Traditional Sponge Cake
This is the foundational sponge cake technique: whole eggs whipped with sugar until pale and tripled in volume, giving the cake its lift with no baking powder needed. Light, springy, and neutral in flavor, it's the base recipe worth mastering before building layer cakes, trifles, or rolled cakes.
Ingredients
- 6 large eggs, room temperature
- 1 cup (200g) sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 1/2 cups (190g) all-purpose flour, sifted
- Pinch of salt
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C) and grease and flour a 9-inch round pan.
- In a large bowl, whip the eggs and sugar on high speed for 8-10 minutes, until pale, tripled in volume, and thick enough to hold a ribbon trail.
- Whisk in the vanilla extract.
- Sift the flour and salt over the mixture in three additions, folding gently after each with a spatula.
- Pour into the pan gently, without deflating the batter, and smooth the top.
- Bake for 25-30 minutes, until golden and springy to the touch. Cool in the pan for 10 minutes before unmolding.
Tips
- Whipping the eggs long enough is the key step — the batter should fall in thick ribbons that hold their shape briefly.
- Fold the flour in gently; overmixing at this stage deflates the air you just whipped in.
- This cake freezes well and is a great make-ahead base for more elaborate desserts.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why is there no baking powder in this recipe?
The whipped eggs provide all the lift — that's what makes it a true sponge cake rather than a butter cake.
Why did my cake deflate after baking?
This usually means the eggs weren't whipped long enough, or the batter was overmixed once the flour was added.
