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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 Natasha,
I tried making your sponge cake twice. Each time, the center of the cake would not rise making the cake look concave. I tested the center of the cake with a wooden skewer and it would come out clean. Yet, each time the center is dense and looks uncooked. What happened? What can I do to fix this? To me, sponge cakes are not easy.
Hi Jerry, that is unusual that the center sank. It almost sounds like the oven might be the culprit. Did you possibly use a convection oven rather than a conventional one? 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 include our post our measuring HERE that helps explain measuring dry ingredients.
How can we make a chocolate sponge?can the same recioe be used?how much amount of cocoa powder and floue should be used?
Hi Amna, 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 Natasha…wanted to make your Schwartzwälderkirsch Torte. Checked out your video on how to make the sponge. Can the sponge cakes be made a couple of days in advance? Or do I need to make the whole cake at one time. If I can make them ahead of time, how do I keep them fresh?
Hi Julie, I would cover and refrigerate for 2 days. They keep really well in the refrigerator. You can freeze them for longer.
Hi Natasha , thank you for lovely recipe , it worked great, it was amazing. My younger sister even said it was the best homemade cake she’s ever had
That’s just awesome! Thank you for sharing your wonderful review, Siyanda!
I always assumed this fancy named sponge would be hard to make, but it looks super easy!
Would this sponge work for a Boston Cream Pie?
Hi Sarah, I haven’t tried that myself, but I bet that could work!
Hi Natasha,
Always love your recipes. I haven’t tried your cake recipes yet. I want to try it this weekend. Do you use Vanilla extract in this recipe for sponge cake?
Hi Neela, more recently, I have been adding vanilla for sponge cake, but the cake will work without it as well. The flavoring in the cake comes through when the syrup is added so the vanilla is optional. You can use 1/2 to 1 tsp
Hey Natasha,
I have a thin pan that has about the height of 2 inches. Do you think that I can use that pan to bake this sponge cake? Also do you think that lining the sides with excess parchment paper will give extra height to the pan?
Hi Kylie, The pan I used two 9″ pans that are 2.2″ tall.
sponge cake recipe: have you tried to make this with half add sugar, half Slenda? Any advice for a more diabetic recipe??
Hi Carlos, I haven’t experimented on that yet to advise. Maybe others have tried and can share it with us here.
Just made the cake, it came out amazing!!! Wish I was able to upload the photo here , thanks so much for super easy recipe
I’m so glad you enjoyed the recipe.😊 Great job!
Can I bake sponge cake in spring form, will it turn out as soft and fluffy?
Hi Lena, that will work too. If you try it, please share with us how it goes.
Natasha,
I enjoyed your instructions, which were easy to follow. I followed them precisely, and while it rose fine, it came out rubbery. What should I do differently?
Hi Meli, that is usually due to under beating the eggs and sugar since the cake relies mostly on the volume of the eggs and sugar to rise. Also, make sure to have the oven preheated and bake right away without leaving it at room temperature too long.
Hi Natasha i am a very big fan of you cooking skills.I must say i just love watching you cook and the way you make it so interesting with a little bit of your comic added to it while cooking. You are just fanstastic. I love your cakes and when my kids have the earge for cakes then i love to peek on only your receipes. Thank you for the wounderful work you share with all. Love you. Starlet Gonsalves from India.
Hi Natasha! Can I use egg whites instead of whole eggs?
Hi Maya, I haven’t tried this with only egg white, but that would be more like an angel food cake. I just haven’t tested that through.
Tried the sponge .It is so easy and comes out so well . Thanx a lot
I’m so glad you enjoyed that, Mary!
Tried the sponge .It is so easy and comes out so well . Thanx a lot
You’re welcome! I’m so happy you enjoyed it, Mary!
Hi, I followed the recipe and instructions and unfortunately when I took the beautiful cakes out of the oven, they fell. I will try again, perhaps I should have added additional cooking time, but tester came out clean.
I hope they work out better for you next time, Wendy! Remember, 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; make sure it’s not expired. Happy baking!
Hi can i half this recipe ?
Hi, yes you can half the recipe and bake in one pan like we did our cherry cake.
This cake turned out perfectly for me! It was a bit too sweet for me. Is it possible to maintain the fluffiness of the sponge with less sugar?
Good to know that you enjoyed it, Annie. I honestly haven’t tested that yet to advise. You may check all the other comments here if someone else have already tried it.
Was easy to make but taste to much like eggs. Not my favourite
Hi Natasha, I know the difference between a sponge cake and regular cake. Are they each made for a certain type of cake?
Hi Pamela, it depends on what you mean by regular cake, but a sponge is a batter made with eggs and sugar, whipped. A traditional sponge cake has just a few ingredients: flour, sugar, and eggs.
Hi Natasha,
No, I meant like, for example, if you were going to make a vanilla sheet cake, would you make it a sponge sheet cake or a regular sheet cake with butter, flour, sugar, etc.?
We used the same recipe for a sheet cake, like this one here. So this will work for both. I hope that helps.
Hi Natasha, I love all your baking videos. I have used this recipe in many cakes and I love it. Can I convert this into a chocolate sponge cake by added 1/4 cup cocoa powder to the dry ingredients? Please suggest any other way. Thanks
Hi Kruti, I haven’t tried that yet to advise. If you do an experiment, please tell us how it goes.