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 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)
Ingredients
- 6 large eggs room temperature
- 1 cup granulated sugar 210 grams
- 1 cup all-purpose flour 130 grams
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
Instructions
Prep:
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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:
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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.
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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. Do not over-mix or you will deflate the batter.
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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.
If you make this recipe, I’d love to see pics of your creations on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter! Hashtag them #natashaskitchen
natashaskitchen
Layered Strawberry Cake Recipe 
Blackberry Lemon Cake Roll (VIDEO) 
Storybook Cake Roll Recipe 
Poppy Seed Cake Recipe 
Strawberry Jello Cake Recipe 
Apple Cake Sharlotka (VIDEO) 
Hi! I'm Natasha Kravchuk. Here you'll find delicious, trusted recipes with easy step-by-step photos and videos. 
I’ve made this recipe several times before and absolutely loved it. Was hoping to make it today with a rectangular pan rather than circular. Any advice on what size pan to use or how to adjust cooking time?
Hi Joanna, I have doubled this recipe for a 9×13″ cake pan before. Without doubling it may be a fairly skinny cake depending on your pan size. Here is an example of the doubled recipe we made for a 9×13 strawberry cake (note it was before we started adding baking powder). Anyways, also note that each batch of batter needs to be beaten separately unless you have an industrial electric mixer, otherwise it will overwhelm the mixer and not whip sufficiently for the cake to rise properly.
Hi Natasha, Great video and recipe. I know you have over 800 reviews and queasiness I apologize if this is a duplicate question.
Why AP flour vs cake flour?
Thanks again
Doug
Hi Doug, that is a great question! I have used cake flour and the cake becomes very soft and airy. It depends what kind of cake you are trying to achieve but the cake flour makes the cake too soft and light for most frostings.
After baking how long with this sponge keep? Can I cover this in fondant and buttercream and put another cake on top for an occasion cake or will the sponge be too light? Thank you!
HI Lorraine, Yes, you can make the cake base ahead of time and store it either in the fridge or at room temperature for a day or wrap and freeze up to 3 months. It may be a little soft for fondant unless you put a stiffer buttercream over it first – that may work.
I use this cake for tiramisu. So much better than ladyfingers!
I’m so happy you enjoyed that, Lauralee!
Hi Natasha,thank you so much for the recipe,i will definately try it,if i want to add butter among the list of ingredients will i reduce the eggs or flour ? or will i use the same ingredients? kind help, i want to use this recipe and add some butter.
Hi Faith! I haven’t experiment with this recipe specifically so I cannot advise. This ratio of eggs to sugar is pretty standard for this classic European sponge cake and for a 2-layer cake is a fair amount of sugar. Most of our cakes are not overly sweet but I guess it depends on taste preference. Milk, oil and butter are not necessary in sponge cake and can actually deflate the batter.
What more is there to say than: stunning!
I’m so happy you enjoyed that!
How funny. I made a choc sponge this morning. I added the coco to the eggs
Thank you for sharing that with me!
I’d like to make a chocolate sponge cake using this recipe. Can I just add cocoa to the flour and then fold it into the batter?
Hi Rachel, I have made a chocolate sponge cake before but don’t have a recipe posted yet. I’ll add it to my list
I would love to make this recipe as a chocolate sponge, I am just not sure how much cocoa to add, any suggestions?
For a chocolate sponge cake, you basically substitute some of the flour with cocoa. So you could try 1/4 cup sifted cocoa and 3/4 cup flour and sift them together before folding them into the batter.
❤️ great recipe. I made a classic strawberry and whipped cream cake and it was fabulous, I will definitely try some other variations. Thanks for sharing this awesome recipe and excellent instructions.
I’m so happy you enjoyed that. Thank you for sharing that with us!
Hi Natasha — I haven’t made this yet, but wondering if I could make the entire recipe in a bundt pan?
Thanks!
Hi Shari! I honestly have never tried it in a Bundt pan and I don’t think I would try because it would be really difficult to get it out of the pan.
Thanks so much for the quick reply. I’ll make it in 2 rounds!! Happy baking!
Thanks for the quick reply. I’ll do it 2 rounds. 🙂
Hi, Natasha. Thqnk you for your great receipe! I am living in Netherlands and we are accounting with cm instead if inch🙈 I have 20 cm pan which is 7.87 inch. May I follow the same amount ingredient and the baking time?
Hi Helen, I have not tested this in a seven-inch round baking pan to say for sure, so I’m not certain if it would overflow the pan. That would be my main concern. You may need to scale the recipe back. Let me know if you experiment.
Yes you do however the finished product out of the oven video shows a one pan cooked cake and that confuses people. That particular video leads people to believe that the cake when divided into two pans will rise to the top of the pan which leads lost Navas bakers to think that our cake did not come out correctly I’m not sure if you you understand exactly what I’m saying and when it doesn’t rise to the top we think we did it wrong that’s all I’m saying nothing bad about your recipe or your cake because it’s yummy.
Hi Jeffrey, I’m still not sure what you mean. I did divide the cake into 2 pans in the instructions as well as in the video and then I took them out of the oven in 2 pans the same way I put them in. If the cake doesn’t rise as high, the number one culprit is usually under-beating the eggs and sugar – since the cake relies primarily on the volume of those ingredients for leavening. I hope that helps!
Is this cake very sweet? Seems to have a higher proportion of sugar vs flour.
Hi Karen, I haven’t tried this cake with less sugar since this cake does rely on the volume of eggs and sugar to rise but we think it is not too sweet several of our readers have commented it is a perfect balance.
I thank what the problem is with the video she cuts and paste‘s different parts. And one cake video she has your put the cake into pants and when she takes it out the cake is level with the top making you think that it rises. However In the sponge video where she says put it equally into 9 inch pans after it’s cooked she shows you a cooked version from a different video where the batter is all in one pan when it shows it even with the top. I made this recipe 17 times thinking I was doing it wrong when I actually the visual video is what was throwing me off I hope this helps
Hi Jeffrey, I do have a couple of recipes where I put it into 1 pan and then cut it, but that does have a differing bake time. Normally, I do divide it into 2 pans as this video shows.
Hi do you have the ingredients for one cake only? Not sure if it’s as simple as just splitting everything in half?
Hi Sue! yes you would halve everything proportionally
Hi Natasha! This recipe was the most amazing cake I have ever baked!! My family was impressed with the spongy texture. Do you think it would taste the same if I added fruit to the batter?
I’m so happy to hear that Alayna! Thank you for sharing your awesome review with us!
The sponge was amazing !!!
So moist and tender. I halved a recipe because I only needed “crust” for a no bake cheesecake.
Will try in a cake next time.
Hi Aneta, I’m so happy you enjoyed this recipe! Thank you for sharing that with me!
Hi! Did you adjust cooking time after halving it? Thanks!
No I didn’t. It took about 20 min in 10 in springform pan
Can this be used for layered cake? Like 4 layers
Hi Eshy! I haven’t tested that with 4 layers but I think that could work!
Hi Natasha. Thanks for another great recipe! Tried this and it turned out great!
Could I make these ahead and freeze for later use?
I’m so happy you enjoyed that, Julia!! Yes, you can make the cake base ahead of time and store it either in the fridge or at room temperature for a day or wrap and freeze up to 3 months.
I loved the sponge cake so easy to make !! But it makes one sponge cake only
Hi Sumaya, this recipe makes 2 9″ rounds.
I will try these cakes. They ate so easy to make with not too much ingredients. First one I will try is the apple. Will let you know it turned out.
Cece
I look forward to your feedback, Cece!
Hi Natasha,
I have a few questions:
1. Can we make more layers of this sponge cake?
For example: To make 5 inch + tall cakes?
2. Will it hold some fondant decorations? I don’t want it collapsing on me.
I have made a genoise before for a Fraiser but never thought it could be used for so many cakes!
3. In your mango cake, you just used the pulp in the layers, why not add in the batter? What difference does it make to add puree/pulps into the batter?
4. I am going to upload a video of (your and my version) of a Mango Cake, how do I let you know once its uploaded?
Last, you really torture me with your recipes, I DON’T WAN’T TO STOP WATCHING !_!
Thanks
Hi Hamna! I’m so happy you are enjoying our recipes! I have not tested this in a five-inch round baking pan to say for sure, so I’m not certain if it would overflow the pan. That would be my main concern. You may need to scale the recipe back. Let me know if you experiment. It may be a little soft for fondant unless you put a stiffer buttercream over it first – that may work. We used puréed mango in the layers not pulp but I think pulp may work. If you experiment, let me know how you liked the recipe.
Hi Natasha. I was wondering how many grams of spongecake does this produce. It would be great if you could give me some insight. Thank you.
Hi Joseph, I haven’t weighed the finished cakes so I”m not sure. If anyone has a good answer for this, please let us know!
Hi. I have tried this recipe 8 times. It just wont rise for me. Any suggestions?? Thanks Jeffrey
Hi Jeffrey, in the future, get in touch after the first attempt because I am always happy to help troubleshoot :). This classic European sponge cake relies on the volume of eggs and sugar to rise so it is critically important to beat these with a high powered mixer on high speed until thick and fluffy. You know the batter is ready when you pull up on the batter and a thick ribbon forms and stays on the surface fo the batter for a few seconds before disappearing into the batter. I hope that helps! Also, be sure to bake right away in a preheated oven.
Hi Natasha, I’ve been doing this recipe so many times. Sometimes it turns out but sometimes it doesn’t. And I can’t figure out what goes wrong. When I take the cake out of the oven it looks perfect but as it sits and cools it pulls away from the pan and the middle starts sinking in. While the sides are rised. What am I doing wrong?
Hi Irina, Maybe I’m just sensitive to it, but I have noticed that. Regarding the sinking, did you possibly use a convection oven rather than conventional? And was the oven pre-heated fully when you placed the cake onto the center rack? I have found that buttering the sides causes the cake to pull away from the sides a little and isn’t as level but the cake will still work 🙂 It sticks because there is no oil or butter in the batter but we have found that a thin-edged spatula works best, scraping along the inside wall of the pan as you loosen it from the pan. P.S. I added a “Tips for Success” section at the top of this post which should help.
The baking gods were with me today, it took about 15 mins for the eggs to get light and fluffy but it paid off. Thanks for the easy recipe 😁♥️♥️
You’re so welcome! I’m happy you enjoyed that!
Can I make a make a chocolate sponge cake with this recipe?
Hi Denise, I have made a chocolate sponge cake before but don’t have a recipe posted yet. I’ll add it to my list 🙂
Great thank you
Natasha, you are a lifesaver. I came across a faded stained, well used recipe in my mom’s hand, in Italian. Beat 6 eggs, 1 cup sugar, 1 t vanilla, add 1 cup + 2 T flour and 1 t BP. Low oven for 45 minutes.
I had no idea what it was for…so I went sleuthing and found your European Sponge Cake recipe. Voila’! Thank you!! with your great directions I will make this now and think of my mom and my grandma.
That’s so great, Janice! I’m so happy you enjoyed that!
If I cut the recipe in half, do I cut the baking powder in half too? Thanks.
Hi Bethany! Yes, you would halve everything proportionally 🙂
Will this hold on when topped with buttercream frosting? Do I need to add some kind of liquid to moisturize it?
Hi Hend, the recipe links several of the recipes we tried with this base. You are welcome to use a simple syrup, Here is a simple syrup recipe we use, Simple Syrup: 1/2 cup water, 1 Tbsp lemon juice, 1 Tbsp granulated sugar I hope this helps. This cake will hold buttercream frosting just fine. 🙂 I hope you love it!!
A question: reading the comments I noted that many find the batter doesn’t rise enough, so you typically suggest more beating in a stand mixer.
So I wonder if your stand mixer motor is more powerful than most?
I find I do need to beat the batter 10-12 minutes for that “magic 8” trick (suggested in the recipe) to show me it’s ready. Once it took 15 so maybe the humidity affected things that time.
But this is my “go to” cake recipe. Everybody loves it even if it doesn’t rise as high as it should, it’s still a homemade cake!
Hi Lauren, there are many factors that play a role in the cake rising. From ingredients to high altitude or high humidity. As you mentioned a stand mixer may vary in power and speed as well. Thank you for sharing this with us
Hi Natasha,
Can I reduce the amount of sugar? would this affect the texture of the cake
Hi Lily, I haven’t tried that with less sugar since this cake does rely on the volume of eggs and sugar to rise.
I made it twice with Kitchen Aid 5 speed electric mixer – both times it didn’t work. I whipped it for 20 minutes each time. The batter looked very fluffy. However, it still became some smushy paste after I baked it.
Used stand mixer after that – the sponge came out perfect!
Hi Irina! Yes, with a hand mixer you will need to add more time to the mix. The stand mixer does work better for this recipe. 🙂 I’m so happy it worked out for you!
Just to add about hand mixers:
I made it twice with Kitchen Aid 5 speed electric mixer – both times it didn’t work. I whipped it for 20 minutes each time. The batter looked very fluffy. However, it still became some smushy paste after I baked it.
Used stand mixer after that – the sponge came out perfect!
Hi Natasha, I have made this recipe 5 times and it still doesn’t seem to rise enough. I even whip it for about 20 minutes. I try and try adding more and more minutes. I am using a Kitchenaid mixer on high. Any suggestions? Can you over beat?
Hi Nancy! did you have an opportunity to watch the video? If not, I strongly encourage you to watch it if you have never made a European sponge cake in the past. The cake relies on the volume of the eggs as leavening and it won’t rise is you don’t bake the eggs with a high powered stand mixer for the recommended amount of time. If your cake collapses or is flat, under-beating the eggs and sugar is the number one culprit. I hope that helps!
Hi, Yes, I have watched the video. I am using a KitchenAid stand mixer. I don’t know what I am doing wrong. It is frustrating and I don’t want to quit trying until I get this right. They taste good, just don’t rise up. I will watch the video, again! I love this recipe and want to make it work. It has great flavor.
I hope it works out for you! I recommend skimming through the comments also to get more troubleshooting tips 🙂
I think it is definitely possible to over beat the egg mixture as well. The first time I tried this recipe, I beat the eggs and sugar for around 15 minutes (kitchenaid stand mixer) because I was worried it wasn’t fluffy enough. Then the second time I stuck to the 8-10 recommendation and it turned out sooooo much better!
I do know that it’s possible to overwhip the eggs also, which would cause the cake not to rise well. Recommendations I have read say to beat just until a figure eight holds for a few seconds. I also saw it on Great British Bake-off, and they know their way around a Genoise! Imagine Paul Hollywood leveling those baby blues at the baker and muttering ‘you ovah-beat the batt-ah’. Devastation.
Hi Natasha ,
I have attempted few times on how to make sponge cake with other recipes but was not successful. After following your blog I managed and just did the baking.Was so happy as I am planning to bake a birthday cake to my 2 years old son. Wondering should I use whipped cream or fondant over it? I am beginner in baking btw 🙁 . Kindly guide me
Hi Sylvia! Thank you for that great review! We have several cakes linked in the recipe with wonderful frosting ideas! I personally can’t advise on the use of fondant since I haven’t tried that, I do recommend skimming the comments to see if what our readers are saying. I hope you love it!
Hi Natasha…I would like to use 6 inch pans, how many mins do you think I should bake it? TIA
Hi Mari, I have not tested this in a six-inch round baking pan to say for sure, so I’m not certain if it would overflow the pan. That would be my main concern. You may need to scale the recipe back. Let me know if you experiment.
Hi hope to hear from you today cuz wanting to make this today! I usually make traditional butter cakes with vanilla and almond extracts. But have been wanting to try a genoise sponge. Have you ever added extracts to this recipe? Would it mess anything up? I would like it to have an almond flavor.
Hi Heather, you can add 1 tsp of vanilla extract (or any), folding it in quickly before adding flour.
Thanks! I went ahead and did a tsp of Vanilla and tsp of almond. The cake rose well and looked beautiful when it came out. But it was very tricky to cut each layer in half, it was very moist and a little sticky on top and my cake slicer wire would glide through easily. It also sunk just slightly in the middle which made it hard to get even layers. I did bake for 20 mins. The toothpick came out clean so took it out. Could it perhaps have needed another few mins in the oven? Will rate the recipe after I taste it tomorrow!
Hi, can I put the whole batter into 1 cake pan instead of 2 ?
Hi Lynette, I have not tested this in one baking pan to say for sure, so I’m not certain if it would overflow the pan but I imagine it would since this fills our tall pan nicely with two rounds. That would be my main concern. You may need to scale the recipe back. Let me know if you experiment.
Thanks but I dont think the cakes rose enough when I tried to cut them the layers were too thin and fell apart. Can I use the filling and frosting on a normal cake
Hi Rose, I’m not sure which frosting and filling you are referring to. Make sure to watch the video – typically the primary reason for this classic cake not to rise is under-beating eggs and sugar since the cake relies on the volume of those two ingredients to rise. Hope that helps!
I know u said to not grease the sides of pans but mine stuck a little on sides and ripped cake a bit. I did loosen with offset spatula. And now I’m worried I won’t be able to cut in half. Any suggestions
Hi Rose, you can butter the sides but I have found that buttering the sides causes the cake to pull away from the sides a little and isn’t as level but the cake will still work 🙂 It sticks because there is no oil or butter in the batter but we have found that a thin-edged spatula works best, scraping along the inside wall of the pan as you loosen it from the pan.
We are really impressed with your sponge cake receipe, we tried it today and it came out beautiful and shiny and it is absolutely delicious.
Thank you for our new years day improvised sponge cake drizzled with custard.
I’m so happy to hear that! Happy New Year!
I wanted to learn how to bake a Genoise sponge cake, but I was a little overwhelmed. Your video was perfect for this visual learner! I made my first sponge cake and even went on to make your Strawberry Cake using that cake. My family raved about it. I’m making another one for a New Year’s Eve party as well. Thank you so very much and Happy New Year!
Thank you for that amazing feedback, Shona! Happy New Year!
Thanks for the sponge cake recipe. It’s so easy and good! I also did the strawberry cake. It is delicious. I added melted milk chocolate on the top. It goes well with the cake. I will def make it again. Next time, I may use a little more whipping cream and less cream cheese. Thanks!
That’s just awesome! Thank you for the wonderful review, Jessica!
I made the sponge cake, vanilla icing, strawberries, lemon glaze and it was a hit with everyone. Easy recipe to follow. Thank you!
You’re welcome! I’m so happy you enjoyed it
I like your sponge cake recipe, however, I would like to use a bundt pan and then use a lemon glaze. Can I use the entire batter for the bundt pan? Thank you.
I honestly have never tried it in a Bundt pan and I don’t think I would try because it would be really difficult to get it out of the pan.
Thank you for replying and that is what I thought. I will use the cake p pans.
Have a wonderful holiday season and happy new year!
Thank you, Kathleen! Happy Holidays!
Bonjour
J’ai un four qui fait la chaleur tournante. Comment faire un bon réglage ?
Merci.
Hi Lynn, I haven’t tested this in a convection oven so I’m not sure what to recommend. I have had at least 1 reader that I can recall say they did not have good results in a convection oven.
Hi, I’ll like to make a lemon version of the cake. Do I add the lemon juice to the batter or do I brush it onto the sponge after it is baked?
Hi Tina, a simple syrup with water, lemon juice, and sugar would work. For a lemon cake, I would add extra lemon juice to taste to really bump up the lemon flavors.
For the lemon flavor, I read an Italian Sponge cake recipe that simply added 1 tsp grated lemon zest to the batter. That recipe was similar to this one Natasha makes. Natasha’s recipe seems to use less flour than other recipes. It’s probably a more tender cake too!
Hi Natasha! I would like to try making the pomegranate Christmas cake with this base for friends, but I don’t have a stand mixer!! I do have a handheld electric mixer with a whisk attachment. Do you have any advice or is it just a matter of having things prepped in advance and working out your biceps by mixing for 8 minutes by hand?
Hi Meghan, be sure to beat the mixture on the highest speed and you will need to add about 3 minutes to the mixing time since a stand mixer is more effective at whipping mixtures. I wouldn’t attempt to do it with a hand mixer but a strong electric hand mixer would work.
Hi! Natasha. Its Perfect Sponge Cake wow super. Awesome video.
How do you decorate/ice this cake?
I would have to say the sky is the limit! You can make hundreds of different cakes using this base! I’ve linked several within the recipe 🙂
I tried ur way but failed also I have a convection oven which have temp till 230
That could be why. I recommend trying in a regular sized oven if you have that option.
Hello. How can i prevent mango from discoloration? Is there something to brush on the mango?😊 Thank you
There are fruit glazes you can buy. Usually, coating them in lemon does the trick!
Have you tried gluten free flour?
Hi Danielle! Several of my readers have reported that this works great as a gluten-free sponge cake using a 1:1 gluten-free flour. 🙂
Hey Natasha thanks for the services from “Natashaskitchen
Really we learnt a lot from your kitchen
We have improved on our baking skills
Thank you so much for sharing that with me!
Hi Natasha, i just did the sponge cake with a hand mixer since i dont have a stand mixer. It worked! Just a little patience, until i saw number 8:-)
Can i add sugared vanilla to the batter or cognac? I will be making forêt blanche tomorrow but baked the sponge cake tonight.
So blessed to have found your site,
Thank you for all the exquisite recipes😊
I’m so happy to hear that Lina! you can add 1 tsp of vanilla extract (or any), folding it in quickly before adding flour.
Hi Natasha:
I want to make this recipe in a 9 by 13 inch baking dish. Can I do that adjusting the cooking time?
Hi Ana, it would be a fairly skinny cake. Here is an example where I made this a 9×13 cake but I doubled the recipe and made the cake layers separately.
Thanks for your suggestion. It worked perfectly, it was a big and delicious cake..
I have made several of your salads and desserts recipes and all are fantastic.
I appreciate this feedback! Thanks, Ana!
Hi, I want to make 6 inch cake. How can I adjust the ingredient and bake time? Also, should I use 2 inch deep or 3 inch deep pan?
Hi Robin, I have not tested this in a six-inch round baking pan to say for sure, so I’m not certain if it would overflow the pan. That would be my main concern. You may need to scale the recipe back. Let me know if you experiment.
I halved the recipe once and used a smaller spring form pan, then split into layers. Worked great! I just really watched it in the oven, it needed a shorter bake time.
Thank you for sharing that with us, Shannon!
Hi, I wanted to make half the batter so I would need to cut the ingredients in half also. How should I adjust the time? Thanks!
Depending on your cake pan size. Are you also changing that? I would watch it closer but since it is less cake it may be done quicker!
No. I’m wanting to make the strawberry with whipped cream cheese frosting, but I wanted to make sure it was ok to make it the day before serving. Would it be better if I added a strawberry syrup to the cake layers before putting the pureed strawberries? I did let the strawberries sit with sugar on them first because they weren’t very sweet. I hope that is ok.
I think that should work fine Michele. I hope you love it!!
Hello. I’m going to make the strawberry version. Can I make this whole cake the day before I need it? Thank you
Hi Michele, you can make the cake base ahead of time and store it either in the fridge or at room temperature for a day or wrap and freeze up to 3 months.
Can I make the strawberry version of this cake the day before serving?
You can definitely make this a day before serving! Regarding the strawberry version, are you looking to add strawberry syrup? We usually just top or frost it with a flavor 🙂
Hi Natasha, so glad I landed on this recipe! But I am having some trouble, I tried making this twice and both times came out dense and not fluffy.
Hopefully I could get some advice! What I noticed was my mixture of eggs and sugar was not white and fluffy after beating. I tried beating for about 4 mins for the eggs and another 13 mins after adding sugar. I didnt continue to beat afterwards because I was afraid of overbeating.
Also I do not own a standing hand mixer. I am using a a simple hand mixer.
Thanks!
It may be due to under beating, since it is a hand mixer it will take a lot long than a stand mixer. Also make sure your measurements are correct and the size of the eggs isn’t off.
By under beating, do you mean the eggs and sugar mix? By chance do you have a idea how long I would need to mix with the hand mixture? Thanks!
I am always happy to help troubleshoot. The #1 reason for not rising uniformly is if the eggs and sugar are underbeaten. If you are using an electric hand mixer, add a few minutes to the mixing time on high speed (depending on the hand mixers power may even double that up. but this recipe really does need an electric stand mixer or an electric hand mixer, otherwise it will take FOREVER to reach the whipped consistency that is needed for the cake to rise. Also, did you possibly open the oven door while the cakes were baking – that could cause it to fall, or if the cakes are removed from the oven too early. I hope that helps!
I will try again by adding some time to the beating for the eggs + sugar mixture. I am using a electric hand mixer.
I didn’t open the oven door until it was done baking. Hopefully this time it will be better, Thank you!
Hi! Is it possible to bake the batter with convention oven? What
tempreture do you recommend for convention oven? I only have convention oven 😣. For the blackberry lemon cake. Is possible I change to peach lemon cake? Can just follow the same steps for blackberry cake but using peach? It is the combination of peach and lemon taste ok?
Hi Cammy! I have only been able to test it in a conventional oven so the recipe is written for a conventional oven. A convection oven circulates the air and bakes recipes faster so the bake time would have to be modified. I think the peach version sounds interesting! I would love to know how you like it if you experiment with that!
I tried it and it sunk in the middle I beat eggs and sugar for eight minutes whisked flour and baking powder and sifted in to bowl folded dry mixture until I didn’t see any flour on bottom of the mixer put on middle rack side by side in a 350 degree oven for 25 minutes and when I looked in the oven with 14 minutes left it was sunk in let it finish baking sides rose beautifully but middle completely sunk
Hi Stacia, It’s best not to open the oven on this cake – the heat escaping quickly can cause the cake to sink in the center. Also, try mixing another couple of minutes – if you are using a hand mixer or anything other than the highest speed, the cake won’t rise properly since it relies on the volume of eggs and sugar to rise. I hope that helps! 🙂
I am certain that this is a lovely sponge, just not for my husband. It sunk was eggy. We use our own eggs, with yolks that are very rich. Do you possibly have a measurement for the amount of eggs to use. I so want this to be a forever recipe. Thanks sue
Hi Sue! If your eggs were smaller, that could have an affect but it is usually due to under-beating the eggs and sugar. Be sure to beat them in a high powered mixer with the whisk attachment until the mixture is thick and forms a thick ribbon when pulled up.
This cake is great! Thanks to this I was finally able to recreate the cakes I used to get for my birthday when I was younger. It really makes a splendid base. My cakes will never be the same again!
I’m so happy you discovered our blog Elsie!! Than you for the wonderful review!
I was wondering why the sponge can’t be baked in a convection oven?
Hi Kourtnie, from what I have heard from readers, the cake does not rise properly – it could be due to not modifying the settings which should be done when convection is used. I haven’t tested it personally but I have always stuck to conventional baking based on reader reports.
Your 4 ingredient sponge cake is amazing! I did it!!! I never thought I can bake a cake. Your recipe is encouraging. Thank you for the tips too.
Thank you for sharing that with me Nicole!!
Hello, I made this sponge cake and it was awesome. Some of my family members have diabetes and they like how this cake wasn’t too sweet and it pairs well with whipped cream. Can this recipe be double?
I think it can be doubled if you have a large enough mixer and pan. But making it in separate batched may be safer since it is so delicate.
Hello! I made this sponge, but it more than doubled the size while baking, and got super stuck to the side. Any idea why? Thanks!
Hi Thais. I’ll do my best to troubleshoot – do you live in a high altitude area? I wonder if that would affect baking temp/time on this one. Did you make any changes to the recipe and measure the ingredients correctly?
Hi! No, I followed it completely. I watched the video again and I noticed that your batter was more “runny” than mine (mine was very much holding its shape when I spooned it to the cake pan).
Hi Thais, a thicker, puffier batter will never hurt and it means you beat your eggs and sugar effectively.
Hi Natasha i also have the same problem,i live in kenya africa and i guess it is a high altitude,if so how do i adjust the baking time/temperature should it be less or more
Hi Faith, It’s hard to say without being there. Normally for elevation adjustments, you would need to increase oven temperature, some recipes state to reduce sugar. If you experiment, let me know how you liked the recipe
Hi Natasha, may i know if yeast could replace baking powder for this recipe. Thank you so much if you could answer my question🙂
Hi Yulian, I haven’t tested that but I don’t think it would work properly and I have no way of predicting what the yeast will do in this recipe without testing it. You could make the cake without baking powder altogether though. I find it rises just a little better with baking powder but the cake relies primarily on the volume of the eggs and sugar so if you beat those really well as instructed, the cake will still work without the baking powder.
Thank you so much ! 🙂
You’re welcome, Yullan!
what is different between Genoise sponge cake and Traditional sponge cake in the recipe?
Hi Anna! ’m so happy you have enjoyed our recipes! The main ingredient in this classic European sponge cake (genoise) is egg. The cake relies on the volume of the whipped eggs to rise. Butter is not traditionally used in this classic European sponge cake. Also, using butter on the pan is not recommended because the cake pulls away from the sides and ends up mis-shaped. I’m sure there are several different versions of it but the classic European genoise does not require butter.
This is my first shot at sponge cake. It doesn’t have sugar as an ingredient. So it is not the traditional sweet cake?
That is correct! this is a simple sponge cake! 🙂
Can we use the same recipe for a roll?
Hi Nora. I have not tried this one specifically but if baked thin enough it may work! We have this recipe here you may enjoy
This will be my first time trying to make a sponge cake!! D:
I do have a question though…could I bake the batter together as one cake, instead of dividing it into two round cakes?
Hi Sandy! That should work! Be sure to adjust your bake time to at least 30 minutes if doing that.
Hi there,
I normally don’t do reviews but with this one I had to take the time to share. It was my first time making sponge cake and it turned out AMAZING! Made a vanilla flavour. So moist and fluffy. I’m on my 3rd batch already as the first one I made just to try the recipe. It was so simple to follow. Thanks so much for taking time to share this recipe 😉
Wow! Thank you so much for this amazing and thoughtful review, Angela!! I appreciate you sharing this with all of us!
It’s a beautiful recipe which I tried for many times and every time it’s perfect.for my 15 months baby i skipped baking soda and made with 3 ingredients but reduced the whole wheat flour to 3/4th cup instead of 1 cup.thank u Natasha for the superb easy recipe.btw the tips u given are very much useful.
I’m so happy those tips helped! Thank you for the wonderful review, Keerthy!
Hi, I’ve been trying to duplicate a limencello cake from my favorite restaurant. I have the icing down pat, but I can’t seem to get the right consistency of the sponge cake. I want to try this recipe, but I’m not sure if adding the limencello liquor would ruin the recipe. Help!
Hi Virginia, are you planning on adding it as a syrup to moisten the cake? I haven’t tried adding liquor to the batter itself but if you create a syrup out of it that may work.
I have no idea how the baker used it. Could you please give me a syrup recipe using limencello to try? I’m not adventurous when it comes to making up a recipe. Thanks
Hi Virginia. Here is a simple syrup recipe we use, Simple Syrup: 1/2 cup water, 1 Tbsp lemon juice, 1 Tbsp granulated sugar I hope this helps
How to cook cake in one 9″ pan.. how long it takes to cook
HI Sharon, you would need a pan with tall walls such as a 3″ tall springform pan. A regular 1 to 1 1/2″ tall cake pan will overflow. Bake about 30 minutes.
Hi Sharon. It should be baked for about 30 minutes.
I made the strawberry version of this cake for my mom’s 95th birthday. It was a hit and she was disappointed when it was gone. I will make it again, it was a refreshing dessert on a very warm night. Thanks for the recipe.
Thank you for sharing that with me, Linda! I’m so happy you enjoyed this recipe.
I used your recipe to make my first ever sponge cake and I have to say this come out great! Although I have nothing to compare, I think I will not let it bake as long next time I think it may have been a little dry? I also added some pumpkin spice in the batter which was okay but not great, lesson learned. For the frosting I whipped egg whites and added hot maple syrup and further whipped.
I will use this recipe again as it was “kid” approved!
Hi Tara, If you like a moist cake, simple syrup is always a nice edition. You can lightly brush the layers with syrup since the cake itself is pretty dry without it.
This was so simple, light, and delicious! I let some sliced strawberries macerate in the fridge while I baked the cake, and quickly whipped up some unsweetened cream to pile between each layer. Really fresh and delicious. It took no time at all, and it tasted like I spent all day working on it. Thanks for this recipe! I’ll definitely make it again.
That’s so great Laura! I’m so happy you enjoyed that!
It is very easy. But turns out very dry for mine. Not sure what have went wrong.
Hi! If you like a moist cake, simple syrup is always a nice edition. You can lightly brush the layers with syrup since the cake itself is pretty dry without it.
Hi Natasha,
Love your recipes, including this version of sponge cake. They are always work beautifully and I have made many recipes from your site. This cake though is not really Genoise, is it? My understanding that classic Genoise cake has also addition of melted butter and more baking powder, so it’s not so eggy.
Hi Anna! I’m so happy you have enjoyed our recipes! The main ingredient in this classic European sponge cake (genoise) is egg. The cake relies on the volume of the whipped eggs to rise. Butter is not traditionally used in this classic European sponge cake. Also, using butter on the pan is not recommended because the cake pulls away from the sides and ends up mis-shaped. I’m sure there are several different versions of it but the classic European genoise does not require butter.
Hi. Can I substitute plain flour with cake flour instead? Will I be able to achieve the same result as you? I am planning to build a birthday cake for my Daughter soon. Thks.
Hi James! I have made it with cake flour and it does work well if you prefer to use cake flour 🙂
My mother would like a sponge cake for her 95th birthday and I’ve never made one. With so many options on the internet I’m feeling overwhelmed. I am wondering, what makes this better than ones that have butter, vanilla and milk? Thank you
Hi Linda, this European sponge cake is a completely different type of cake than traditional American cakes with butter, vanilla, milk and added leavening. I hope you give it a chance and experiment 🙂
I tried this today and it smells too eggy for me. What should I add?
Middle slightly sank and the texture is a bit rubbery. 🙁
(Confused)
Hi Jeanne, I would suggest whipping it a couple of minutes longer and also, I have found that any egg based cake or meringue is best when it is kept out of outdoor draft – I’m not sure why or how but those items can have a pronounced eggy smell after that. Maybe I’m just sensitive to it, but I have noticed that. Regarding the sinking, did you possibly use a convection oven rather than conventional? And was the oven pre-heated fully when you placed the cake onto the center rack? P.S. I added a “Tips for Success” section at the top of this post which should help.
Natasha – I added 1 tsp of vanilla and 1/2 tsp of salt when I made this. I have only hand-held electric mixer so I whisked it for maybe 12 minutes – I did it until it seemed thick enough. I added the vanilla half-way through and the salt with the flour.
Thank you for sharing that, Elizabeth!
Just came across this recipe and am eager to try it! I don’t have an electric blender, but…. I do have a normal blender. Might be a silly question but would using it work as an alternative?
Hi Liz, this recipe really does need an electric stand mixer or an electric hand mixer, otherwise it will take FOREVER to reach the whipped consistency that is needed for the cake to rise.
Hi Natasha!
Will try your recipe next week for my birthday. Im doing a strawberries and cream sponge cake. Currently in Philippines 🙂
That’s so great! Enjoy!
I’ll bet the Sponge cake is the most commented-on recipe in your repertoire, isn’t it? There is a comment and reply in my emails nearly every day about it! Love your recipes. I took the avocado chicken to a cookout, and it was devoured. I was asked for the recipe..I gave you full credit and am always telling people to check out your site!
I appreciate the credit and you sharing Patricia! Thank you for the feed back 🙂
Hi Natasha,
Just baked the sponge, and it came out perfect, so light and airy :)… Thank you for such an easy recipe… I used to bake sponge earlier, but used to whip egg whites and yolks separately first… But this one is so simple and easy to make… Planning to make mixed fruit cake to beat the heat…
Thanks again :*
Romi
That’s awesome Romi! Thank you for the wonderful review!
Hi, this cake looks amazing, I was thinking of trying out sponge cake for the foundation of a whipped cream & strawberry cake I was thinking of making; However, I assume that you would need to flatten the rounded tops of the cakes before layering them together with a long bread knife, right? Thanks!
-Michael
Making them as even as possible will look better of course. You can definitely cut the layers in half with a long bread knife 🙂 If you are planning on using a frosting that should hold it together just fine, most bakeries finish the shape with the frosting to make the edges more clean. I hope this helps Michael.
I used your 4 ingredient sponge cake recipe to make an upside down pineapple cake and I loved it! Question is can I use one 12 inch pan or is the recipe made for only two 9″ pans?
Hi Tracy. According to one of our readers it should be enough batter for a 12″ pan. I haven’t tried it myself however. Please let me know how you like it if you experiment!
would you keep the same bake time for the 12″ cake pan at 28 minutes and if not what would you change the bake time to?
I would recommend watching it closely. I would assume there would need to be some sort of time adjustment.
Hi Natasha
I read your sponge cake recipe many times and saw the video and made the cake following each step carefully. I beat the egg well enough and made an eight in the batter to check consistency as per your tip. I did not open the oven door in the middle. But sadly my cake sunk in the middle and i’m feeling that the cake is a bit chewy/rubbery 🙁
Hi Prathi, were you using a stand mixer or an electric hand mixer? A hand mixer would take a few minutes longer of beating since it doesn’t whip as efficiently as a stand mixer. Also, did you possibly use a convection setting? This recipe is written for a conventional oven. And lastly, be sure to bake the cake right away in a pre-heated oven without letting the batter sit for too long on the counter. I hope that helps!
Thanks for ur reply. Yes i used stand mixer, conventional and pre-heated oven. Have to try again!!
Thank you for this easy recipe of sponge cake. Now i can make my ube cake using this recipe as my base.
Yes! This is the perfect recipe for that!
Please give a recipe on how to make icing for cake
Hi Vanessa! We have so many cakes with different options for frosting! I would recommend looking here and seeing if any of these are what you may like to try. I have a Swiss Meringue Buttercream that is very good or my cupcake frosting which is easy and delicious.
The cakes came out beautiful and tasty – I did add 1 tsp of vanilla and 1/2 tsp of salt – just to suit our tastes. I’ll follow up when we have the dessert – which is chilling in the fridge waiting for dinner tonight.
Yes! I’d love to hear how you like it! Thank you so much for sharing this with me!
The cake was wonderful. 10″ pans would have worked better. I didn’t have a proper pan to put it in so it was a little messy but it got raves. I gave all the rest of my scraps to my friend because she makes trifles and it will be perfect for that.
I’m so happy you all enjoyed that Elizabeth!
I want to use this recipe to make the BBC Good Food Strawberry-Elderflower Gateau. The recipe says “sponge flan cases” but since I’m in the US, we don’t have these – or I don’t know what they are. Do you think this will work?
Sounds like it uses a sponge cake as a base! If you try it with this recipe I’d love to know how it turned out!
My guests are coming Thursday so I’m making the cake tomorrow early and the dessert late tomorrow since it can sit for 24 hours.
Hi Elizabeth, this cake can sit covered at room temperature or refrigerated overnight. 🙂
Hi Natasha. Can we make a day or two in advance and keep in the fridge?
Yet, that will work, just keep it covered 😀