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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
Egg flavor too strong for us … the sponge came out good and absorbent. But it definitely tasted too eggy.
I’d recommend making it a 5 ingredient cake and adding vanilla extract to the recipe.
I’ve made this cake in the past by separating the egg whites and yolks and dividing the sugar while whisking. I have to say that version wasn’t so eggy. And the sponge comes out lighter too. More work though to separate the eggs and uses more bowls.
But this isn’t for us, I’ll be back to doing that version.
Hi Nicki, You can add vanilla although usually flavorings are added in syrups for this sponge cake. Normally this should not taste or smell eggy. The most common reason for that would be underbeating the eggs and sugar. I suggest watching the video tutorial to see if your cake looked the same and if not, try to determine where it started looking different in the process. Another reason for an eggy smell would be if the cake was cooled in an area of outdoor draft – the same thing goes for any egg-based dessert-like meringue or egg-based cakes
Hi Natasha,
I halved the recipe and made 2 6″ cakes. Both cakes sank in middle after i took them out of the oven but i overturned the pans (like when you bake a chiffon cake) and let them cool that way. They were some what rescued and i cut off the little bit that was still sunken and got 2 flat layers to work with. i brushed syrup over the cake and they tasted really good, with the perfect texture! i just need to figure out why the cake sank. i did whip the eggs and sugar till thick and fluffy and i don’t think over worked the flour in. Will try again cos it’s really the best sponge cake recipe that i’ve tried so far. Thank you!
Hi Wendy, this cake relies on the volume of the eggs to rise so overmixing with flour could have caused it, but I also suspect that it could be due to the way it was cooled. I haven’t tried leaving it in the pan upside down to fully cool.
Hi Natasha. Quick question. Would it be possible to bake this cake in a square tin or pyrex? Like a 9×9 or 8×8? Thanks!!
Hi John, without testing in your particular pan, I could only guess. I did bake this in one springform pan in the past for 30 minutes. This was from our coffee cake.
Hiii, can this cake be used with different extracts to create different flavors?
Hi Sarah, I haven’t tried that yet but I imagine that should work. It sounds like a good idea, if you do an experiment, please share with us how it goes!
How would I adjust the time/temp to bake it in an 8”x14” glass pan?
Hi Donna, I haven’t tried it in an 8×14, but here is where I made the strawberry layer cake in a 9×13, but it required a double recipe and making the batter in 2 separate batches (or it would overwhelm the mixer).
Can I freezer this cake?
Hi Natasha, I would cover and refrigerate for 2 days. They keep really well in the refrigerator. You can freeze them for longer.
Thank you! 🙂
Hi Natasha can I use this recipe to make a rolled Yule log?
Hi Debbie, I haven’t tried that yet but I imagine that should work too. I also have a Tiramisu Yule Log recipe here.
Hi Natasha,
Thank you and I just saw the recipe. Going to make it for the holiday. Happy Christmas
Debbie
I hope you love this recipe Debbie!
Hi Natasha ,
Would This cake work in a bundt pan?
Thank you
Hi Leah, I haven’t tried this in a bundt pan but I imagine it would be very difficult to get it out of a bundt pan as this cake has no oil or butter in it and requires that you loosen it from the pan with a spatula.
Right! I wound up using the springform ( as you had suggested in a comment below) and worked great! TY !!
Is it possible to bake this cake in one pan instead of two ?? If yes would the time of baking change?
Hi Erica, if using one pan, you would need one with tall walls like a springform pan. We did that in our older Tiramsu layered cake recipe.
Hey! How many days does the cake last in the refrigerator?
Thanks!
Hi Kim, I would cover and refrigerate for 2 days. They keep really well in the refrigerator. You can freeze them for longer.
Hi. Love your recipes. I don’t hv 2 rd pans. Alternatives pls.
Hi Irma, if using one pan, you would need one with tall walls like a springform pan. We did that in our older Tiramsu layered cake recipe.
Hi Natasha,
I’ve done this cake and is so easy and delicious so thank u, I had a question, if I add crushed hazelnuts on the bottom of the cake pan will the cake rise still?
Thank you
Hi Aleksandra, thank you for your good feedback. I have not actually tried doing that process yet to advise. If you do an experiment, please share with us how it goes.
May I know the measurement of egg in weight rather than numbers
Sorry but I don’t measure the eggs by the weight
hi Natasha
i would like to try this cake my question is do you cook it only on pre-heated oven, meaning you do not turn the oven on at all?
thanks
oshenia
Hi, definitely keep the oven on. I meant to say that the oven should be fully preheated when you put the cake into the oven and then bake at that same temperature.
Hi
Usually I use 1 cup of sugar and 1 cup of flour and always had excellent results. How come the ingredients in grams have a different measure?
Hi Sandra, the grams are by weight. Check out our post on how we measure which may help.
Thank you so much for the recipe! Already made it 2x .turned out beyond perfect. The 2nd time I used Bobs Red Mill 1:1 and substituted 1/4 cup of sugar for Lakantomonk fruit granulated sweetener. turned out perfect. One day I’ll try to make entirely with Lakanto.
Thanks for your great comments and feedback, Vicky. I’m so glad you loved it!
Hi Natasha!
I have made this before and it turned out great. Would it still turn out the same if I made it into cupcakes?
Hi Baylee, I have not tried that yet but I imagine yes it should be the same and it should be great. If you do an experiment, please share with us how it goes!
hi Natasha
good day
may i ask you what went wrong why my sponge cake defalted? can you give me tips to bake it again perfectly please.
thank you 😊
Hi Nela. Since the cake relies on the volume of the egg 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 post and watching the video to see where things started to look different.
I dont blame you if this does not come out well my sister was supposed to make it and shes just putting in dollpos of stuff here and there, mixing, and expecting it to turn out a cake. Sorry I could not try out this recipe. I promise I w\ill try it later
Best cake ever made. Perfect even after Refrigerating for 24 hrs
Highly, highly recommend.
Love it! Thank you for your nice words and feedback.
Hi best sponge cake ever so easy and fast👍🏼❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️👍🏼
I just made this cake and it’s delicious! Do you have tips on keeping the cake from sinking in? I followed the instructions but must have done something wrong at some point. Thank you!
Hi Tiffany, 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!