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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
Hello! Can I make this cake a day ahead to use for strawberry shortcake the next day
Hi Anne-Marie, yes, this would be delicious as a strawberry shortcake cake base.
Hello! Can I use a springform pan? Just use parchment on the bottom? Looks ng forward to trying it!
Hi Pamrla, that may work. Springform pans are a bit taller if you have a 9″ springform.
Can this be used as a base for tres leches? Seems so much easier than other recipes.
Hi Linda! Yes, it should work fine for that. Have you tried our Tres leches cake recipe?
That is close to the traditional recipe I usually use, this basic recipe just seems so easy and I like how I can just adjust this for a smaller and easier base. Thank you.
Hi Natasha! Attempting to make these using half sheet pans. Any tips on how to ensure I don’t end up burning them or drying them out?
Hi Manar! The baking time will depend on the size of pan you’re using and how much batter fills the pan. The best thing to do is watch it in the oven and check for doneness with a toothpick. The toothpick will come out clean when the cake is baked. Try not to open the oven too soon, the temperature change can cause your cake to collapse.
I have 2 , 6 inch cake tin , can I use the same measurements?
Hi Deepa! I haven’t tested this in many sizes to know how to make adjustments to the quantities. It would be too much batter for two 6” pans. I found this comment from one of my viewers: “I’ve made this cake in 6” pans many times.. but I used 3 pans for the full batch of batter.. and bake it a little bit longer. They come out nice and tall.”
It sounds like you can decrease the recipe by 1/3. Or use the leftover batter to bake in another pan. I hope that helps.
Thank you for your quick reply .. will adjust and see . Maybe divide it into 3 lets see ..
I have long waited to find this recipe my mother’s from Austria and she was a PhD graduate of confectioners however she never told us about it LOL anyhow she always made ther rolled cake desserts, I’m so grateful that you posted this and I happened to find it thank you so much I will be trying to make this this week and recreate some of her work thank you again so much
You’re very welcome, Christine. I hope it works out for you!
If I use less sugar in this recipe, will the texture still be the same?
…I would like to try 2/3 of a cup instead of 1 cup, but I don’t know if that’s safe for it to turn out the same, just less sweet.
Hi Sybil! I have not tested it with less sugar, but yes, generally it can affect the texture and moistness of the cake. I don’t feel like this cake is very sweet as is. Have you tried the recipe as written?
Thanx for responding so quickly♡
I haven’t made it yet. I guess I was worried that it would be too sweet if I put jam in the layers with the whipped cream.
Hi Natasha,
Your reciepe looks so easy with a stand mixer to follow but what happens if you do not have one will a hand mixer do the job too.
Hi Moe! Yes, you can use an electric hand mixer. It will just take a bit longer to mix.
this is an awsome cake recipe thank you for sharig my daughter loves this dish
You’re very welcome!
For the eggs, is it the whole egg that is used? Or just the egg whites?
This recipe uses the whole egg.
Hey Natsaha. I loved your recipie of the sponge cake it’s easy, airy and so moist. Love it !! Could you plz tell me if I can prepare the cake, cream, strawberry separately a night before and then assemble it all together the next afternoon?
Hi Fatima! Yes, the sponge layers will keep well at room temperature/refrigerated for a couple of days, or frozen for longer storage. Let them cool completely and then keep in an airtight container, or well wrapped to prevent drying out. For the strawberry cake, I like to assemble it ahead of time so it has some time for the layers to absorb moisture from the strawberry filling and frosting.
Wow I’m amazed at how wonderful this cake turned out. I added my own little twist and added a few drops of pandan extract. It’s very light and airy, and tastes just like the one I usually purchase at my local bakery. I’m glad this recipe doesn’t require cake flour, cream of tartar, or butter. Will definitely make this again when I feel like having some cake. Thank you for sharing this recipe!
I’m so happy you loved it, Emmy! Thank you so much for sharing that with me.
Used your sponge cake recipe instead of my mothers and yours turned out to be perfectly dense and didn’t deflate. My filling was handed down to me and had always been a family favorite especially for Spring birthdays and Easter ; apricot preserves, peaches and homemade whipped cream. Thanks for your recipe.
Can you use in Bundt cake pan? We would like to use it for a strawberry shortcake
Hi Brandon. I think it could, but because of the type of sponge cake, it may stick and be hard to remove.
I have made this recipe 3 times now, easy, peasy, light sponge cake every time. As two cakes are to much for me on my own, I halved the recipe and cake was great. This is so much easier then the long, cook book recipe’s I used to use to make a sponge cake. I use parchment paper and the cake comes out of pan with no problem.
Can this sponge cake be made in advance and frozen? What is a good way to make the cake in advance and store it for a few days?
Hi Robin. Yes, it can be frozen. Or you can store it at room temperature for 1-2 days (or refrigerate). Keep it in an air tight container. Let it cool first.
If you freeze the cake layers, how would you go about assembling the cake? Would you assemble frozen? Or is it better to allow them to come to room temp on the counter before assembling?
Hi Megan! You would thaw the layers first and the assemble the cake.
Can I make this in a 9×13 in pan? If yes, would baking time or temp change?
Hi Manha! I haven’t made this in all types of pan sizes and shapes to provide the exact instructions on how to adjust the quantity of ingredients for the amount of batter needed, baking times, etc. It would require some experimentation. Baking temperature can likely remain the same but timing would be different.
I’ve never done a fondue. Will this cake work for dessert dipped in a chocolate fondue?
Hi Theresa! It’s a basic sponge cake that works well for many flavor combinations. It doesn’t have much flavor and relies on syrup/filling/frosting/toppings (like chocolate sauce) to help. You may also enjoy myvanilla cake recipe. It would be a great option for fondue as well.
Just used my mom’s old recipe for this cake and remembered what a pain it is to make. All these procedure steps and separate little bowls to measure things out. My kitchen always looks like a tornado went through.
Love this new recipe only wish my mom was still around to enjoy it with us.
Thank you Natasha, you are a “ kitchen meltdown saver!!!!❤️
You’re so welcome! I’m sure your mom is proud of you for learning a lot of new recipes and cooking!
I ended up making this recipe for my husband’s birthday and it was so simple, quick and easy. I love how light the flavor was, I didn’t have vanilla so I substituted with some buttery syrup and it still came out absolutely amazing. This will definitely be my go to recipe for sponge cake.