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.
Sarah says
Hi, I made half of this last night as a trial run and it sank in the middle and seemed pretty greasy. I live in the states and I’m wondering if the margarine here is different to home? Have you any ideas which might help me? Baking is not my strong point! Thank you.
Charlotte Oates says
It could well be the difference in the margarine as different makes have different fat content. Perhaps try using room temperature butter instead and see if that gives a better result.
Sarah says
Thank you Charlotte for your speedy response, I will try with butter tonight 🙂
Lynika Lewis says
Hi Charlotte, I used your recipe for my son’s birthday cake which I made a day in advance and everyone really enjoyed it. The flavour was lovely but it came out a bit dry. I followed the recipe exactly so I’m not sure what happened. I’m wondering if there’s anything I can do to get it more moist without messing it up. Like adding some yogurt or something? Thank you so much, it does taste lovely despite the dryness.
Charlotte Oates says
Hi Lynika, I’m surprised by your comment as I’ve never personally found it dry. It could be that your oven is a little hotter than mine (you’d think they should all be the same but annoying they can differ) in which case you could try cooking it at a slightly lower temperature or removing it slightly earlier. Alternatively if your cake is a bit dry then you could add more butter as the additional fat should help to make it more moist. I hope that helps.
Lynika Lewis says
Hi Charlotte, made your recipe again for a birthday this weekend and it was absolutely gorgeous. I’m guessing you were right, it probably was my oven. Thank you loads.
Charlotte Oates says
That’s good to hear (although not so much about your oven, I hope it’s cooking everything else OK).
Lynika Lewis says
Thank you Charlotte, so sorry I never got back to you. I really thought I had replied, it slipped my mind. I’m going to try the recipe again this weekend in another oven, will let you know how it goes.
Thank you loads
Rebecca Maclean says
Hi,
I was nervous about making my son’s Lego birthday cake because I couldn’t find a recipe for the size tin I hired. As an enthusiastic but inexperienced baker I was worried about being embarrassed when I presented it at his party. Your recipe has proven to be outstanding. Easy to make and I am proud to say I now have 3 identical rectangular cakes. Now I just need to have the same results from my first attempt at using fondant icing…
Thanks for your great recipe.
Charlotte Oates says
That’s brilliant Rebecca. Good luck with the fondant x
Carla Smith says
I used this recipe for a friends birthday cake the sponge was amazing but she want royal icing on it and I hadnt done it before and it came out more like uncooked meringe, any tips for this?
Thank you
Charlotte Oates says
Hi Carla, I’m so glad you liked the cake. What recipe for royal icing did you use?
Jackie says
Hi Charlotte just searching for a cake recipe for my nephew’s cake that I have been asked to make. I have just come across your recipe and intend to make a taster today. However I have been asked to produce a 2 tier Olaf cake. Would this cake be suitable. Can you give me any idea of which size tins I would need for each tier.
Charlotte Oates says
Hi Jackie, I’ve not made a 2-tier cake with it before (as my parties aren’t usually big enough) so I’ve not tested it. It’s quite a oft sponge so if you are going to try it you should use some sort of support in the lower tier (dowling or strong straws) and put the top tier on one of those cardboard cake boards of the same size as the cake so that the fat from the top tier doesn’t seep into the fondant covering the bottom layer.
With regard to size it really depends on how many people it needs to feed and what you’re trying to fit into it. If you let me know how many people then I can give you a better idea of the right sizes.
I hope that helps and good luck with the cake x
joy says
I have read through all these posts and am amazed at your patience and kindness Charlotte . i would like some advice please . i have been asked to make a cake with jam and buttercream filling at the retirement of the music director at our church. and to decorate it with some musical symbols. I have an aversion to fondant icing and I’m wondering if I could put a thin layer of icing on top of the cake and make chocolate shapes separately to put on top of that ? would I need to put something under the icing ? could I freeze the whole thing already made up ?
thank you
Charlotte Oates says
If you just want to use buttercream icing then I’d suggest putting a thin layer over the cake, chilling it for an hour or so and then adding another layer (this helps to avoid getting crumbs in the final layer). You can then pop decorations on top.
You can freeze the sponge cakes before icing them but I wouldn’t freeze everything after decorating.
I’m not hugely keen on the taste of fondant so I put a nice thick layer of buttercream underneath and just eat that instead (the fondant is just there for decoration!)
Rachel says
Cake was a big success, even though my icing certainly needs practise! !! Thank you for all of your help x
Charlotte Oates says
That’s brilliant. I kept wondering yesterday how it had gone and I’m so glad it was a success.
Rachel says
Awww thank you. Feel like I have a personal chef helping me out. It’s anything but smooth but v excited about it x it’s for my daughter’s first birthday on Sunday x
Rachel says
Any tips for applying the fondant icing. I’ve got no smoothing tool or turntable to use and buttercream looks quite rough and fairly thick, oops. My 3 year old desperate to add some sprinkles to it but I’m guessing they won’t stick? X
Charlotte Oates says
I assume you’ve got a rolling pin, in which case you could put your fondant over the top of the cake and then gently roll that over to smooth it out a bit, then use your decoration to cover any leftover lumps 🙂
If you want to add sprinkles on top
of the fondant mix a little icing sugar with some cold water until it’s a gloopy consistency and then put that thinly on the cake. The sprinkles should then stick.
Lastly don’t worry if it not 100% perfect your daughter will still love it, especially that fact that you’ve made the effort to make it for her. I once made buttercream for my son’s cake in too much of a hurry and added too much milk so it literally ran off the cake. He still loved it and proudly blew out the candles x
Rachel says
Sorry last question do you need to get cake up to room temperature before putting fondant icing on? X
Charlotte Oates says
No you don’t you can put the icing straight on x
Rachel says
Hi I’ve just made the cakes and was about to add the buttercream round middle and sides but foolishly have not got enough butter so will have to do that tomorrow. Is it best to wrap separate layers in cling film and then fridge it? X
Charlotte Oates says
Yes, make sure you’ve got something separating the layers otherwise they stick together. I usually put a sheet of greaseproof between the layers but clingfilm will work just as well. You don’t have to put it in the fridge, it would be fine in an airtight container on the side of you have one but it will be fine in the fridge too.
Rachel says
Think hubby is going to get some so I can do the buttercrean and jam tonight. Do you just then put it in a cake caddy container and do the rolled icing- never tackled before- tomorrow? X
Charlotte Oates says
I do, but I think you should really chill the cake with the butter icing before applying the fondant if you want a really smooth finish.
Rachel says
Will it be okay chilling overnight covered in buttercrean in the fridge and apply fondant tomorrow? X
Charlotte Oates says
Yes it’ll be fine x
Aine says
Brilliant thanks I’m new to all this allergies stuff finding it hard to get a mix that will work
Charlotte Oates says
Hi Aine,
Here’s all of the ones I’ve had recommended to me. I’ve not tried any of them but they’re all from bloggers I trust so hopefully you can find something yummy here. They’re all really lovely, helpful people and I know they’ll be more than happy to answer any free-from questions you have if they can…
http://www.intolerantgourmand.com/rec/cakes/555-red-velvet-gateaux.html
http://freefromfairy.com/2015/05/a-very-freefrom-chocolate-cake-gluten-free-dairy-free-nut-free-egg-free-refined-sugar-free.html
http://www.glutenfreealchemist.com/2016/01/mini-vegan-gluten-free-chocolate-cakes.html
I hope you find the perfect cake, let me know how it goes x
Aine says
Thanks Charlotte for ur help. Will have a look at these links.. will let u kno how I get on. Will do a trial at weekend 🙂
Aine says
Hi. I came across your page looking to make birthday cakes. My son’s 1st birthday is in a few weeks and he’s allergy to wheat and egg. Was wondering would ur recipe work if i used a wheat free flour? Any idea how I could subsitude the egg?
Charlotte Oates says
It should work with GF flour but I’ve no idea about the eggs. I do however know some fabulous free-free bloggers so I’ll ask them for suggestions and get back to you. Leave it with me x
nil says
hi is tsp used for teaspoon or tablespoon.thanks
Charlotte Oates says
Teaspoon. A tablespoon is tbsp
Nellvecia says
Hi Charlotte,
I tried the cake today using a 24 cm square tin and it sank in the middle, please advice on how i can fix it for next time. And whats the alternative method when using cake flour instead of self-raising flour and, can i use normal granulated sugar instead of castor sugar?
Charlotte Oates says
Hi Nellvecia. I’m sorry to hear the cake sank in the middle, I’m not too sure why that would have happened as I’ve never had that problem with it, but there’s a few ideas in this post which might help. I’ve not made this cake using cake flour as it’s not readily available in the UK, however a bit of googling suggests that for every 100g of flour you’re using you’d need to add an additional 1.4 tsp of baking powder. Again, I’ve not tried it with granulated sugar. I suspect it would work and if you want to increase your chances of it working successfully you could give the sugar a quick pulse in a food processor to make it a little finer.
I hope this helps.
Sonia Dovedy says
Hi Charlotte,
Thanks for this wonderful recipe! I just made this cake today for a birthday and it came out beautifully! I plan to fill it with raspberry jam and mascarpone whipped cream. Cannot wait to taste it.
In response to the question regarding cake flour, I actually used cake flour for this recipe and had no problem. I added an additional 2.5 tsp baking powder and 1/2 tsp salt to make up for the self-rising flour structure.
Charlotte Oates says
Thanks Sonia. That filling sounds delicious, I’ll have to give it a try!
Sharon says
Hi Charlotte,
Just used your recipe. Cake is baking now!!
Looking good so far!!
Charlotte Oates says
Great! I hope it’s turned out well. How are you planning on decorating it?
Sarah Morrison says
Hi Charlotte, I’m a complete novice when it comes to baking but have decided to make my daughter’s birthday cake for the first time! I have a 12″ square cake tin. What amounts will I need for the sponge? How much buttercream will I need for the middle layer and in between the sponge and icing? Thank you! This recipe has had such positive reviews, I can’t wait to try it.
Charlotte Oates says
Hi Sarah,
This cake is great for novices as it’s really a case of chucking everything in and giving it a good mix!
For a 12″ square 2-layer cake you’ll need 3x the ingredients listed in the recipe. Do you have 2 tins? If not then I’d suggest making 2 batches (each with 1.5x the ingredients and cook them separately (don’t mix all the batter and then leave half sitting around as the baking powder will start to work before it goes into the oven and it won’t rise properly), the batter only takes a few minutes to make so it shouldn’t be too much more work to do it that way if you need to.
For the buttercream, I’d suggest making 4x the quantities listed in my buttercream recipe.
I hope this helps and I hope you enjoy the cake (12″ square is pretty big so you’ll need to!)
Nicky Swainston says
Hi Charlotte. Loved loved LOVED this recipe for my two year olds birthday cake. Thanks muchly!
I’m looking for a similar chocolate version with chocolate butter cream (your vanilla butter cream was dreamy!) Can you advise if it would be easy to swap some ingredients to make a choc version? V new to baking so no idea if this would work! Thanks so much Nicky
Charlotte Oates says
Hi Nicky, I’m so glad you liked the cake and the buttercream 🙂
I’ve not tried what you’re suggesting with the chocolate cake, but I’ve never seen a chocolate cake recipe that simply adds cocoa to a traditional sponge, there’s always more adjustments to ingredients so I’m not sure it would work. I’d absolutely love to be able to recommend you an alternative chocolate cake recipe but I’m really fussy when it comes to chocolate cake and I’ve not yet found the perfect one. I’m working on it at the moment and I’ll add a link into this recipe just as soon as it’s perfected so keep an eye out.
linda says
Hi Charlotte your recipe sound’s amazing and i would love to make it for my 9month old son and i was wondering could i substitute the caster sugar or leave it out altogether please ket me know as i want to make it today and just to say your very takented and inspirational thank you for sharing
Charlotte Oates says
I’ve never tried it without the sugar so I’m not too sure. I suspect the recipe will still work but it may effect how well it rises. I’m also not sure how good it will taste!
Stephanie Oxley says
Hi Charlotte,
Thank you so much for this recipe. I just wanted to ask if you know the quantities for the buttercream filling and icing required for a 25cm round cake?
Many thanks in advance,
Stephanie
Charlotte Oates says
Hi Stephanie,
I estimate you’ll need about 1.4x the amount of buttercream than you would use for a 20cm cake. That would be 350g unsalted butter, 700g icing sugar and 3/4 tsp vanilla extract. This would give you enough icing to fill the cake and also to have a layer around the outside to help you to get the fondant to stick to the cake and make it nice and smooth. If you only want a layer in the middle rather than all around the outside then you’ll 100g butter, 200g icing sugar and 1/4 tsp vanilla.
I’m terrible at estimating the amount of fondant icing needed as I’d always want too much (I then use the offcuts for covering the board and all the extra details). For a 25cm cake I’d definitely use 2 large packs of fondant, but I’d expect to have some spare.
I hope that helps.
Natasha says
Hi Charlotte! I’m planning on making this tomorrow. I am a lil bit confused, is the recipe made for one layer or two layers? And how thick the batter should fill the tin? Should i multiply the recipe by 2 if i am making a two layers cake or the recipe was already made for 2 layers cake? Thank you before!
Charlotte Oates says
Hi Natasha, what shape of cake are you making? The recipe is for two 20cm round tins or one rectangular tin 20cmx30cm (this single layer will be thicker than the two round layers).
Wendy says
Hi Charlotte, I’ve been searching the internet for a birthday cake recipe and came across yours.. My daughter has never asked me to bake her birthday cake before so its very new to me (I’m limited to victoria sponge !), she’s 7 and has asked for a frozen cake (I’m cheating slightly with the frozen theme.) I tried a Madeira cake recipe but it turned out heavy and didn’t rise as I expected. Can you tell me what the ingredients should be for a 9inch round tin (I don’t have anything else), and can you use one tin and cut it in half or is it better using two tins.
Thank you in advance
Charlotte Oates says
Hi Wendy,
Personally I’d use two tins rather than putting it all into one deep tin but I’ve never actually tried it in one deep tin so it could work. It may not rise as well and may take longer to cook through if you do.
For a 9″ cake you’ll need…
280g self-raising flour
2.5 tsp baking powder
5 eggs
280g soft margarine
280g caster sugar
8 drop vanilla extract
2.5 tsp milk
I hope that helps