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.
Liza says
Hi Charlotte, I am planning to make a birthday cake for my son this Sat and have finally come to the decision on following your receipe after two days of searching on the internet. My pan size is 33×22.9x5cm /(13x9x2in) could you give me a idea of the quantity of the ingredients. Planning to bake tomorrow
Charlotte Oates says
Hi Liza, if you pop the dimensions into my calculator then it’ll tell you what ingredients you need for your tin. As it’s quite a shallow tin, just enter 1 for the number of layers (unless of course you’re using multiple tins, in which case however many you’re using).
Gordon F says
Used this cake with the butter cream recipe for my sons first birthday cake this week . Very easy, absolutely delicious. This will be my go to cake from now on….many birthdays to go!!
Thanks
Charlotte Oates says
That’s brilliant Gordon, I’m so glad you enjoyed it.
Helen says
Just to let you know, I found your recipe through googling ‘easy cake recipe for 20cm tin’ as I am not a baker. I used your exact recipe for my daughter’s 3rd birthday – an Elsa Cake. I am a nervous baker and your recipe was straight forward and produced a perfect result! It has even given me more confidence in baking … I’ve just made it again for my husband’s birthday! Thank you.
Charlotte Oates says
That’s really lovely to hear Helen, thanks for letting me know xx
Daniella Corazza says
Charlotte, do you need to use baking powder?
Charlotte Oates says
Is there any particular reason you don’t want to use it? The recipe would still work but the cake wouldn’t rise as well so would end up shorter and may well be slightly denser too.
Kirsty says
Hi I just made this sponge to attempt a birthday cake and it it came out so light and fluffy it was impossible to handle to decorate. Can you maybe guide me as to where I went wrong. Thank you
Charlotte Oates says
It is quite a light cake but shouldn’t be so fluffy that it’s tricky to decorate. The only ideas I have as to what’s happened are that I usually decorate my cakes the day after baking which gives them a little time to firm up, if you tried to decorate them as soon as they’ve cooled they may be a little tricker to handle. Alternatively if you added a little more milk than you should, this tends to make cakes lighter.
Sophie says
Hi charlotte managed to get the demensions in lol tha kyou hope the cake turns out good its in the oven xx
Charlotte Oates says
Fingers crossed for you x
Dani says
Thanks so much xx
Sophie says
Hi charlottle hope your well i tried your reciepe and it was fab thankyou. I am making a 12inch square cake for tomorrow what will the reciepe be for this please im baking it twice as i need 4 layers so each sponge im going to cut into half please help i will be baking tonight xx
Charlotte Oates says
Hi Sophie, if you put your cake dimensions into my calculator then you’ll be able to get the ingredients you need. Thanks.
Dani says
Hi Charlotte, I have read the comments but I couldn’t see if anyone has asked how did you do the icing.. I don’t like Marzipan.. what did you do please? Sorry if this has been repeated. Thanks
Charlotte Oates says
Hi Dani, the cake in the top picture is my birthday present cake. I’ve written a tutorial for how to make it here. The blue is just fondant icing colour with a blue gel food colouring (you can also buy ready-coloured fondant if you prefer too). I’m personally not a huge fan of the taste of fondant icing so I make sure there’s a decent layer of buttercream underneath for flavour and then the fondant is just there for decoration!
Colette says
Hiya Charlotte, I am doing my first ever 2 tier birthday cake. I have a size 26cm for the bottom and size 20cm for the top. Could you please give me the measurements I need to do them
Charlotte Oates says
Hi Colette. I’ve got a calculator for the ingredients here so you can work them out for any size of cake. You’ll need to put the two cake sizes in separately and then add them together. Thanks.
Colette says
Ty hun it turned out perfecy !
Charlotte Oates says
Fantastic, thanks for letting me know x
Melissa says
Hello Charlotte,
This cake was amazing, thank you. I attempted my first ever birthday cake for my son’s 3rd birthday and I was really pleased. I also used the buttercream recipe which was also lovely. Unfortunately, I then attempted to use fondant icing to cover it … that wasn’t quite so easy!
I was wondering, how would you make this a chocolate sponge? What measurements would you use? How do you also make the buttercream chocolate flavoured? Cocoa or melted chocolate?
Charlotte Oates says
Thanks Melissa, sadly fondant takes a bit of practice, I’m sure you’ll get the hang of it. The secret is to hide any iffy bits behind some decoration so nobody notices!
Unfortunately I’m still on a mission to find the perfect chocolate sponge – I’m really fussy about it! Same with the buttercream, although if you like Nutella I’ve just published a Nutella buttercream which I absolutely adore.
K.mia says
Cake was a big hit. Thank you
Charlotte Oates says
Brilliant!
K.mia says
Thanks
I’ll try it next time with the 9″ recipe.
I had to spread my mixture with a spatula in the tin so sounds like it was too thick. Nevermind. Cakes all done now ready for a babyshower today. Fingers crossed it tastes ok.
Charlotte Oates says
I hope the cake tasted yummy! Next time maybe add a little extra milk to thin the mixture slightly.
cynthia says
Hi Charlotte I love your recipe for the all in one birthday cake have made it twice in an two 8 ins tins and it turned out brilliant .I have been asked to make a christening cake I am looking at using two 10ins tins could you help with how much ingredients and oven temp and how long to cook it for please thank you
Charlotte Oates says
Hi Cynthia. If you put your tin dimensions into my calculator it will give you the ingredients you need. Keep to the same oven temperature and as long as the tins you’re using are the same depth as the ones you’ve used before you shouldn’t need any adjustment to the cooking time. I hope that helps.
Cynthia says
Hi Charlotte. Thank you for your help please can you send me t.be link again for your calculator as I have managed to delete it sorry. .I must say your cake recipe is brilliant thank you
Charlotte Oates says
You can find the calculator here. If you lose it again there’s a link just underneath the main cake recipe.
K.mia says
Hi Charlotte
Your blog is fab.
I’m just in the process of trying out your recipe only to find that my baking tins are 22cm. I’m trying it out using the 8inch recipe but wondering if I should have gone for the 9inch instead???
Also my mixture was quite thick. What consistency should it be?
Charlotte Oates says
Personally I would use the 9″ recipe for your 22cm tin (so 1.25x the ingredients listed in my original recipe) as that’s much closer in size to your tin. The mixture is sort of gloopy, just about pourable but not too runny. I hope that helps
Steph Watkins says
Hi Charlotte, I have read your blog and created your perfect recipe. Everyone loved and it has been a huge hit. I am now needing to create a rectangle shape sized 18cm-26cm. Would you be able to help me convert the recipe to the correct amounts please? P.s your blog is amazing!
Charlotte Oates says
Thanks Steph. To make a cake 18cmx26cm you’ll need 1.5x the ingredients of the original recipe (assuming you’re making 2 layers of sponge)…
340g self-raising flour
340g margerine
340g caster sugar
6 eggs
3 tsp baking powder
9 drops vanilla extract
3 tsp milk
Christine Campbell says
Hi Charlotte, I have just made this cake as it looked gorgeous but although it is cooked it seems to have sunk a little in the middle. I am sure that once it’s iced and finished it will be hidden but no idea why it has done that and it took much longer to cook, strange but hope it tastes ok 🙂 x
Charlotte Oates says
I suspect that the reason it sank in the middle is because of the fact it took longer to cook (if you open the door before a cake is pretty much done then it will sink). I’ve no idea why it would have taken longer though. The only thought I have is that perhaps your oven is set to a slightly lower temperature (they all seem to vary which is daft!) or if you used a different shape/size of tin. Hopefully a decent layer of buttercream will hide it x
Christine Campbell says
That’s my plan a bit extra buttercream and maybe turn the cakes upside down x
Christine Campbell says
Sorry Charlotte I never got back to you the cake was delish and very well received. I just popped a little extra buttercream and hey presto it was great. I was going to post you a pic but can’t see how to do that ! x
Charlotte Oates says
I’m so glad you all enjoyed it. I’d love to see a picture, you could email me at [email protected], tweet me (@CharlotteLK), or share it to my Facebook page (search Charlotte’s Lively Kitchen and you should find it).
Joyce says
Hi Charlotte just made my cakes but not quite level any suggestion to help them rise level.
Thankyou
Charlotte Oates says
I suspect your oven temperature isn’t even throughout. Unfortunately I don’t have a solution to that except for a bit of clever use of buttercream or slicing the top of the cake to make it level.
helen says
Hi charlotte. I was looking for a recipe to make my son’s birthday cake and yours was simply amazing had a practice last week baking a 8 inch. How much ingredients would I need for 12 inch many thanks.
Charlotte Oates says
Hi Helen,
To make a 12″ version you’ll need 2.25x the ingredients… 500g self raising flour, 4.5 tsp baking powder, 9 eggs, 500g margarine, 500g caster sugar, 1/4 tsp vanilla extract, 4.5 tsp milk.
I hope that helps.
helen says
Thanks for your reply. Do I cook at the same temperature and how long should I bake the cake for thanks
Charlotte Oates says
I’ve not made that exact size before but when I’ve made a 9″x12″ rectangular cake I cooked it for exactly the same amount of time. It should be fine to check it after 30 minutes and then pop it back in for a little longer if it’s not quite done.
helen says
Hi charlotte. I’m going to stick to the 8″ with a 6 ” on top what size eggs should I use and by the way the butter cream is lovely.
Charlotte Oates says
This is probably totally the wrong thing to say and many cooks would frown, but I just use whatever eggs I’ve got in the fridge (medium or large) and it always turns out well. I’m glad you like the buttercream.
Emma hilson says
Hi Charlotte, I’ve just been reading through your comments and wondered if you could help me 🙂 I’m making a 12inch x 8inch cake, what would the mixture be for this please? I’ve tried to have a look back in the previous mags but can’t seem to find one that fits my cake tin. And also, how much buttercream am I to use? Thanks lots Emma. Ps I’m baking the cake today for decorating tomorrow.. Party is on Saturday, thanks
Charlotte Oates says
Hi Emma, I’m really sorry for the late reply I’ve only just noticed your comment. I hope the party has gone well and you managed to get the cake sorted. For future reference, to make the cake size mentioned the ingredients listed in the recipe would make one layer. so if you wanted two layers then double them.
Kassy says
Please can i use all purpose flour instead of self raising flour, and how many teaspoon is 14 drops of vanilla extract?
Charlotte Oates says
Hi Kassy. You can’t simply substitute all purpose flour for self raising as it wouldn’t rise properly. Nigella suggests you can convert all purpose flour to self-raising by adding an additional 2 tsp of baking powder per 150g flour you’re using. However, I’ve not tested it to see how well it works. 14 drops of vanilla extract is about 1/4 tsp.
I hope that helps, let me know if you have any more questions.
Kassy says
Thank you so much ma, will try this.