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.
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.
Ciara says
Done! This is unreallllll! Thank you
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.
Cliona says
I made this for my little boy’s 1st birthday yesterday and it was so light and fluffy! I split it between five layer tins for ease and it came out absolutely perfectly. When I served it everyone commented about how light and fluffy the sponge was so I think you get top marks all around. Thanks so much for the recipe, it was simple and totally lifesaving!
Charlotte Oates says
Thanks and happy birthday to your son x
Carmel Minto says
Hi, I made this cake & it looked fine but I thought it actually tasted a bit dry. I had to cook it for longer than suggested as it wasn’t done (my oven’s not great) . How can I make it more moist please & thanks. Any help gratefully accepted X
Charlotte Oates says
Cooking the cake for longer than suggested will most likely be why it’s dry. It sounds like your oven temperature is a bit low, perhaps next time you could up the temperature a little. It might also be worth investing in an oven thermometer. They’re only cheap and helpful in determining if your temperature is off.
Carmel Minto says
Many thanks for your help/advice… it could of course have been me being overly critical of my efforts as everyone else has enjoyed. Thanks again! X
S V says
I made the recipe exactly as written but the sponge was not great. Not sure why, it seemed too bubbly and airy. The taste wasn’t so great either. Disappointed.
Charlotte Oates says
It sounds as though you may have added too much baking powder. You need to use measuring teaspoons which should be level. If you use a regular teaspoon or have it heaped rather than level then the sponge will be too bubbly and it will effect the flavour.
Stephanie Anderson says
Hi Charlotte – I love this recipe and have used it for many of my kids bday cakes. Just wondering – could I use softened butter instead of margarine? Thanks
Charlotte Oates says
You can 🙂
Emma says
First of all, your website is fabulous, so helpful!
I’m making a bus shaped cake and a rectangular Pyrex dish I have is the perfect size and shape. Do you recommend adjusting cooking temperature or time if using a Pyrex dish rather than cake tin?
Thank you!
Charlotte Oates says
What’s the depth of your dish? If it’s shallow (like a sandwich tin) then there’s no need to adjust anything. If it’s deeper, then the cooking time will need to be longer. I tend to find that people get best results baking this sponge as individual layers rather than a deeper cake.
Christopher James says
I followed the recipe for your vanilla sponge birthday cake and it was perfect! I also used wet kitchen towel inside tin foil wrapped around the outside of the tins whilst baking which ensures a completely flat surface and edges that aren’t crispy or firm from the hot tins. I decided last minute to add a chocolate layer so I followed your recipe for chocolate birthday cake and just halved the ingredients and it cake out perfectly too! Then I filled with your Nutella buttercream – delicious (I could have licked the bowl) and before I covered in fondant, I made your vanilla buttercream but added some almond essence. It was a complete success, three layers high!! I will use NO other recipe from now on!! Thank you so much!!!
Carolyn says
Hi there
I need to make this cake dairy free. What milk alternative would you suggest works best with the recipe? I’m thinking oat or almond?
Thank you!
Charlotte Oates says
There’s such a tiny amount of milk in the recipe that it doesn’t really make a difference. The milk is there to make the consistency of the batter ever so slightly thinner.
Sarah Blakeway says
Can you freeze this cake?
Charlotte Oates says
Yes. Wrap it in cling film to protect the sponges and defrost it thoroughly before decorating
Besen says
YOU WERE STRSIGHT TO THE POINT WITH THE VIDEO. LOOKS VERY HELPFUL. I MUST TRY IT. THANKS.
Pauline Jordison says
Hi, how much ingredients will I need for a 10inch and a 12inch tins please?
Charlotte Oates says
If you have a look below the recipe there’s a link to a calculator which will give you the ingredients you need.
Angela Heys says
Hi please can you tell me in measurements ie tsp/tbsp. how vanilla extract I need please. I cant work out drops in this recipe it says 6 drops in my larger recipe it says 8 drops. how much in fraction is that please ? is it 1/2 tsp ? Also the chocolate birthday cake calculator it tells me 0.375 tsp. does that mean 3/4 of tsp please help
Sorry for all the questions
Charlotte Oates says
6 drops is about 1/8 of a teaspoon.
0.375 tsp is 3/8 of a teaspoon.