VANILLA SPONGE CAKE

4.75 from 4 votes
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Vanilla Sponge Cake – light, airy, fluffy, eggy, not-too-sweet cake with ah-mazing vanilla flavor. This Vanilla Sponge Cake is made without butter or oil. You only need a few simple ingredients and you have a great-tasting cake!

Person holding a slice of vanilla sponge cake.

Years and years ago, I learned how to make a sponge cake at my Nutrition Class in secondary school. It was made without oil or butter and the idea of making a cake without butter/margarine or oil fascinated me.

Since we are nearing the end of the year, I thought it will be great to share some awesome cake recipes with you guys recipes you can make for Thanksgiving, Christmas, birthdays and other festivities (a couple more cake recipes will be published on the blog!).

So I went on a mission to create a Vanilla Sponge Cake that is reminiscent of the sponge cake that I learned to bake in my secondary school days. After lots of research and thinking, trying to remember what I could about the cake, I came up with the perfect easy sponge cake made with few ingredients.

Vanilla Sponge Cake with a slice removed and on a knife.

This Vanilla Sponge Cake tastes just like the one I ate back in the day. I hope you love it as much as I do!

What is Vanilla Sponge Cake?

A Vanilla Sponge Cake is a cake that is spongy in texture as the name suggests. It derives its spongy texture from the whipped egg whites that make the batter of the cake.

It is very light in texture and can be eaten on its own or can be frosted and decorated to make a more fancy-looking cake. It is the perfect tasty tea-time treat just like a Victoria Sponge Cake.

A vanilla sponge cake can be made with or without butter/oil.

How to Make Vanilla Sponge Cake Without Butter

Step 1: Whip egg whites and sugar until they form a stiff peak.

Glass bowl of whipped egg whites.

Step 2: Add egg yolks and vanilla extract to egg whites and lightly mix in.

Whisk in a bowl with egg whites, vanilla, and egg yolks.

Step 3: Add flour, baking powder and salt to the egg mixture then mix gently to form a batter.

Vanilla Sponge Cake batter in a bowl.

Step 4. Pour batter into prepared cake pan then level the top.

Vanilla Sponge Cake batter in a cake pan.

Step 5: Bake for 30 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the middle of the cake comes out clean.

Vanilla Sponge Cake in a cake pan.

Watch How to Make Vanilla Sponge Cake from Scratch

More Awesome Cake Recipes:

Perfect Vanilla Sponge Cake Recipe

Vanilla Sponge Cake

4.75 from 4 votes
Vanilla Sponge Cake - light, airy, fluffy, eggy, not-too-sweet cake with ah-mazing vanilla flavor. This Vanilla Sponge Cake is made without any butter or oil. You only need a few simple ingredients and you have a great-tasting cake!
Prep: 10 minutes
Cook: 40 minutes
Total: 50 minutes
Servings: 8 servings

Ingredients  

  • 4 large eggs
  • 1 cup flour (125g) plus 2 more teaspoons for dusting pan
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Instructions 

  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (180 degrees C). Brush a 9-inch round baking pan with 1 teaspoon of oil. Put in about 2 teaspoons of flour an dust round the pan.
  • Separate egg yolks from egg whites. Beat egg whites with an electric mixer until they form a soft peak. This takes about 2 minutes. Gradually add sugar and beat together with the egg whites until they form a stiff peak. This takes about 2 more minutes.
  • Add the egg yolks to the beaten egg whites. Add vanilla extract then whisk in gently with a whisk until just combined.
  • Sieve in flour, baking soda and salt, a little at a time and gently whisking them in each time you sieve them in. Mix in the dry ingredients until just combined.
  • Use a spatula to scrape the sides of the bowl, being careful to mix in any flour you see. Pour the batter into prepared cake pan being sure to clean the batter off the bowl using the spatula.
  • Bake in preheated oven for 30 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the middle of the cake comes out clean.

Notes

1. It is important not to overmix when adding the other ingredients.
2. You can beat the egg whites with a fork/whisk (that's how I beat them back in the day) but it is quite a workout! So if you have an electric mixer, use it.

Nutrition

Calories: 139kcal | Carbohydrates: 25g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 2g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.5g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Trans Fat: 0.01g | Cholesterol: 82mg | Sodium: 131mg | Potassium: 49mg | Fiber: 0.4g | Sugar: 13g | Vitamin A: 119IU | Calcium: 30mg | Iron: 1mg

Additional Info

Course: Dessert
Cuisine: International
Calories: 139
Tried this recipe?Mention @preciouscore or tag #PreciousCore!
Cake collage with text \"Vanilla Sponge Cake So Easy to Make!\"
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“There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death.” Proverbs 14:12, KJV


About Precious

Welcome to my core! I am Precious Nkeih, the recipe developer and writer right here on my blog, Precious Core. My goal is to show you insanely delicious recipes you can replicate in your kitchen. And I love to tell stories too. Hope you find recipes here that will make cooking easier for you! Check me out on YouTube at YouTube.com/PreciousKitchen.


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17 Comments

  1. Thank you so much for the recipe Mum
    This will be a great help
    Actually wants to bake a cake but I’ve never done this sponge cake so will be trying this following your procedure

  2. I made, and I like the sponge cake it was so simple to make. I made a breakfast cereal out of the cake with a few added ingredients so now I have a healthier breakfast cereal then those in the store Thanks You I’m looking forward to trying some of your other recipes. Blessings to you Ms precious. 🙏🏽🙋🏽‍♀️

  3. My sponge cake became a rock after coming out of the oven when it had cooled down
    Please what could have gone wrong?

    1. Hi Fatima, that sounds strange. It never happened to me before so not really sure what could have caused that. Did you follow the exact measurements?

    2. Hi, I first read the recipe before watching the video and I read that it says more grams than just one cup (136 g). Have you literally used 250g of flour? That could explain why your cake came out as a rock. Precious, maybe you can adjust the grams mentioned in your description.

      Ingredients
      4 large eggs
      1 cup flour (250g) plus 2 more teaspoons for dusting pan
      ½ cup sugar
      ¼ teaspoon salt
      ½ teaspoon baking powder
      2 teaspoons vanilla extract

      1. Hi Jo, thank you so much for pointing this out. I have updated the recipe to reflect the right amount in grams which is 125 g. I am so sorry, Fatima. The wrong measurement in grams must have been misleading. Thanks again, Jo.

  4. Thank you for this recipe Precious. It’s been long I stopped here but I’m glad to be back.
    Please, if you don’t mind, kindly make a step by step video on how to ice a cake for beginners. I will be so grateful if you make such videos

    1. I have been planning a video on how to ice a cake for beginners forever! I will put that up on my YouTube channel. Look out for it.

  5. This vanilla sponge cake looks so good it makes me feel so lazy to try making it I’d rather just kidnap this Baker 🍞😂