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Home » Baking & Desserts » Cakes » Birthday Cake (All-In-One Vanilla Sponge)

9 December 2014

Birthday Cake (All-In-One Vanilla Sponge)

4.0K shares

A delicious, light vanilla sponge birthday cake recipe. Quick and simple to make and perfect for decorating to make a birthday really special.

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A slice of vanilla birthday cake on a plate filled with jam and vanilla buttercream and covered in blue fondant icing.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. Here’s what I managed…

A Chuggington birthday cake. The cake is a blue engine shed with Koko, Wilson and Brewster poking out. There's a train turntable and a farm with a pig and sheep.

If you want to take a look at the other cakes I’ve made for friends and family then visit my cake gallery.

Recommended 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.

A slice of chocolate birthday cake, filled with chocolate buttercream and covered with white fondant with multi-coloured fondant spots.

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Sponge birthday cake recipe

Birthday Cake (All-In-One Vanilla Sponge)

A delicious, light vanilla sponge birthday cake recipe. Quick and simple to make and perfect for decorating to make a birthday really special. Recipe VIDEO below.
4.73 from 161 votes
Print Rate Save Go to Collections
Active Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 45 minutes
Servings: 12 servings
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INGREDIENTS

Metric - US Cups/Ounces
  • 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

Using a different shape or size of tin? Find out the exact quantities you need and the answers to lots of other FAQs about this recipe – BIRTHDAY CAKE FAQs.
If you’d like to make your own buttercream to fill and cover the cake you can find the recipe here – VANILLA BUTTERCREAM.
Adapted from Cake Magic by Virginia Welsh and Alison French.
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NUTRITIONAL INFORMATION

Calories: 297kcal | Carbohydrates: 33g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 16g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Cholesterol: 54mg | Sodium: 199mg | Potassium: 131mg | Sugar: 18g | Vitamin A: 750IU | Calcium: 54mg | Iron: 0.5mg

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.


Course: Dessert

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.


4.0K shares

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Sarah says

    May 21, 2022 at 10:17 am

    5 stars
    Hi I’ve used this recipe many times for cakes but I’m going to try using deeper tins this time so I only need 3 layers instead of 5 or 6 layers for a tall cake. I was wondering if I should just use double what I’d usually use for 3 layers (ingredients for 6 layers) and divide it between my 3 deep tins? Would this still bake ok? I know it will most likely take longer. I need the 3 layers as this cake requires 3 different colours of sponge. Thanks

    Reply
    • Charlotte Oates says

      May 22, 2022 at 7:59 pm

      If you’d like a taller cake then I’d recommend making more layers rather than baking the cake in deeper tins as you’ll get a better result that way.

  2. Mrs A says

    May 10, 2022 at 4:01 pm

    Hello. I am about to make this for my son’s bday. I am going to use sugar paste icing. Do I need to put something in between the icing and the cake please? Also would it be OK if I made it Wednesday for Saturday? Thanks!!

    Reply
    • Charlotte Oates says

      May 15, 2022 at 4:35 pm

      I usually fill and coat the cake in vanilla buttercream before adding the fondant. This helps the fondant to stick and also helps you to get a smoother finish.

      This cake usually lasts for a week after baking so you should be fine to bake on Wednesday for a Saturday, however you won’t have long to finish it up afterwards. Make sure you store it in an airtight container to help keep it fresh.

  3. Mary says

    May 10, 2022 at 9:24 am

    How far ahead can you make an ice this cake? e.g. how many days does it stay fresh?

    Reply
    • Charlotte Oates says

      May 15, 2022 at 4:38 pm

      It will last for up to 7 days after baking as long as it’s stored in an airtight container.

  4. Amelia says

    April 23, 2022 at 8:41 pm

    5 stars
    Made this for my 4 year old’s party and it was perfect! I used oat milk to make it dairy free and added some lemon zest to the sponge. Also doubled the recipe to make a huge rectangular cake and it was great. Was also really easy to make. Will use for many years to come I think! Thank you ☺️

    Reply
  5. D. Headley says

    April 21, 2022 at 12:35 am

    Beginning home baker here. I’d like to know if butter can be substituted for margarine? Only because butter is all I have on hand to practice the cake… thanks!

    Reply
    • Charlotte Oates says

      April 21, 2022 at 11:42 pm

      Yes you can substitute butter, just make sure that it is nice and soft before using.

  6. Ellie Crossman says

    April 20, 2022 at 3:55 pm

    Hi, I can’t find margarine in any shops by me. Can I use something else instead? Many thanks 🙂

    Reply
    • Charlotte Oates says

      April 21, 2022 at 11:43 pm

      Yes you can substitute butter, just make sure that it is nice and soft before using. I usually use Stork Baking Block when baking so that might be worth looking out for.

  7. Courtney says

    April 18, 2022 at 11:14 am

    Hi what gas mark do you recommend for this cake plz

    Reply
    • Charlotte Oates says

      April 21, 2022 at 11:46 pm

      You can find a comprehensive list of temperature conversions here – Oven Temperature Conversions

  8. Isabel Rowles-Smith says

    April 11, 2022 at 8:30 pm

    hi the cakes I have made so far are amazing. the question I have is…… Can I use the lemon, chocolate and all in one sponge cake for wedding cakes, stacked on each other, three layers of each? many thanks,. Isabel

    Reply
    • Charlotte Oates says

      April 12, 2022 at 3:53 am

      You can definitely stack two layers. I haven’t tested three. If you want to try it then make sure you use dowels to give additional support.

  9. Hollie says

    March 18, 2022 at 6:19 am

    Hi

    Is this recipe suitable for a rainbow cake if I split the recipe between tins and add food gel?

    Reply
    • Charlotte Oates says

      March 24, 2022 at 11:21 pm

      I have not tested this variation but I would be surprised if it does not work well. If you are baking more, thinner layers, you will need to bear in mind that they will likely cook more quickly than the standard recipe.

  10. Leanne says

    March 16, 2022 at 12:47 pm

    Hi ,

    I used the all in one vanilla cake recipe last year for my son’s birthday. I can’t seem to find the calculator I used last year and cannot find where I have written it down. I’m using 9″ Square again as it worked out perfect the last time. Any help would be appreciated…

    Reply
    • Charlotte Oates says

      March 24, 2022 at 11:26 pm

      Hi, you can find the calculators in this FAQ page. It is linked in the notes section in the bottom of the recipe if you lose it again!

  11. Siobhan Ferguson says

    March 14, 2022 at 7:08 pm

    5 stars
    I made the chocolate cake with the chocolate buttercream and wow it’s so delicious! I want to make it into a birthday cake so add fondant. My question is do I need to add jam before I place the fondant on top?

    Reply
    • Charlotte Oates says

      March 24, 2022 at 11:31 pm

      A thin layer of jam will help the fondant to stick yes.

  12. Louisa Mehta says

    March 14, 2022 at 12:49 pm

    Hi
    I’ve used this recipe for years and it’s brilliant – thank you.
    I have a quick question. I’ve always made the round cake but now need to make a rectangular cake. In step two you have said 2 round tins or rectangle. I just wanted to clarify if the mixture is for one rectangle or 2.
    Many thanks
    Louisa

    Reply
    • Charlotte Oates says

      March 24, 2022 at 11:35 pm

      The recipe given makes one 20cm x 30cm single layer cake so just one rectangle tin is needed. You can double the recipe if you want to make a double layer rectangle cake.

  13. Nadia says

    March 13, 2022 at 3:06 pm

    Hi Charlotte, thank you for your recipes. I have always used butter in recipes but I am thinking of switching to margarine. which brand do you usually use and have you used any which are more/less successful than others?

    Reply
    • Charlotte Oates says

      March 24, 2022 at 11:40 pm

      Almost any from the supermarket should be successful – branded or own brand and whether they are designed for spreading or specifically for baking. The “lighter” versions also work surprisingly well. Don’t forget to make sure you still use proper butter in any buttercream!

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Hi, I'm Charlotte Oates. Welcome to my lively kitchen where I share delicious, simple baking recipes, baking tools and calculators, and lots of tips and tricks.

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