4-Ingredient Sponge Cake (Video Recipe)

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I love this sponge cake recipe. It’s easy and you can make hundreds of different cakes with this base. This is a classic European sponge cake (aka Genoise). Once you have this recipe down (you’ll memorize it after a couple rounds), you’ll be baking things that look and taste like they are from a fancy bakery.

This cake base takes on moisture really well from fruit, frostings, liqueurs and syrups. As you can tell from my cake recipes, I’m a sucker for moist cakes. Read on to see 11 marvelous recipes you can make using this sponge cake base.

Over the years, I’ve tested countless different ways to make this cake and this is the best, most fail-proof method for genoise that I’ve tested. This is not like American cakes and readers often question if it can really be that easy and only have 4 ingredients.

I want you to discover this gem of a cake and succeed EVERY TIME you make it. I hope you find this video helpful. We had you in mind! 🙂

Watch How To Make Sponge Cake:

Tips for Success (Read First!):

1. When no streaks of flour remain in the dough, fold a few extra times to ensure you aren’t missing pockets of flour at the bottom

2. Bake the cake layers right after folding in the flour – they should not sit too long

3. Always use a conventional oven setting (not a convection/fan setting)

4. An electric hand mixer will take 2-4 minutes longer to beat the eggs

5. Tip from reader, Hilda: “How do you know u get the right consistency? Lift up your beater (whisk) from the batter. Make a figure “8” using the batter that drip off the beater. Then count to 10 seconds. If the figure 8 still remains on top of the batter, then u have the right consistency. If the figure 8 sinks into the batter before 10 secs, then u need to beat it longer.”

6. Bake in the center of the oven

7. Place cake in a fully pre-heated oven

8. Do not open the oven door to check on the cake until towards the end

9. Let the cake cool in a room without any outdoor draft which can make it seem eggy

Sponge Cake Recipes you can master at home:

Blackberry Lemon Cake – soft and moist and has a fluffy lemon blackberry buttercream frosting.

Charlotte Cake – layers of raspberry mousse, lady fingers and fluffy cake.

Poppy Seed Cake – fluffy and moist with a hint of rum and it’s not overly sweet.

Strawberry Sponge Cake – boasts 1 1/2 lbs of fresh strawberries. You’ll love the simple and delicious whipped cream cheese frosting.

Black Forest Cake – A chocolate version of classic genoise with 1 lb of kirsch infused cherries and whipped cream. So good!!

Russian Apple Cake (Sharlotka) – Just 5 ingredients and 15 min of prep, then your oven does the rest!

Poppy Seed Cake Roll – Moist, generously filled with a cream cheese frosting, covered with velvety chocolate ganache and pummeled with salted pistachios.

Pomegranate Christmas Cake – With a crown of glistening pom seeds, this one’s a stunner for the holidays.

Story Book Cake Roll – This cake roll is moist, rolled with a vanilla butter cream, covered in decadent chocolate and the cookie crumbs give it a subtle crunch.

Kiwi Berry Cake – If you love fruit, this cake will make your dreams come true. Layer after layer of gorgeous berries.

Tiramisu – if you like tiramisu, you will love this!

I told you I loved this cake base. I’m Completely smitten 🙂

4-Ingredient Sponge Cake (Video Recipe)

4.89 from 677 votes

Author: Natasha Kravchuk

Once you master this easy European sponge cake (genoise), you can make hundreds of different cakes using this base!

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Prep Time: 10 minutes mins

Cook Time: 25 minutes mins

Total Time: 35 minutes mins

Ingredients 

Servings: 2 nine inch round cakes

• 6 large eggs, room temperature
• 1 cup granulated sugar, 210 grams
• 1 cup all-purpose flour, 130 grams
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp vanilla extract, *

Instructions

Prep:

• Preheat Oven to 350˚F. Line bottoms of two 9″ cake pans with parchment paper (do not grease the sides).

How to Make this Sponge Cake:

• In the bowl of an electric stand mixer fitted with whisk attachment (this is the one I have), beat 6 large eggs for 1 minute on high speed. With the mixer on, gradually add 1 cup sugar and continue beating 8-10 minutes until thick and fluffy.
• Whisk together 1 cup flour and 1/2 tsp baking powder then sift this mixture into fluffy egg mixture one third at a time. Fold with a spatula with each addition just until incorporated. Scrape spatula from the bottom to catch any pockets of flour and stop mixing when no streaks of flour remain. Lastly, fold in the vanilla extract. Do not over-mix or you will deflate the batter.
• Divide evenly between prepared cake pans (it helps if you have a kitchen scale to weight the pans). Bake at 350˚F for 23-28 minutes (my oven took 25 min), or until top is golden brown. Remove from pan by sliding a thin spatula (here’s the one I love for cakes) around the edges then transfer to a wire rack and remove parchment backing. Cool cakes to room temperature then slice layers equally in half with a serrated knife.

Notes

*Vanilla extract helps prevent an eggy aroma, which is helpful with an egg-based cake. Fold it in just until incorporated, avoiding overmixing. 

• Full Nutrition Label
• Nutrition Disclosure

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: Russian, Ukrainian

Keyword: sponge cake

Skill Level: Easy

Cost to Make: $