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.
Simone Cheng says
How long does this keep for? I’m hoping to make this 2 days in advance and keep in the fridge, would it be best to do the day before instead?
Charlotte Oates says
The cake is usually good to eat for about a week after banking as long as it’s stored in an airtight container. I usually bake mine two days before to allow me time to decorate.
Sophie says
Hello Charlotte,
I am looking to bake this cake in advance. Would it be suitable to freeze/defrost ?
Many Thanks
Sophie
Charlotte Oates says
Yes, this cake freezes well. I’d recommend wrapping the cakes in clingfilm to protect them in the freezer.
Kirsty Bransby says
Love this recipe I have used it loads for single tier and 2 tier cakes. Never had a bad comment. Just a quick question, someone has asked for a cake with no filling so if I wanted to use this recipe with a deeper tin eg 3inch. As there’s no need for layers. How long do you think it would take to bake?
Charlotte Oates says
I’d leave it in for about 50 minutes. However, I have found that whilst this cake is consistently good when made in sandwich tins, people can sometimes have slightly more mixed results when using a deeper tin, with it sometimes sinking a little in the middle after baking.
Linzi says
I’ve just made this and split it into two tins then to buttercream the middle but it seems quite thin. Is the recipe only for one layer or should I just have used the recipe for one tin. Thank you.
Charlotte Oates says
What size were your tins? The mixture is for 2x20cm round tins.
Marilyn Cotter says
Hi I am making a cake for my granddaughter .What size mixture do I need for a number One tin it’s 13 inches long 32 cm
Charlotte Oates says
Have a look below the recipe and you’ll find a link to my calculator which will tell you the ingredients you need for different tin sizes.
Sophie Young says
Hi wondering if you have any ideas cake turning out really dense?
Thanks
Charlotte Oates says
Is it possible that your self-raising flour or baking powder is a little old? This would lead to it to rising as well as it should and being dense.
Emer Hayes says
Hi can i use this recipe to divide between two 9 inch square tins
Charlotte Oates says
The quantities given in the main recipe aren’t enough to fill 2x 9″ square tins. If you want to use that size of tins then you’ll find a link below the main recipe which will take you to a calculator which will tell you the quantities you need.
Michelle Richards says
Hi Charlotte,
I love your cakes, amazing! All my friends and family have commented on the softness of them too. When you make a birthday cake, so you add 2 layers of buttercream before you add fondant icing? Thanks, Michelle
Charlotte Oates says
When I cover a cake with fondant I add a generous layer of buttercream in the middle (for flavour) and then a thin layer on top and around the sides. The buttercream on the outside helps the fondant to stick to the cake and also helps you to get a smooth finish.
Joan says
I used this vanilla cake recipe and it dropped. It’s not the first cake that has done so, so I’m not blaming it at all. What can I be doing wrong to cause this. I’ve tried every reasoning and it’s still doing it. Rising and looks good when I take it out. The boom when I look again they flat as a pancake
Charlotte Oates says
It’s odd that you’re getting this on all of your cakes. There’s a number of things it could be. My main ideas are:
1) Your oven temperature is slightly off – If it’s running a little on the low side the cakes won’t be baked through when you come to take them out of the oven.
2) There’s an issue with your cake tins – Due to the different materials that tins are made from they all bake a little different, it may be that your choice of tin isn’t suited to the recipes you’re using.
3) There’s a problem with you raising agent – either your SR flour to baking powder is old and so not working properly.
4) You’re beating in too much air when you mix the cakes. Adding air helps cakes to rise in the oven, but then if they rise too much they lack the structure to support the height and the sink. For my cakes I recommend using an electric mixer on its lowest speed and only mixing until the ingredients are just combined.
5) You’ve been a bit generous with the baking powder – You should use a measuring teaspoon when measuring your baking powder as regular teaspoons are early consistently sized. The baking powder in the teaspoon should be level. As with adding too much air, the extra baking powder will cause you cakes to rise too much and then sink.
6) You’re taking them out of the oven too early.
Melanie says
Hello, looks a lovely recipe that I’m looking forward to trying next week for a birthday cake. If I make the 20cm x 30cm rectangular version, is this just one tin? And then would I slice the cake to make two layers?
Charlotte Oates says
The 20cm x 30cm rectangular cake is a single layer in one tin (a thinner traybake cake). It’ll be too thin to slice in half. If you want two layers you’ll need to bake two sponges.
Sophia says
This is my go to cake for all occasions! Big thank you Charlotte 🙂
Sarah says
Can this recipe be divided into two square 7 inch by 7inch and 2in deep tins please
Charlotte Oates says
Yes
Mrs L S RICHES says
Easy to make with great results
Claire says
Excellent cake, I made this for my husband in 3 teir version and was fine.
NATASHA PRATT says
Can butter be used instead of margarine
Charlotte Oates says
Yes, just make sure it’s soft and at room temperature so it combines easily with the other ingredients.
Joyce says
Hi Charlotte could you please help me I made this cake and though it was delicious so did the rest of the family !! Could you please give me a cooking time if I used all the mixture in a 9 ins round cake tin
Kind regards
Charlotte Oates says
Same cooking time. Use the calculator linked below the recipe to adjust the ingredient quantities.
Joyce says
So soft tasty really delicious
Robert Ross says
Hi Charlotte
I have used your recipe lots of times always turned out great but a few days ago my sponges sunk in the middle they raised lovely as normal then half way through baking the middle sunk I didn’t open the door all ingredients were fresh and in date would you have any idea why this happened help!!
PS.
Charlotte Oates says
That sounds odd. Is there anything you changed from the sponges you made in the past, e.g. different tins or cooked to on a different oven shelf?
Otherwise my guess would be that you’ve beaten it more than usual and added more air which can cause it to rise well in the oven and sink as it has less structure.
julie says
i use a recipe similar to this and bake on 120 fan oven for 50 min, no need to check as its on low so no need to open the oven which would cause it to sink
Diana Eyre says
Hiya would this sponge recipe work well with adding sugar strands to make it a confetti sponge?
Charlotte Oates says
I’ve not tried it, but I would expect it to work well.
Charlotte (a different one ;D) says
I was thinking of doing the exact same thing! If you try it please let us know how it goes!
Rose says
My go to sponge for Birthday Cakes this is delicious
Jenny says
I love this recipe and use it all the time..thank you.
Just wondered if you’ve ever done 3 tiers with it and whether it holds ok?
Charlotte Oates says
I haven’t. I know that it’s fine for two tiers, but you may find that it’s too soft to support the weight of three. I’d probably go for something sturdier for the bottom tier, such as a madeira cake.
Kathryn says
Wow, I’m no baker but this recipe was easy and the end result was delicious. Will definitely use it for future birthday cakes.
Leanne says
Hi, doing a 9 inch square tin for my sons 4th birthday, starting to panic now that it may sink after reading comments. What’s the trick for this to definitely not happen?
Charlotte Oates says
If you bake the cake in one deep tin this can happen. I would advise baking each layer of the cake separately and you should have no problem.