This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy.
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
Hello.. 🌸
Can I use all batter in one 9” inch round cake pan at once? Can I get a risk 🥺
Hi Yin, yes, 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.
I though genoise batter by definition was raised by correctly beaten eggs, and had no other raising agent. You seem to have baking powder. Please do explain why, when you have many eggs, is it necessary to use baking powder.
Hi Geeta, I have made this recipe many times without any baking powder and it works great, but it is critical to beat the eggs and sugar sufficiently since the cake relies on the volume of the eggs and sugar to rise. The baking powder helps it rise a little more evenly, consistently.
Hi nathasia, i tried this recipe for victoria sponge cake. The taste is good but it became dry as I put it in the fridge before serving it. Will try once again for my baby’s birthday 🙂 thanks!
You can try not serving it right away from the fridge, leave it at room temperature for a couple of minutes before serving.
I love this recipe and I have made it multiple times. I want to try it in smaller size. If I use 4 eggs and a single 7 inch cake pan, how long should I bake it for?
HI Kruti, you’ll have to experiment depending on the size of pan you have but it will bake faster if it’s a thinner cake.
Hi Natasha, thank you so much for this recipe. I have never made sponge before and this turned out amazing! I used a hand mixer and followed your instructions and it could not have been easier. 😊
Yum! That’s so great, Trish! I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
Hi Natasha. Is it ok to bake the sponge cake in a chocolate version?
Hi Margarita, I haven’t really tested a chocolate sponge to advise. I do have a chocolate cake recipe here too if you would like to try.
hi,
I use a convection oven, but I don’t have the option of centre rack.in that case is it okay to just bake normally.
Hi Maria, I haven’t tested this in a convection oven, so I’m unsure 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. I would make sure it’s not too close to the top or bottom, but also, and typically, you would either reduce the temperature by about 25°F or shortening the time by 10 to 15%.
just want to know if you can use this recipe to make the three milks cake because I know you have on your website but just want to know if you can use the The sponge cake for the base.
Hi Jhony, it won’t be the same with this cake base. I suggest using the tres leches base.
Hi natasha,what setting do you leave your oven on?Sorry quite amature in baking.
HI, I have that in the first step of the recipe card. It’s at 350˚F and I have the rack in the center of the oven.
they’re right! it sank in the middle despite following the instructions meticulously. so sad. it was supposed to be a birthday cake for someone special. not sure if I can salvage this….:(
Hi Des, that is really unusual that the center sank. It almost sounds like the oven might be the culprit. 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 including our post our measuring HERE that helps explain measuring dry ingredients.
I love making this cake! It is super fun to make and delicious! It goes fast and doesnt create a big mess in the kitchen. I love layering it with juicy fruit like strawberries and cream. It makes an impressive take along dish. This last time I made it, I tried something different. I didn’t have any sugar in the house but I did have some granulated stevia/erythritol mix. So I used 1/2 cup of that instead of sugar
It worked. It is different but if you want to try and make this cake without sugar then I can tell you, it will work.
Yum! Yes, it is so good layered with fruit! I’m so happy you enjoyed that, Deborah!
Hi Natasha ..im a big fan of urs and have been following ur recipes…u r amazing …i wanted to know for how can can we keep these sponge cakes in the fridge before we actually frost them …i baked two but the event for which i did has got postponed so like maximum how long will they stay fresh
Hi Muskaan, if stored properly, you can make the cake base ahead of time and store it either in the fridge or at room temperature for a day or 2 or wrap and freeze up to 3 months. You do not need to cut the top or sides for this case. If you frost it, then yes, store it in the fridge.
The cake is super soft but my cake keeps deflating in the centre, I am not sure why.
Hi Lum, the main culprit of the cake sinking is often under-beating the eggs and sugar. Did you start with room-temperature eggs and use a high-powered stand mixer to beat together the eggs and sugar and then fold the flour in with a spatula so as not to deflate the batter? I sure hope that helps some.
Just wanted to let you know that I used two 7″ square pans, didn’t reduce any of the amounts, and they didn’t come close to overflowing.
But the cake turned out dry and a bit tough to cut, and I followed your recipe as written (along with adding 1 tsp of vanilla extract).
Hi A, I’m more than happy to troubleshoot. This sponge cake should not be dense or tough to cut. I would highly recommend reading the tips in the recipe above for what the batter should look like. Since the cake relies on the volume of the eggs for leavening, it is critical to beat the eggs and sugar adequately in this classic sponge cake, or it will be flat and dense. I also recommend checking out our post on measuring here that happens to be the culprit often.
Thanks for the reply Natasha! After I took the cakes out of the oven, I left them sitting on the counter for maybe 5 hours as I worked on the other stuff. Then I finally put frosting and fruit on the cake, put it in the fridge for maybe an hour and a half, then took it out to eat.
Could letting the cakes sit on the counter for 5 hours caused them to be dry and tough?
Hi A, it’s hard to say without being that, but that may be the case. If you let it sit for too long, I would keep it in a container or cake dome for freshness.
Can I use a bunt pan and how long do I bake it
I made your sponge cake it was very good but I want to make it in a bunt pan how long do I bake it for ?
Hi Adriana, 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.
Thank you so much ,I love all your recipes thank you again
This turned out great. I divided the recipe by 1/3 and baked it in two 6 inch mini cake pans, which fit perfect. I also do not have a stand-up mixer so I used an electric hand mixer on the highest level and it worked great beating the eggs/sugar for 8 mins. It baked perfectly in 23 mins, nice and moist, and I made some delicious strawberry shortcake!
Great to hear that it worked out fine, Katie! Thanks for your good review and for sharing your experience with us.
Excellent. Keep up the good work Natasha. Love ur kitchen.
Thank you so much! I’m so glad you’re enjoying my recipes!
Hello Natasha, I tried to make the cake according to your recipe, but the cake sank after it came out from oven. I notice that your 1 cup of flour was 130 gram, but in my situation, it’s only half a cup. Do you think it’s the reason to cause the cake shrink? Please help. Thanks.
Hi Delia, that is really unusual that the center sank. It almost sounds like the oven might be the culprit. 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 including our post our measuring HERE that helps explain measuring dry ingredients.
Natasha,
Could you please advise how to adjust ingredients in order to make it in sheet size? I need a bigger than 9″ cake for the upcoming bday party. Thank you
Hi Irina, check out the version that we used to make a cake roll. I hope that helps.
Hi, the sponge came out really light and fluffy but it came out too sweet for our liking. Can we half the sugar?
Hi Kattie, I honestly haven’t tried that yet to advise. If you do an experiment, please share with us how it goes.
Can this be made to use in a trifle??
Hi Krystal, Yes, I think this would work well for a trifle. It absorbs moisture really well and doesn’t get soggy.
This recipe did not work for me it was horrible
Hi Marian, can you provide more details on what happened or if any changes or substitutions were made and I will do my best to troubleshoot. I’ve made this cake more than I can count so I have come across the common issues. I also highly recommend you watch the video tutorial to see where things may have gone wrong.
Baked this in cups for individual straw/blueberry shortcakes red white and blue for Memorial Day came out great love the recipe!
That sounds like the perfect Memorial Day treat! I’m so glad you enjoyed it!