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. Here’s what I managed…
If you want to take a look at the other cakes I’ve made for friends and family then visit my cake gallery.
Recommended 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.
Lisa says
My go to recipe for sponge cake. It lasts really well and is great decorated for a birthday or just as it is!
Ellie says
Hi,
I have used this recipe loads of times and the chocolate one and it’s amazing! For my sons 1st birthday I want to make a 8inch drip cake so would this recipe work well if I done it in one tin for one one layer? So basically double the ingredients and then split into 2 tins? If not could you recommend a good recipe as I love how moist this sponge cake is
Charlotte Oates says
Very tall cakes don’t bake terribly well because by the time the heat of the oven has cooked the centre, the outer edges become overcooked. I would recommend making the recipe in the usual two layers, filling, crumb coating then doing your final layer of buttercream and then the drip.
Meira jackson says
Brilliant
Lesley says
Does this recipe work well for cupcakes please? Looking forward to trying it
Charlotte Oates says
I’ve adapted this recipe to make cupcakes – Easy Vanilla Cupcakes – if you look at this recipe, you will see the correct quantities of ingredients and cooking times.
Ciara says
Hello, I only have one tin – would I be able to cook as one layer and then slice to make two? How would you vary the cooking time?
Thank you, I LOVE THIS CAKE!!
Charlotte Oates says
I haven’t tested the recipe in one tin as it is better to bake the thinner layers. If you can bake half the batter at a time in shifts, that would be the better plan.
Julie says
Truly delicious, probably one of the best tasting vanilla cakes out there. Easy to make and produces a moist sponge. My first choice recipe for all birthday cakes. Thanks
Katie says
Love this recipe it’s my go to. Wondering if you knew if I could sub with gluten free flour?
Thank you
Charlotte Oates says
I haven’t tested a version of this recipe using gluten free flour so I wouldn’t want to just say yes. You could experiment with subbing it one for one with the flour but you may find that you also need to add some liquid if the batter looks very thick. Gluten free flours absorb liquids a little differently to regular wheat flours.
Jennifer collins says
Hi, i have made this cake and it was beautiful, now i would like to adapt it to a 26cmx26cm cake tin but not sure how
Charlotte Oates says
If you look below the recipe there’s a link to a calculator that will tell you how to adjust the recipe.
Claudia says
Hi, I’d like to use this for my 2 layered cake (plus buttercream & fondant) for my sons 4th birthday. May I use butter instead of margarine?
Thank you, claudia
Charlotte Oates says
Yes, that’s fine. Just make sure it’s soft and at room temperature before you start.
Mandy says
Great recipe use it all the time. How would I incorporate lavender and would it work?
Charlotte Oates says
I don’t really bake much with lavender so I’m not sure of the best way to incorporate it. Sorry:
Bryony says
Hi can i decorate this with just butter cream then freeze it? X
Charlotte Oates says
You can
Em says
Hi, I want to make this cake for my daughter’s birthday. I am using fondant icing for the outside – what cream do you recommend for inside to go with the jam?
Charlotte Oates says
I usually use vanilla buttercream.
Pam Maddock says
Hi, I would like to make a 3 layer cake filled with jam and buttercream and covered in fondant, would this sponge be suitable please (I’d increase the quantities accordingly and bake 3 separate cakes). Many thanks, Pam
Charlotte Oates says
Yes. I’ve made three layers and it works well,
Fiona says
Great recipe use it again and again x
Nylah says
Hi I have baked this recipe and it tastes amazing however I wanted to know how long could I store it for and what should be the appropriate way please
Charlotte Oates says
It will last for up to 7 days after baking if stored in an airtight container. If you want to store it for longer then it is suitable for freezing.
Catherine Burns says
Does this come out quite crumbly? As I’ve had such difficulty icing a cake before and was looking for a firm recipe. But this looked lovely so I hope to use it.
Charlotte Oates says
It can be quite soft, especially if you carve it in any way.
If you slightly freeze it before decorating that should help firm the crumbs and make it easier to work with.
Frankie says
I love this recipe, I’ve used it quite a few times now. I’ve been asked to make an engagement cake for a family member so I’m planning on using this recipe again but I was wondering how I would adjust it in order to make a 10inch and 6inch square tier cakes?
Charlotte Oates says
You can find a link to my calculator to adjust the ingredients for different tin sizes just below the recipe .
Kat says
Hi, I’ve just come across this recipe and I’m going to use it to make my daughters 2nd birthday cake in a few weeks. I’m just wondering what you would advise using as an edible adhesive for attaching fondant icing? Would you just do a very thin layer or buttercream or would you use something else?
Charlotte Oates says
A thin layer of buttercream should work well.
Yvonne turner says
Great recipe, very moist, so easy thumbs up by all who had some
Ritu says
Hi. I’m want to make this cake for my daughter. Can I spread the buttercream all over and add sprinkles in top? Or would that make it too sweet?
Charlotte Oates says
You can cover this cake in buttercream – just make sure to note that you will need to increase the quantity of buttercream so you have enough to both fill and cover properly.