Easy Vanilla Sponge Cake Recipe! If you have been on the hunt for a basic vanilla cake recipe then you are welcome, as I have just the right, easy and quick vanilla sponge cake for you. It is fluffy, light, moist and delicious!

I think everyone needs a classic sponge cake recipe in their lives that is foolproof and delicious. A cake that makes everyone believe that you are a star baker and you belong in the tent for GBBO (Great British Bake Off).
A perfect cake recipe for everyone’s birthday or an afternoon tea. This is the basic sponge cake recipe you can pull off and make everyone doff their hats to you.
This has been my go-to basic vanilla sponge cake recipe, it has become a staple now that I can make it with my eyes closed. Honestly, this cake is easy to make. It is light and fluffy and reliable.
I have had some few cakes fails in my life; this is not one of them. I tried making Mary Berry’s Gingerbread cake recently and I think it was a disaster, though my family endured and ate it, I knew it wasn’t right.
Related post: this is the best chocolate recipe you will ever make. It is moist, delicious super easy to make.
Jump to RecipeEasy Vanilla Sponge Cake
I want to learn how to make other types of cakes, but this easy vanilla cake recipe was the first cake I learnt to bake. Thanks, mum!!!
Although I learnt the hard way as we had no stand mixer or hand mixer. If we wanted cake then which my mum would happily bake, we had to cream the sugar and butter by hand until light and fluffy and I mean proper light and fluffy. I do not miss those days at all!!!
Before we start experimenting with other types of cake, it is important to be able to nail the basic which is this vanilla sponge cake here. No, I won’t make you do it the hard way.
As mentioned above, this is my basic and easy vanilla sponge cake recipe which only calls for self-raising flour instead of cake flour. I will share my cake flour recipe at some point but today, let’s do the classic.
Tools for making sponge cake (cake baking tools and equipment)
Every cake expert or beginner would need the following essential tools and equipment to make their baking experience stress free
You would need a hand mixer, in fact, it doesn’t have to be fancy. My hand trusted hand mixer was less than a tenner when I bought it and I have had it almost 9 years now. I would recommend using a hand mixer because of the quantity used in this recipe.
A mixing bowl, same as my hand mixer, my no fancy mixing bowl from ASDA (not sponsored by the way) has been serving me since forever. It is 8 years strong!
Kitchen timer, this is important as you don’t want to open that oven too quick or you will have sunken cake. Your phone timer would suffice too
Cake tins: in whatever form they come but if you are starting out I would suggest you stick to the basic cake tins.
Spatula: to scrape every bit of your batter into the cake tin, no messing about here and yes we are saying no to food waste too.
Cake tester: this could be a toothpick, skewers or an actual cake tester.
parchment paper or cake pan liner: use this to line the case of the cake pan for ease when removing the cake from the pan.
Tips
- Use any other flavouring extract you have if the vanilla extract is not available when you make this sponge cake
- Don’t let the batter sit too long before putting it in the oven
- Fold the flour into the mix using a wooden ladle instead of the hand mixer.
- Keep all the cake ingredients in room temperature.
- It is a cake taboo to open the oven quickly, do this towards the end of the baking time suggested.
- Bake the cake in the middle of the oven
- Preheat the oven before you place the cake batter in the oven. It is important to start baking the cake at the right temperature. This brings me to oven temperature. If using a conventional oven, use the temperature stated in the recipe, if using a fan oven, reduce the temperature. E.g., if the recipe temperature calls for 180C/375F, set the oven at 160C/320F.
- Stick with a measuring scale rather than cups. Cup measurements are not made equal and they differ in each country too.
Ingredients for Easy Vanilla Sponge Cake
Self-raising flour sifted
Caster sugar better than granulated sugar. It makes creaming process easy
Cake butter or any other quality butter. Ensure this is at room temperature
Eggs (at room temperature): I hate eggy smell in cakes, so I always use one less egg than the recipe calls for. Eggs in cake recipes or any other baked goods are added to make the cake moist and to avoid it becoming too dry or chewy. I have used 3 large eggs for this sponge cake
Vanilla paste or vanilla extract flavouring: any of these works just fine
Milk: this is almost optional but recommended if you have it on hand. Without going into the baking science of why it is essential, use it if it's available to you.
Baking powder: You don’t necessarily need this when using self-raising flour but I added about ½ teaspoon for good measure (I don’t have trust issues btw)
2 x 8-inch cake pans
How to Make Easy Vanilla Sponge Cake (Best Sponge Cake Recipe)
Preheat the oven at 180C/ 375F or 160C/320F for a fan oven
Prepare the cake pans (2 x 8” round). Butter and line the tin base with a circle parchment paper
Using a hand mixer or stand mixer
Start by creaming the sugar and butter together until light and fluffy. This should be about 3 to 5 minutes
Then add the eggs one at a time along with the vanilla essence and mix until combined
Add the flour and baking powder if using.
Using a wooden spoon or spatula, fold the flour into the mixture until well combined. Lastly, add the milk and mix till well incorporated into the batter.
Divide the batter between the prepared tins and bake in the oven for between 25 to 30 minutes or until skewers/cake tester comes out clean.
Remove cake from the oven and leave to cool, remove from the tin and place on a cooling rack.
Make a Lemon sponge cake
Add the zest and juice of one lemon to the cake batter for a beautiful lemon sponge cake ever
Turn this cake to Victoria sponge cake by sandwiching two baked cakes with buttercream and jam. You can use store-bought or homemade strawberry or raspberry jam.
Do you love this easy cake recipe, why not give this orange cake a go? you would love it. It is one bowl, quick and super easy to make. Also if you love coffee then this delicious coffee cake has your name written all over it.
How to store sponge cake
This easy vanilla sponge cake would keep in the fridge for up to 5 days. Wrap in a cling film or airtight container. This prevents the cake from drying out especially from catching the smell of other foods in your fridge.
Other quick recipes you would love
Easy Vanilla Sponge Cake Recipe
Equipment
- oven and cake pans
Ingredients
- 200 g self-raising flour
- 200 g butter extra for coating the cake tins
- 160 g caster sugar
- 3 large eggs
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract substitute with 1 teaspoon of vanilla bean paste
- 4 tablespoons milk full fat or semi-skimmed
- ½ teaspoon baking powder optional
Instructions
- Preheat the oven at 180C/375F or 160C/320F (fan oven)
- Prepare the baking tins (2 X 8-Inch). Grease cake tin and line the bottom with a parchment paper.
- Using a hand mixer or stand mixer
- Start by creaming the sugar and butter together until light and fluffy. This should be about 3 to 5 minutes
- Then add the eggs one at a time along with the vanilla essence and mix until combined
- Add the flour and (baking powder if using).
- Using a wooden spoon or spatula, fold the flour into the mixture until well combined. Lastly, add the milk and mix till well incorporated into the batter.
- Divide the batter between the prepared tins and bake in the oven for between 25 to 30 minutes or until skewer/cake tester comes out clean.
- Remove cake from the oven and leave to cool (2 to 5 minutes), remove from the tin and place on a cooling rack.
Notes
- Use any other flavouring extract you have if the vanilla extract is not available when you make this sponge cake
- Don’t let the batter sit too long before putting it in the oven
- Fold the flour into the mix using a wooden ladle instead of the hand mixer.
- Keep all the cake ingredients in room temperature.
- It is a cake taboo to open the oven quickly, do this towards the end of the baking time suggested.
- Bake the cake in the middle of the oven
- Preheat the oven before you place the cake batter in the oven. It is important to start baking the cake at the right temperature. This brings me to oven temperature. If using a conventional oven, use the temperature stated in the recipe, if using fan oven, reduce the temperature. E.g., if the recipe temperature calls for 190C, set the oven at 170C.
- Stick with a measuring scale rather than cups. Cup measurements are not made equal and they differ in each country too.
Nutrition
Nutritional data: Please note that the nutrition label provided is an estimate based on an online nutrition calculator. It will vary based on the specific ingredients and brands you use. Under no circumstances will thedinnerbite.com be responsible for any loss or damage resulting for your reliance on nutritional information.
If you made this easy cake recipe, don’t forget to leave me feedback. Tag me @thedinnerbite on Instagram and save away to your Pinterest. Please subscribe to the blog if you haven't for free new recipes in your inbox
Joe Thamrin says
Best sponge cake recipe ever..., very easy, came out perfectly and taste delicious. thank you Ms. Ajoke. i cannot wait to try your other recipes... All the best
Amy says
It had a good flavor but came out very dense. I wasn't expecting that, given these comments. I'm a beginner baker so maybe I'm the problem. Still wanted to register though that mine came out a good flavored but dense cake.
Josephine says
Awesome recipe.. This was my first attempt to bake. Came out beautifully. Thanks for sharing.
Ify says
Hi Joke can i use just one 2 by 8 pan for this recipe.
Can i also use unsalted butter..
Thanks
Ajoke says
Hi Ify, 1 x 8-inch pan would be too small to bake the cake in, 2.5 x 8 would be an ideal size. Yes, you can use unsalted butter.
Lola says
Heyy Ajoke.... Is it ok if I use one 7 inch pan for this recipe?
Ajoke says
Yes, you can use 2 x 7 inch cake pan for the cake
Liv says
Hi Ajoke, thanks for sharing your recipe! Would it be possible to add chocolate chunks to the batter? Would the cake be just as good? Thanks!
Ajoke says
Hello Liv, I do not see why not. Now you want me to go into the kitchen and bake some cake this weekend too. Do kindly let me know how it turns out. Happy baking
Sasha says
Loved it! Easy and simple to follow with superb result.
Ajoke says
Yay, thank you for the feedback, Sarah! Glad you liked it
Shannon says
Can I add chocolate chips to the batter? I'm looking for a nice choc chip sponge without using buttermilk or sourcream but struggling to find one!
bblfoodss says
Thank you for this amazing rceipeeeeee.......
shola says
Ajoke, thanks so much.
I made this cake today with my son. It was simple to follow and it came out beautifully. Most importantly the taste was great!! Thank you.
Ajoke says
Thank you for the feedback, Shola. I am glad you enjoyed it.
La says
Hi, I made this cake today and the batter mixture tasted gorgeous so I'm sure the cake will. Just after tips as I followed the recipe but the cake batter was quite thick so not easy to spread in the tins and did not rise much. Is this as I didn't have my eggs at room temperature or had I not mixed the butter and sugar long enough?
Any suggestions appreciated.
Thanks
Gretchen Grant says
On Sundays, I make a sponge cake for my parents, and I try a new sponge recipe pretty much each week. Today, I found your blog and tried this recipe this afternoon. I have to say, this is going to be my ‘go to’ for an easy sponge. I followed your exact instructions, and the sponge was light and fluffy. My parents (who are 89 and 90, gave it a thumbs up!). I also appreciated that the amount of sugar was not equal to the amounts of butter and flour as in so many other recipes. I also enjoyed your explanation for the purpose of certain ingredients. Thank you for sharing such a gem!
Ajoke says
Aw, Gretchen, your comment just made my day. Thank you and my love to your parents.
Juanita Jeavons says
Thank you for sharing this recipe. I made a double batch for my son’s boys 13th birthday and it was all round thumbs up from everyone. This is our new favourite sponge recipe.
Mishy says
You,ve said it all mate you took the words right out of my mouth, I will try recipe & I'll be back 🙂
Melek says
Hi Joke. To make a chocolate version of this, can I simply add cocoa powder to the cake? If so, how much would you recommend per batter?
Ajoke says
Hi Melek, you can add about 1 to 1 1/2 tbsp of cocoa powder to the cake mix or make my chocolate cake recipe. https://www.thedinnerbite.com/the-best-chocolate-cake-recipe/
Melek says
Hi Ajoke. Thanks! While I have you - I have now tried this recipe for the vanilla one (it's in the oven right now) - but I have to ask, how did you manage to fill up 2*8 inch tins? I have followed the recipe EXACTLY as it is, and the batter is not even enough to cover half of one of the tins? Really hope you can help!
Ajoke says
Hello Melek, If you are using 8-inch cake pans that are over 1 inch tall then the batter would not fill up. I used a sandwich cake pan as shown in the step by step images. Kindly let me know how it turns out for you. Thanks
yeoh hooi ning says
i had the same situation, using two 8 inches cake tins and they barely reached half of each tin.
it looks like this recipe makes well risen cakes? i usually only can achieved one decent cake with that amount of flour and eggs.
Ajoke says
Hello, the recipe calls for a sandwich cake pan which is about 1 inch high. I update the post ASAP to be clear on the type of cake pan used and other options available.
Beth says
Hie, am a learner and am interested in trying your recipe, however am noticing that no salt was included,does it matter? I always thought all recipes have sugar and salt lol
Ajoke says
Hi Beth, you don't need to add salt and if you must, use 1/4 tsp of salt.
yeoh hooi ning says
i am so used to baking anything with all purpose flour and i didn't realized that you are using self raising flour. I was curious when i was making the batter why no salt required. It turned out that the cakes taste nice,but they were so flat as could not rise without proper amount salt and baking powder I ended up stacking the two cakes up to make a slightly decent cake 🙂 Will be getting self raising flour and try again.
Kim says
I used icing sugar instead of castor sugar and 4 tablespoons of pineapple essence instead of vanilla and it came out perfect!
Ajoke says
Thank you, Kim, I am happy this recipe turned out well for you.
Ivana says
Hi Ajoke!
I LOVE this recipie!! Thank you for sharing! But I was wondering, what can I do to make the cake a bit more moist?
Julliet says
Does it dry out in the fridge?
Ajoke says
No, Juliet, it doesn't if you wrap it in a cling film.
Petya Galabova says
Thank you so much for this recipe! I have very little experience when it comes to baking but I decided to try it for my daughter’s 6th birthday and it worked! I didn’t have self raising flour so I used regular flour with 1 tea spoon of baking powder. It didn’t raise as mush as it looks on the picture but it was still very delicious! Thank you again for a successful birthday cake! My daughter absolutely loved it!
Ajoke says
Aww, thank you Petya, I bet your daughter would be super pleased with you for baking her a birthday cake. I am glad she enjoyed it too.
Eve says
Hello, thank you so much for this recipe. I tried it and it came out lovely.
Will tag you on my YouTube channel (Eve Pisces) and share this link to your blog and recipe.
Helan says
Thanks For Sharing this Amazing Recipe. My Family Loved It. I will be sharing this Recipe with my Friends. Hope They will like it.
Kerry Ann W says
Hi Ajoke,
I have always had a fear of making a vanilla cake since my 1st experience was not a good one. I have tried recipes ever since which did not not turn out well but for the 1st time I found the perfect one. My God-daughter requested a rainbow cake for her birthday so I did a test run of this recipe and it was awesome. The cake was light and moist. I made the rainbow cake using this recipe and they were in awe. Thanks a million! I no longer have to fear making a vanilla cake as I have a foolproof recipe
Ajoke says
Hello Kerry, thank you so much for your feedback, I am so glad this recipe turned out well for you.
Nas says
Hi,
How should I change the measurements to make a 3 layer cake using a 9” cake tin? Thanks
Liz Franke says
Personally, I would double the recipe for 3 9" pans
Nathan says
Hey, I’m a first time baker and only 16. I was just wondering whether halving the ingredients would be adequate to make just the one cake. Also would I have to adjust the cooking time in anyway? Thanks
Ajoke says
Hi Nathan, yes, you can half the recipe and you are also correct about adjusting the cooking time. Depending on the size of the pan you decide to use, start checking from 15 to 20 minutes. Thanks
Ruth Tony says
this recipe is so genuine. do you think you could send a recipe on how to bake on a stove top instead i don t have an oven. thanks