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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
Hi! I’m making this cake for the first time for my daughter’s birthday cake. She turns 3 on Christmas Day. For the design she wants (adament about a Peppa Pig birthday cake) I need to make a sheet cake. What size pan would you recommend for how much dough this recipe makes and how long should I bake it for? Thanks!!!
Hi Sasha, are you planning to use fondant? This might be too soft of a cake to withstand fondant. You could put this entire recipe in a 9×13 pan but you will have to increase the recipe for a larger pan. Happy birthday to your little girl. A Peppa Pig birthday cake sounds adorable!!
No fondant. Plan to use buttercream frosting. Would it bake for the same amount of time in a 9×13 pan?
I would bake for 20 to 23 minutes.
Hi Natasha, could I use cake flour instead?
Hi Ana, I think 1 cup of cake flour would work fine 🙂
Hi, I want to try this cake but I don’t have a kitchen scale. How would you suggest I measure the flour?
Thank you!
Hi Nanda, you don’t need a kitchen scale for this. I would suggest spooning your flour into a dry ingredients measuring cup, and scrape off the top with the back of a knife for an exact measurement.
Thank you, I will try to make it over the weekend. I never made sponge cake without butter.
My pleasure Nanda!
First thanks for obviously yummy sponge recipe, then could you please give me the measuring of the ingredients as I have kitchen sale.also could this recipe work for a 24 cm pan or I have to double it..thanks again and merry Christmas.
Hi Mona, I will try to remember to weigh the flour next time I make this cake. As for the size of the pan, I am using about a 22 cm which is 9 inches. Yours is closer to 10 inches. I think doubling the recipe would overwhelm the cake pans. You might try one and a half times the recipe, i.e. a nine egg cake.
Thanx for your kind reply …yeah I am thinking of one and half times the recipe.i will make it maybe today and will tell you the results ..thanks again
Hello, so this was my first time making a sponge cake or baking in general….so I tried to follow everything exactly as it says. I was using this base for the pomegranate cake. I used the Kitchen Aid handheld mixer at the high speed (4) to mix the eggs. I did 1 min of just eggs, than gradually adding sugar for 10 min (since it was a handheld). When I was pouring in the batter it looked amazing and airy just like you described it. Once I took the pans out they looked perfect, and I set them to cool on the wiring rack, BUT when I check on them again like 10 min later the middle sunk in a little on both of them, causing a higher edge on the sides. Would this be because I checked the readiness with a toothpick in the middle of the cake once it was out of the oven? I did not open the oven till after 25 min. That is the only thing I can think of that I did wrong? Also, what is your method of cutting them evenly in half? I was trying to cut it and punctured the up , and had to assemble back when I was layering the cakes. If you could get me some tips on how to keep the cakes from sinking that would be great. This was a practice cake and I want to make it couple more times so that it is perfect for Christmas!
Hi, I am always happy to help troubleshoot. Is speed 4 the highest speed? Also, was your oven fully preheated when you put the cakes in it (baking in the center of the oven)? I don’t think it has to do with the toothpick being inserted. Also, were your eggs at room temp? Did you make sure not to grease the sides of the pan? This causes the cake to pull away from the sides and cave slightly in the center. I hope that helps! I hope that helps for next time!! 🙂
Yes, speed 4 is the highest. Yes oven preheated to 350, and was heated for at least 30 min until I put in the cakes. I put both cake pans on the center rack. The eggs were from store a little cold, so I put them in warm water for 15 min. I did not grease anything, only lined the bottom w/parchment paper…I will try to take the eggs our in the morning before I make the next attempt. Is 10 min enough at that speed for the egg/sugar? I also read that I should test baking powder to make sure it is still working. I will test before my next attempt. Can this cause them to sink?
That should be enough time beating if the eggs are at room temperature. And I have made this cake several times without the baking powder. The baking powder helps to produce slightly more level cake tops, but it should not affect the recipe much.
Can I use the 4 ingredients recipe for cupcakes and frost with butter cream frosting?how many cupcakes will I get?
I would not recommend this cake base for cupcakes since they would stick to a cupcake liner and a cupcake pan badly as there is no oil or butter in the batter.
This was my first time attempting a sponge cake, and the recipe was a hit! I accidentally left a bit of flour at the bottom of the bowl, but it still turned out. I soaked my cake with rum syrup, layered in poached pears, and covered it with chestnut whipped cream. It held up nicely and tasted great.
I love that it’s a blank canvas, and I plan to experiment with other flavor combinations in the future. Highly recommend!
I’m so happy you enjoyed it! That combination of flavors sounds amazing!!
came across this sponge cake recipe and tried it immediately as it was easy and guess what i made my first sponge cake.
I loved it but the egg was a lil over powering , how can i lower it a bit.
Hi Sabin, 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.
Hi Natasha, This cake turned out great so now I would like to try to add chocolate for my son’s birthday. Would it work to add cocoa powder? Thanks again.
Hi Larry, yes you could replace equal parts of flour with cocoa (about 2-3 Tbsp) to make it a chocolate cake.
I followed the recipe exactly but it collapsed in the center. I tested my baking powder and it was good. Any
ideas?
Hi Jim, it’s more likely that maybe the eggs and sugar were under-beaten. It really needs the lengthy beating time because the cake primarily relies on the volume of the eggs for leavening rather than the baking powder. I’ve made this cake countless times without using baking powder and it still works so the baking powder should only make a very small difference. I hope that helps! 🙂
Hi, my wife is Asian and likes really airy sponge cakes they sell in the delis.They are cone shaped and wrapped with parchment paper – kind of like a really big cupcake. Are you familiar with those? I’m wondering how to get them really airy. Maybe more whipping. Anyway, thanks for the great recipe. Good food from a lovely host.
Thank you Larry! I’m not sure I’m familiar with what you’re describing. If you could like to a photo of it somewhere, that might help.
Hi again. Thanks for your quick response. I found them here https://amandalwh.wordpress.com/2008/10/12/paper-lined-sponge-cake/. The tricky part for me now will be trying to convert from grams (or I will just try yours). 🙂
Is this a good cake for stacking tiered cakes such as wedding cakes? Didnt know if layers would be able to sustain the weight.
It really depends on how heavy the frosting is and whether or not you are going to use a syrup which would weight the cake down even more. If it is going to be heavy, the bottom layer can get squished.
I just made the sponge cake. WOW!!! Super easy n super yummy! My kids loved it, just by itself, even without any frosting. THANK YOU😊
Awww that is so great! Thank you so much for sharing that with us 🙂
it turned out so good!!!! tysm for this recipe 🙂
I am so glad you enjoyed it! Thanks for the wonderful review 🙂
I wish I could buy sponge cakes from you! And have them shipped over me lol 🙂 I would’ve bought like 10 🙂
Ha ha, yes if there were 5 of me, maybe! lol. 🙂
Hi Natasha..just curious if this recipe can be used for a sheet cake, and will it hold up to being sliced to fill? Thanks in advance!
Hi Traci, I’m not sure what you mean by sliced to fill. I usually assemble this as a layered cake with filling and frosting between layers. You can bake it as a sheet cake but you may have to alter the proportions and bake times depending on how large you want to make it. I hope that helps!
Hi!
I plan to make this cake for a party and wanted to know how far in advance I can make it in? Do you think it tastes good with plain buttercream? 🙂
I think it tastes great with plain buttercream but I would recommend a syrup of water, sugar and maybe a little lemon juice to add moisture to the cake layers. You can also add a little rum or wine instead of lemon juice for extra flavor. I hope that helps! 🙂 You can store this cake at room temperature overnight, covered loosely with plastic wrap. You can also let it cool to room temp, place parchment between the layers, cover loosely with plastic and freeze up to 3 months. Thaw at room temp or in the refrigerator and use as usual.
Hi Natasha, I just wanted to ask, do you ever make the sponge cake in the springform pan (the bottom comes off) or only non stick round pan? (from your shop page)
And also, I don’t know if anyone has any experience or suggestions with gluten free option? Best flour brand, not to use flour brands, or just any other tips for this sponge cake?
Thank you!
Hi Alina, I have had several readers say that this cake works well using gluten free flour. I don’t recall if they mentioned specifically which brand of GF flour but everything else stayed the same and they were able to use gluten free flour in place of all-purpose flour. I have tried it in a springform pan but I only have 1 of those pans so I usually divide the batter between 2 regular cake pans, but it will bake nicely in springforms. If you wanted to put the entire batch into 1 springform, it will probably take longer to bake (32 to 35 min or so). I prefer baking them in 2 separate cake pans because I consistently have 2 layers that are more even.
Natasha, I am thinking about making a stand up firetruck cake for my nephews birthday. Will the raspberry moose hold up well or it needs to be in a supported pan? Do you think it’d work for a cake like that or no? And if so will buttercream go well with it? Thanks.
Hi Elena, It’s hard to visualize what you are trying to do and where you are trying to put the mousse and under what kind of weight/layers. It’s a fairly delicate layer but it can be sandwiched between two cake layers with frosting over the top. I think a buttercream would work well with it. I don’t see why not :).
I tried the sponge cake last night. tasted really good even without any frosting. I don’t think the cake came out as spongy. I will try again today with 1/2 recipe and see how it comes up..i used electric hand mixer for 20 minutes. folding was not easy.
Hi Joice, 20 minutes seems unnecessarily long to beat this cake. Your poor arm – ouch! Did you use room temp eggs? Cold eggs take longer to beat. It should only take 10-12 minutes with room temp eggs using a good electric hand mixer. I am glad you liked it though 🙂