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. Here’s what I managed…
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.
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.
Maureen Worcester says
At this present time of crisis, I cannot buy SR Flour, but I have plain in my cupboard, can this be used, and if so do I have to add more baking powder
Charlotte Oates says
Yes it can. Nigella has a handy guide for converting plain flour to SR.
Tammy says
Made this yesterday..thought I would try a different recipe than usual.
So glad I did…this is the most gorgeous vanilla sponge cake ever.
It’s so much lighter than the one I usually make.
Will use this from now on xxx
Nicole says
Everytime I make this cake I get so many compliments on how tasty and moist the cake is. It’s always my go to recipe!
Lynne bailey says
I made this cake recepie for my granddaughter ‘s 4th birthday. It was absolutely amazing,
Can you do this recipe for individual cakes
Charlotte Oates says
I use the same recipe for cupcakes. You can find that version here.
Mollie Curran says
Do you have to use margarine
Charlotte Oates says
No, you can switch it for butter which has been left to soften at room temperature.
B says
I have tried to make this but didn’t split it between two tins, just the one. How long should I cook it for please?
Charlotte Oates says
It will take 50-55 minutes to bake in a deeper tin.
Layla says
I haven’t made this yet but 6 drops of vanilla essence doesn’t sound like a lot, I usually use at least a teaspoon as I like a string vanilla flavour – will it still turn out ok if I use a little more vanilla essence? I also usually use butter rather than marg in a sponge – is using margarine recommended or does it not matter please?
Charlotte Oates says
It’ll be fine to add a bit more vanilla.
I usually use margarine as it’s easily mixed in straight from the fridge, but you’re fine to substitute with butter. Make sure you allow the butter to come up to room temperature before you use it so that it mixes in evenly.
Tracey Albert says
Just wanted to say thank you for sharing your vanilla birthday cake recipe. Especially as sponge is not my best.
My family and friends thoroughly enjoyed it, I used it for my husbands birthday cake. I would like to know how to make
This as a coffee cake.
Charlotte Oates says
I’m so glad you enjoyed it 🙂
You can find a coffee version here.
Kudeja says
Hi, what soft margarine did you use?
Charlotte Oates says
I usually use Stork
Tina says
Will it work without vanilla essence?
Charlotte Oates says
Yes, it will just have a slightly different flavour.