A delicious, light vanilla sponge birthday cake recipe. Quick and simple to make and perfect for decorating to make a birthday really special.
When I was a child I loved the birthday cakes my mum made and decorated for me. At my parties, I was always really proud to show off my birthday cake to my friends. In the weeks running up to my birthday, I used to look through my mum’s cake decorating book and choose the cake I wanted (actually I always chose the fairy castle, but never got it).
Now I have my own children, it’s important to me to do the same for them. Rather than choosing from a book, I let them describe what they want and then scour the internet for inspiration to achieve it (I don’t know what I’d do without Google Images and Pinterest). Today is my littlest’s second birthday so I thought it would be a good time to share with you the recipe I use for making the vanilla sponge which goes inside most of the cakes I make for my family. The recipe is adapted from a book called Cake Magic by Virginia Welsh and Alison French – the same book I chose my cakes from when I was little.
The theme I was given for today’s cake was Chuggington. I was told it must include an engine shed, three trains (Wilson, Koko and Brewster), and a turntable (they don’t ask for much!). I’m not a professional cake decorator, but what I lack in skill I hopefully make up for in enthusiasm and effort.
Equipment
To make my vanilla sponge I’d recommend the following equipment…
NOTE – These are affiliate links which means that if you purchase from Amazon after clicking on one the product links below I will earn a small commission.
Accurate scales are essential when baking and I love these Electronic Scales from Salter. You can reset the weight every time you add a new ingredient which is perfect for something like this all-in-one sponge. They’re also compact so take up hardly any space in your cupboards.
If I’m making a round cake I use these tins
from Delia Smith (well if it’s good enough for Delia then it’s good enough for me!).
Instead of using greaseproof paper to line your cake tins I recommend trying these Bake-o-Glide reusable liners
. There’s no need to grease the tin as they’re easily removed, and they’re pre-cut to size so there’s no fiddling around trying to get the greaseproof cut to the right shape.
You’ll also need a large mixing bowl and an electric mixer (you can mix by hand if you don’t have a mixer just be prepared for some arm ache!).
Fancy making a chocolate birthday cake instead?
Then try my new CHOCOLATE BIRTHDAY CAKE RECIPE, it’s really chocolatey, easy to make and perfect for decorating.
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Birthday Cake (All-In-One Vanilla Sponge)
INGREDIENTS
- 225 g self-raising flour
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 4 eggs - I usually use medium but large also work well
- 225 g soft margarine
- 225 g caster sugar
- 6 drops vanilla extract
- 2 tsp milk
RECIPE VIDEO
INSTRUCTIONS
- Preheat the oven to 160ºC/140ºC fan
- Line your baking tins(s) (I usually use 2 x 20cm round sandwich tins or a 20cm x 30cm rectangular tin, depending on the shape of cake I want to make).
- Sift the self-raising flour (225g) and baking powder (2 tsp) into a large bowl.
- Add the remaining ingredients (4 eggs, 225g soft margarine, 225g caster sugar, 6 drops of vanilla extract and 2 tsp milk) and beat until thoroughly mixed.
- Pour into the tin(s)
- Bake for 30-35 minutes. To check if the cake is cooked insert a skewer and if it comes out clean the cake is ready.
- Leave to cool in the tin(s) for about 10 minutes and then move to a wire rack to cool completely – Make sure the cake has cooled completely before decorating.
NOTES
NUTRITIONAL INFORMATION
Any nutritional information provided is the estimated nutritional information per serving. Please refer to my guide to Charlotte’s Lively Kitchen nutritional information if you would like to learn more about how this is calculated.
Free From/Suitable For
- Suitable for Vegetarians
- Nut-Free
- Soy-Free
The ingredients for this recipe are commonly available free from all these allergens. However, please ensure you double-check allergen information for all ingredients.
I’m sharing this with the following recipe challenges… #TastyTuesdays with Honest Mum.
Dee says
Great cake and LOVE the metric measure and that you also put the measurements in the instructions to save scrolling back and forward all the time!!!!
Jane Parton says
I used this recipe x 2, to make an eighth birthday cake for a pair of special twins.
I took the sponges out of the oven, rested for 10 minutes and then wrapped them in cling and popped them in the fridge until the next day.
I filled them with a layer of strawberry jam and vanilla buttercream and then covered with white chocolate buttercream…..the cake got so many compliments and stayed moist and fresh for days and made approximately 28 portions.
Katy says
I made this for my dad’s birthday on Monday everyone LOVED it ! How would you make minis of this ? Xx
Neelum says
This is an excellent recipe, so delicious. It is perfect for carving into shapes without compromising the fluffiness. I’ll be making this again. I used it to make a police officer’s hat, for my 5-year-old. Everyone loved it.
I’d love to try this as a chocolate sponge, what cocoa measurements would you recommend?
Heather says
This is my Go-to cake recipe for birthdays! I always get compliments on the quality and it’s so easy! Thank you so much
Maya says
Hi, so you use self-rising flour and added baking powder?
Orla says
Hi there, I made this recently and could really taste the baking powder. Is there a need for using baking powder with self raising flour? Going to try it again as it was lovely otherwise!!
Gemma Stephen says
Absolutely delicious cake every time. The calculator for different sized cakes is a lifesaver too. Thank you so much
Sarah says
Hii! Does this recipe also work for a 10” square ? Thanks x
Charlotte Oates says
I make this in a 20x30cm rectangle tin which is 8×12″. That equates to an area of 96″sq. A 10″ square tin has an area of 100″sq. So yes, your tin should be about right.
Jenny says
Hi Charlotte, which jam do you recommend for the filling, raspberry or strawberry?
Thank you
Charlotte Oates says
Because the cake is a vanilla sponge, it really will pair nicely with pretty much any jam so just choose your favourite!
Megan says
Hello, what would 6 drops of vanilla extract equate to in terms of teaspoons? Thank you!
Charlotte Oates says
I would estimate around a scant quarter of a tsp.
Leanne says
I tired myself searching for cake recipes and eventually settled on this one. It was my first time baking a cake and it turned out perfectly. Got so many compliments and it’s given me the confidence to continue making celebratory cakes for my family which saves me a small fortune! Thank you!
Kelly says
Hi is this a good recipe to cover with fondant please?
Charlotte Oates says
Absolutely yes!
Jacqueline chandler says
Hello, I’m wanting to make a rainbow cake, would this be an OK receipe to add cake colours to. Aiming for 3/4 layers using bowling.
Charlotte Oates says
Yes you can colour this cake sponge but I would recommend making sure to use high quality gel colours as the more liquid varieties don’t give such an intense colour and will affect the texture of the sponge.
Simone says
One of the best cakes I have ever baked. So light and fluffy. I amazed myself.
Kristina says
This is SUCH a good recipe. By no means am I a skilled baker and I’ve been able to make perfect birthday cakes for my husband and both my sons and have received so many compliments.
This recipe is easy, super delicious and gets consistent results every time. I’ve tried freezing layers prior to assembly and they come out perfectly. I’ve been stacking 4 sponge layers with jam and buttercream between and icing with buttercream and have found that I haven’t needed to use dowels – the sponge density remains perfect.
Big thank you for this recipe, it truly is awesome.
Scarlett Steen says
So tasty and easy thanks so much! Will use this again next time for sure!