Easy Vanilla Sponge Cake
Easy Vanilla Sponge Cake is a recipe staple every baker needs. Adapt it with fillings to suit your latest whim safe in the knowledge that the base cake is as light and fluffy as any quality sponge cake should be.
Prep Time25 mins
Cook Time20 mins
Total Time45 mins
Course: Baking
Cuisine: British
Servings: 6 People
Calories: 500kcal
THIS RECIPE REQUIRES 2 X 6-INCH CAKE TINS
For the Easy Vanilla Sponge Cake
- 120g / 1/2 cup/ 4 1/4 oz Unsalted Butter - softened
- 120g / 5/8 cup/ 4 1/4 oz Caster sugar
- 2 Eggs - large, free range
- 1 tsp Vanilla extract
- 2 tbsp Whole (full fat) milk
- 120g / 1 cup/ 4 1/4 oz Plain (all purpose) flour
- 1 tsp Baking powder
Filling
- 2-3 tbsp Strawberry & rhubarb jam
- 250 ml/ 1 cup Double (heavy) cream
- 2 tbsp Icing (confectioner) sugar
- 1 tsp Vanilla extract
- 1-2 tbsp Crystalised ginger (chopped small)
Make the cake
Preheat the oven to 180C/ 350F/ GM4 and grease & line 2 x 6-inch cake tins
Using electric beaters, cream the butter and sugar together until light & fluffy
Separate the egg white and yolks. Put the whites aside. Add the yolks to the creamed ingredients along with the vanilla extract and milk. Beat until just combined
Sift the flour and baking powder into the bowl and gently stir in, using a large metal spoon until thoroughly combined. Take care not to overwork the batter though
Whisk the egg whites to stiff peaks. Take a spoonful and mix it into the cake batter to loosen it, then fold the rest in. Continue to mix until just combined and no obvious patches of egg white are visible
Divide the batter between the cake tins and bake for approx 20 minutes until well risen and golden. A cocktail stick poked into the centre of the cake should come out clean
Remove from the oven when sufficiently baked. Let cool in the tin for 2 minutes, before unmolding. Remove the parchment and allow the cakes to cool completely on a wire rack
Filling the cake
Put the cream into a medium mixing bowl with the vanilla extract and sieve the icing sugar in. Whip until the cream holds it's shaped nicely
Place 1 layer of cake on a plate/ stand and spread with 2 tbsp jam
Top with 2/3 of the cream - either pipe it on or smooth it out with a knife
Scatter 2/3 of the ginger over the cream and place the second layer of sponge on top
Spread a thin layer of cream across the top and pipe the rest of the cream around the edge of the cake (I used a Wilton 8b nozzle) and fill the centre with the remaining jam
Garnish with the remaining pieces of ginger
Best served immediately but this cake can be covered and stored in the fridge for up to 2 days (let sit at room temperature for 1 hour prior to serving)
The ingredients listed in the main recipe are sufficient to fill 2 x 6-inch cake tins. The recipe works on the following basis:
per egg add the following:
- 60g butter/ sugar / flour
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1 tbsp milk
From these measurements, it is easy to calculate ingredients for a 2-layer cake using the following cake tin sizes:
- 6-inch tins (2 eggs + 120g butter/ sugar/ flour + 1 tsp extract + 1 tsp baking powder + 2 tbsp milk) - the base recipe
- 7-inch tins (3 eggs + 180g butter/ sugar/ flour + 1 1/2 tsp extract + 1 1/2 tsp baking powder + 3 tbsp milk) - this is 1.5 times the base recipe.
- 8-inch tins (4 eggs + 240g butter/ sugar/ flour + 2 tsp extract + 2 tsp baking powder + 4 tbsp milk) - this is 2 times the base recipe
Allow extra cooking times for the larger cakes - perhaps check at around 23 minutes for the 7 inch cakes and 25 minutes for the 8 inch cakes.
Calories: 500kcal | Carbohydrates: 46g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 33g | Saturated Fat: 20g | Cholesterol: 155mg | Sodium: 186mg | Potassium: 164mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 28g | Vitamin A: 1192IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 85mg | Iron: 1mg