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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)
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:
- 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. 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.
If you make this recipe, I’d love to see pics of your creations on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter! Hashtag them #natashaskitchen
Really easy and great tasting recipe made this for a strawberry shortcake of sorts since I like fluffy cakes more than the traditional dense version. Turned out great!!! Only change I made was adding about 1/4 tsp of salt to the flour mix and 1 tsp of vanilla extract to the batter
So nice to know that Cathy! Thanks for sharing that with us.
Hi Natasha
I see the strawbrry song cake Igonne make it for may 18 years grandson B-day.Every you recipe is so easy and deliciouns.I make many of them. Thank you Olga
Thank you for that wonderful compliment Olga! I’m so glad you enjoyed this recipe!
Super super easy and tasted super good!
I reduced the amount of sugar and now you’ve given me the perfect recipe for guilt free cake!
Loved it!
Great to hear that Ayushi! Thanks for giving this recipe a good feedback.
May ik how much you reduced it to pls i was thinking to try this recipe out but i dont know how much i shouod reduce the sugar to
hi! how do i adjust this for 3 6inch pans? do you know how long i should cook them? thank you!!
I have not tested this in two six-inch round baking pans to say for sure. I worry it would overflow, you may need to adjust the recipe to fit.
Hi Natasha,
This sponge cake is my go to recipe and it turns out perfect all the time.
Will this cake work for ice cream cake? Like a layer of cake+ice cream+cake+ice cream(similar to cold stone creamy ice cream cake). If this Cake works, do I have to still use some kind of syrup to moisten the cake layers .
Thank you!
Hi Mikki, to be honest, I haven’t tested that but it sounds DELICIOUS! If you experiment, let me know how you liked the recipe.
Hi. I am thinking about trying this recipe and it sounds great! One question, what do you think is best to put on the cake when served, or should I leave it plain?
I’m so glad you enjoyed that Laura! Are you referring to a frosting? I would recommend reading through the recipe post. We have some cakes listed that we use this base with. I hope that helps.
Hi. I am thinking about trying to make this sponge and it sounds great! One question, what do you think is best to put on the cake to serve it, or should I leave it plain?
Hi Laura, there are so many great options! I recommend reading through the recipe post. We linked some of our favorite cakes that use this sponge cake as a base.
Hi Natasha I have a question for you . Could you please add a link for cake pan . Is it 9 X 3 inch is best for this cake ?
HI, we use two 9-inch round pans like this.
I tried the cake. I was pleased !!!
I do not have the round pans so put it in a 9X13 and it worked great.
I’m so glad you enjoyed that Joan! Thank you for that great feedback.
Hi Natasha
I had a lil question. By the way, I loved ur sponge cake recipe. How much the quantity will change for a 7 inch round cake pan? Also how to prevent the cake dome from being formed and preventing the sides from being tooo hard.
Thanks
Its always lovely to follow ur recipes.
Hi Sakshi, I haven’t tested it in a 7″ cake pan so you would have to experiment. I haven’t had any issues with doming or the sides getting hard with this recipe.
Hi Sakshi – the general rule for filling cake pans is to fill about 2/3 to 3/4 full. You could make the recipe as is and fill pans; you’ll just have some leftover batter. This would be way easier than trying to scale down the recipe.
As for the doming, I have found that quality cake pans help enormously – a light-coloured (aluminum is best) traditional (not non-stick) pan such as from Chicago Metallic or Fat Daddio’s brands really helps. Aluminum pans are what professionals use – aluminum conducts heat very well so it both heats up and cools down quickly. I used to work in kitchen shops and gradually replaced my lesser-quality pans with the ones I mentioned, and I noticed that my cakes baked flatter and more evenly than before. Hope that helps!
Hi, Natasha. Thank you so much! This was a huge success and we had it for dessert tonight with strawberries and bananas. Easy to make and your directions were spot-on. I’m looking forward to having some to dunk in my cup of tea tomorrow. I’ll try other recipes soon. I hope my five star rating registers!
That’s so great! It sounds like you have a new favorite!
This was super easy to make. I did have a question. I doubled the recipe and only put it in 3 round pans. I put baking strips around the pan as well. When they were finished baking, they were only about 3/4″ thick. I have never made sponge cake. Is this right?
Hi Shantelle, it should rise enough to fill most of the pan. Since this cake relies on the volume of the eggs and sugar to rise, it is critical to follow every step in the recipe and use the right tools. Under-beating the eggs and sugar or over folding after adding flour will result in a flat cake. I suggest reading the troubleshooting section in this pot and watching the video to see where things started to look different.
Wow. I am a Canadian that grew up in Australia. Flour and climate are different there so it was hard to find a sponge recipe that works here. Thank you, thank you, thank you! Now I can make my fav Aussie desserts!
You are very welcome, Deanna! I hope you love this sponge cake.
I want to make this for mini strawberry shortcakes. Cake this be baked in muffin tins? If so, for how long? Thanks!
Hi Victoria, I have tested it and it sticks badly to the tin and to the liners if using liners. Since this cake doesn’t have any oil or butter in the batter, it’s not ideal for the muffin tin.
At first when I took them out of the oven, I was a little concerned with the eggy smell. But after it cooled down, it went away. The final product (berry tiramisu cake) was amazing and had no eggy taste. So for those of you concerned about that, I would say just let the cake cool down and it shouldn’t be an issue. Great recipe over all! Easy to follow instructions.
I’m so happy you enjoyed that. Thank you for sharing that with us!
Perfect easy n quick
Got it right the first time
Great job as a first-timer! I hope you love every recipe that you try.
Hi, if i would like to change it to 8’’ round tray, the measurements could still be the same?
Hi Jo, It will be close but it should work with 2 8inch pans.
I’m eager to try this, since my last two attempts (not using your recipe)haven’t worked.
Question 1: I’d like to make this for a diabetic friend. Can a sugar substitute like Apriva work?
Question 2: Can the layers be frozen?
Thank you!!
Hi Anne, I haven’t tested Apriva to advise. This cake relies on the volume of eggs and sugar to rise. Yes, you can freeze these layers, it freezes really well for several months.
Thank you so much! I will use sugar and my friend can adjust her insulin accordingly. My sense is that the sugar provides the kind of volume that Apriva wouldn’t.
Thanks again.
Anne
Quick and easy. So much simpler than other recipes! Follow directions for success. I made half recipe and added a little vanilla for strawberry with whipped cream cake.
That’s so awesome Stephanie! Thank you for that great review!
For next time you bake for a diabetic friend or family:
I found using swerve (erythritol) works great. It is a pretty straight across measure (as in 1 cup =1 cup none of that funny business of weird measuring or math). I found I had to whip it a little longer to get the consistency this recipe looks for. Also with the sweetener replacement I used I find the cake is best to sit for a day before Decorating as the sweetener has a much better flavour. That being said still taste delicious.
This is a wonderful recipe that is easy and delicious even made the diabetic way.
I made this recipe today. It was amazing. Thank you for this.
Easy and delicious. We like it plain just as a sponge cake. I used 1 cake pan with the hole in the middle. I wonder if I double the recipe would it come higher. It filled have of my pan. The cake didn’t rise much but it was light and spongy.
Hi Sabrina, it should rise enough to fill most of the pan. Since this cake relies on the volume of the eggs and sugar to rise, it is critical to follow every step in the recipe and use the right tools. Under-beating the eggs and sugar or over folding after adding flour will result in a flat cake. I suggest reading the troubleshooting section in this pot and watching the video to see where things started to look different.
Wonderful recipe – made this today as surprise for husband (and I am NOT a baker) not changing your recipe one bit, but ……we could not eat the cake, it was like biting into rocks – so hard. What did I wrong? Please help!!
Hi Carina, I have not had that experience. Did you use the ingredients recommended? Did it feel like it was sugar you were biting into? I recommend our post on measuring to help with this.
Hi Natasha,
I’m eating the cake i made from your recipe as i write and it turned out beautifully. Great texture and easy recipe.
Question though: I see a lot about the importance of needing the volume of eggs and sugar to get the cake to rise. Is there any way to reduce the amount of sugar? I don’t need a substitute, i just need less sweet overall.
Thanks for the great recipe!
Hi Karin, I have tested reducing the sugar by 25% and it was still good. The sugar also helps to keep the form so I wouldn’t reduce it down too much.
How should I bake this in one big sheet pan?
Hi Christina, I would suggest following the instructions from our sponge cake roll It’s not the ideal sheet cake cake as you do have to remove it to remove the parchment paper underneath or it would stick badly to the pan.