapped in the fridge for 24 hours so the condensation will stay on the papers, not the cake.
Storage
- Once decorated the cake does not need to be refrigerated.
- It can stay at room temperature for two days or in the fridge for up to 5 days.
- Once cut always cover the cut side of the cake with cling/plastic wrap so the cake does not dry out.
Other pan suggestions
- If you don't want to make a layer cake like this,
- You can make this into a sheet cake - a 'Vanilla Sheet Cake'.
- You can also pour the batter into a well-greased and dusted bundt pan for a 'Vanilla Bundt Cake'.
- This recipe can also be baked into 24 beautiful vanilla cupcakes
Nutrition Information
The nutrition information and metric conversion are calculated automatically. I cannot guarantee its accuracy. If this data is important to you please verify with your trusted nutrition calculator. Thank you
Dawn
Hey! First off, thanks for sharing this recipe, I've been using it for 4 years now! I love making it. I recently needed a new copy and noticed some stuff changed. Was just curious why the milk went up from 4 tbsp to 1/2 cup? Not much has changed between the two besides that and maybe about 30 more grams of flour, so I just wanted to understand the process. Thanks in advance!
Veena Azmanov
Hey Dawn, Thank you for the lovely feedback. Yes, I recently retested this recipe (as I often do with most of my recipes) I found the batter a little thick but also thought perhaps a little more flour would help stability. I hope you find the same. It's not much but sometimes little tweaks can make a big difference. Since you've made this recipe a few times I'd love to get your feedback if you try it again. Thanks so much