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.
Hiba says
Hi, I too plan on trying this recipe to make my son’s birthday cake! I’d like to make a drip cake, with buttercream icing and ganache drip; can you please advise if this sponge would suit this type of cake? Thank you.
Have a greatday
Charlotte Oates says
It should be absolutely fine. The edges of the sponge are quite soft so I would recommend adding a thin layer of buttercream (to catch any crumbs), chill that to let it firm up and then add a thicker layer over the top. Again let that firm up and then add your drip.
Helen says
Hi – planning on using your recipe for my son’s birthday cake. He has requested a PJ Masks cake, so was planning on doing 3 layers – green, red & blue. Two questions: 1) your thoughts on size of tins and mixture quantity needed and 2) assume it’s ok to add colouring to the mixture? Thanks in advance for your help.
Charlotte Oates says
Adding colour is absolutely fine. Use the gel colouring rather than the liquid ones to ensure you don’t change the consistency of the cake mixture.
The size of tins/quantities really depends on how big you’d like the cake to be/how many it needs to feed. The easiest thing to do would be a increase the quantities by 50% and make a 3 layer cake (I quite often do this on birthday cakes as it allows me space to add a design on the side). This will feed about 18 people (although more if they’re just small children’s slices).
Sophie Gill says
Hi there,
I was just wondering how long the cake will last once iced?
I need to make it at least three days in advance, so you think it will stay moist?
Many Thanks
Charlotte Oates says
I find that the cake usually lasts about 7 days after baking.
Lauren mclachlan says
Hi,
My soon to be 8 yr old has requested a homemade cake. She needs gf flour. Should I adapt the quantities or go like for like! Also will the cooking time be the same?
Charlotte Oates says
You should be fine to switch like for like with a GF self-raising flour. Cooking time will be the same.
Fozia Javed Mahmood says
hello
can i use this recipe to make a rainbow cake?
Charlotte Oates says
Yes, although you’ll probably want to make thinner layers or you’ll have an extremely tall cake. I’d probably go for the mixture for three layers split between 5 tins. If you do this then the cooking time for the thinner layers will be about 20 minutes.
Joanna says
Hi, I would like to make this for my son who is dairy-free. I have dairy-free margarine, but could I substitute the milk for soy milk or a similar non-dairy milk, do you think? Many thanks!
Charlotte Oates says
Yes. This cake is easily adapted to be dairy-free. Switch the marg for a dairy-free alternative (I usually use Pure Sunflower, but anything similar will be fine and substitute the milk for any dairy-free alternative. I have a recipe for dairy-free buttercream which you can then use with it.
Kelsey says
Hi, planning to use this recipe to make my son’s 2nd birthday cake and just wanted to ask if I can sub the margarine for the same quantity of butter? And if so would that be salted or unsalted? Thanks in advance!
Charlotte Oates says
You can. I would use unsalted (but it won’t make a huge difference either way). Ensure you take the butter out of the fridge to soften before making the cake or it’ll be too firm to mix in properly.
Naz says
I’m baking this cake for my daughters 2nd bday too.. it’s tomorrow praying it comes out perfect x
Suzie says
Hi – used your chocolate cake recipe for my daughter and niece recently, absolutely brilliant cake, thank you! Soooo many compliments, and better than the local bakery! But niece would like a plain cake this year so I’m right back on your website getting this recipe! I tend to use butter instead of margarine when making cakes, will it be ok? Thanks!
Charlotte Oates says
That’ll be fine, just make sure it’s soft before you use it (leave it out of the fridge for a while) so it mixes in properly.
Joanna says
Hi, can you tell me how many ml is a drop of vanilla extract? Or how many teaspoons? I’m making this recipe for 2x23cm round cakes.
Many thanks
Charlotte Oates says
14 drops is around a quarter of a teaspoon.
Eliana says
Hi I have 4 7inch cake tins how much ingredient do I need to use?
Charlotte Oates says
Pop your tin dimensions into my calculator and it’ll tell you the ingredients you need.
Caitriona says
Brilliant recipe. Always get complimented on it. I add a few drops of Sicilian lemon flavour instead of vanilla and it is unreal. Thanks for the recipe.
Melissa says
Hi, I am planning on using this recipe to make a christening cake. The tin I’m going to use is 10″ and 3″ deep but i’ve read a few comments saying this didn’t work as well in a deeper tin.
I did originally plan to cook one cake and cut it into 2, if I split the mixture in half, how much should I reduce the cooking time for?
Also just to make sure I’m using the calculator right, I would only enter ‘1 layer’?
Charlotte Oates says
The original recipe assumes that the mixture is split in half and cooked in two sandwich tins so if that’s the approach you decide to go for, then the 30-35 minutes specified in the original recipe is the right time. If you decide to go for one deep tin then it’ll need 45-50 minutes, although, as you’ve read the results of using a deeper tin are more inconsistent so I’d recommend splitting it.
Regardless of whether you want to make two layers in one deep tin and split it after baking, or cook two layers in sandwich tins you’ll need to enter 2 for the number of layers into the calculator. If you’re only planning on making a single thinner cake (or you only have one tin so need to make the two later separately) then enter 1 layer to get the required ingredients.
Heather says
This was far far too sweet (even for my children) and very dense. I would say reducing the sugar content would help a lot with the consistency and also with the taste.
Charlotte Oates says
I’m sorry to hear that you didn’t enjoy it. Can I check – did you use the grams or cups measures?
Sasha says
Hi Charlotte,
I just wanted to thank you so much for this recipe. I’m very much a home Baker however took on the task of making my friend’s wedding cake (she wanted a semi naked Victoria sponge) I needed to feed 50and alongside the ease of this recipe, your conversion chart & guidance re tin size helped me so much in creating a 4 tiered beauty. There were a lot of compliments. So, from the bottom of my heart, thankyou for this delicious recipe & brilliant advice. I’m just about to make a single tier for my son who cannot get enough cake at the moment xx
Linda Battisto says
Hi Charlotte, I am making a dinosaur cake and I am using a 2L stainless steel bowl to create the body. Can I double up on the quantities of this recipe and do you think it will work?
Charlotte Oates says
You can increase the mixture. However, it sounds like you’re planning to make a much deeper cake, which I found doesn’t always work as well with this recipe.
georgia rose says
can I freeze this cake and then defrost and decorate ?
Charlotte Oates says
Yes you can. Wrap it in clingfilm to protect it in the freezer.
Jess bennett says
Hi I’ve made this a couple times now and mine seems to keep sinking in the middle whilst in the oven. I’m not sure what I am doing wrong. I also used one 3inch tin and cooked it for longer.
Charlotte Oates says
I find the results using a deeper tin can be mixed. Some people seem to have no problem and others experience the problem you have. I would suggest splitting the mixture into two tins as that always has consistently good results.
Cindy says
What temperature are the cakes to be baked at ?
Charlotte Oates says
160C or 140C fan or 320F or Gas Mark 3
Amber Friedler says
WhAt is the serving size for this cake please?
Charlotte Oates says
This cake serves 12
Hannah says
Hi Charlotte I am making this cake for my sons first birthday, just wanted to ask what jam do you use? Also what fondant do you use? I want to make a 4 layer cake as it’s to serve 20 people also sorry to ask so many questions I want to make the white chocolate frosting would I put the frosting in the middle with the jam? Thank you c
Charlotte Oates says
I don’t always use jam, but if I do it’s either raspberry or strawberry.
I would also add buttercream in the middle as well as the jam.
Hannah says
Thank you so much for your reply, you are so talented your cakes are so pretty , thanks again x
Caroline says
I use this cake recipe *every* year – I love it. But this year, my son has requested a massive rainbow cake. If I add a whole heap of food colouring gel to the mixture will I need to change anything else about the recipe? Extra flour? Then I just need 6 of them.piled on each other….
Charlotte Oates says
As long as you use the gel colours they’ll be no need to change the mixture. You may want to consider making each layer thinner as six layers this size will be huge! You could use the mixture for 4 layers to make 6. If you do this you’ll need to reduce the cooking time to 20-25 minutes.