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.
LINDSEY says
Hi Charlotte, thanks for the recipe, i made it into a rainbow batter, it’s in the oven as i type & looks amazing already. I’m making a birthday cake for my son in law who is an intensive care dr so he needs a rainbow to cheer him up, hope it makes him smile. My daughter has taken my dad to hospital for a ct scan today, so i’m helping out by baking the cake then she is using fondant icing to cover it & decorating it into a games contoller.
Charlotte Oates says
I hope he likes his cake, it sounds like he deserves a really good one 🙂
LINDSEY says
Well i can’t thank you enough for this wonderful recipe, the cake went down a storm with all the intesive care staff & my son in law loved the rainbow effect, i’m using this recipe to make my dad’s cake for his 80’th birthday in November, i might actually get to try a slice of this one, thanks a million Charlotte x
Naomi says
Hi Charlotte
I would like to make this for my sons first birthday I would like to put the buttercream in the middle and then put white icing over the whole cake
I’m a novice!
How long would it keep for once I make it please?
Also do I have to use anything on the icing to make it stick to the cake?
Should I put jam in the middle also?
Thanks
Charlotte Oates says
Hi Naomi,
I usually make my cake on Thursday for a Saturday party (and ice on the Friday) and it’ll usually be good t eat for a few days afterwards. However, if the weather is warm you may want to store it in the fridge to ensure the buttercream doesn’t go funny.
You don’t need to put anything on the cake to make the icing stick. However, I usually use a thin layer of buttercream over the whole cake as this helps to get the icing smooth.
Whether or not you put jam in the middle is purely down to your own preference. Sometimes I do, sometimes I don’t.
Elaine says
Hi we made your chocolate yesterday and it dosnt look as deep as yours. we had done all the ingredients perfectly. The only thing I can think of is that we put them in the oven at different times as the tins wouldn’t have been in the middle of the rack. They are about 1 and half inch.
We used two 23cm tins what would you recommend ?
Charlotte Oates says
Hi Elaine, Did you make the mixture and then leave it out while the first cake was cooking. The raising agents can start to react if you do that and it might not rise as well as it should.
Gemma Coupar says
I’ve been reading all your reviews and excited to try this cake!
I’m planning on making an In the Night Garden themed cake for my son’s first birthday next week but I’m a complete beginner when it comes to celebration cakes, so I’d really appreciate any tips!
I have a 13×9 inch (23x33cm) rectangular cake tin and I’d like to have 2 layers with jam and buttercream in the middle. I’m using roll out icing to cover and decorate it. How much roll out icing will I need to cover it? I’ve got Renshaws coloured icing 250g packs.
I’ve used your calculator to work out quantities of ingredients – (565g flour etc) – do I just make up the mixture and then put half in the tin, cook it and then do the other half? How long should I bake it for?
Also, what type of jam would you suggest? Smooth/no seeds etc? I. Was thinking strawberry jam – any brand in particular work well?
Thanks so much. I’m going to try a practice one this weekend with smaller quantities.
Charlotte Oates says
Hi Gemma, I’m not totally sure how much fondant you’d need (I always use far too much as I rather have too much than being trying to make not quite enough stretch!). I found this guide which might be useful https://www.designer-cakes.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/SugarpasteChart.pdf I’d go with the measurements for an 11″ square.
If you’ve only got one tin then I’d recommend making half the mixture, cooking it and then making the other half of the mixture and cooking it. It’s a bit more effort but if you leave the mixture for the 2nd cake sitting on the side while you cook the first the raising agent in the flour will start to react with the other ingredients and you may find that the cake doesn’t rise properly when you go to cook it. If you use the measurements in the calculator then the cooking time and temperature recommended in the original cake recipe should be fine.
Any type of jam is fine, go with whatever you like best. Personally I prefer seedless raspberry. It can be tricky to spread the jam and buttercream over the cake without them getting a bit mixed together. Personally getting them a bit mixed does;t really bother me as once the cakes stuck together and covered in icing then you don’t really notice. If you want to keep the layers more defined then I’d suggest piping them on instead.
Good luck with the cake, I made a Night Garden cake for my youngest’s first birthday too.
Gemma Coupar says
Thanks for your advice…everyone loved the cake and commented on how delicious it was! I can’t add a picture of the finished cake to show you but it
was my first attempt at doing anything like it so I was quite pleased and my son recognised the characters so that helped!! Thanks very much!
Katherine says
This is literally the easiest and best cake recipe I’ve ever used. Perfect for decorating!
Wan-ni says
Hi Charlotte, thank you for sharing this recipe, I will be using it to make my son’s birthday cake. I am using a 12inch (30cm) square tin and plan to bake two layers separately. I’ve checked your responses here and used your calculator but the amount of ingredients differ slightly… could you please let me have the correct quantities? Please could you also give me the quantities for the buttercream because I plan to decorate it with ready to roll icing. Thanks so much!
Charlotte Oates says
I would use the ingredients that come from the calculator (prior to publishing that I was working each cake out manually). The ingredients I think you need for the cake are…
620g flour
620g margarine
620g sugar
11 eggs
5.5 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp vanilla extract
5.5 tsp milk
For the buttercream…
605g butter
1210g icing sugar
1.25 tsp vanilla
7 tsp milk (approx)
Roxanne says
Hi are these ingredients for each layer or the cake overall??
Charlotte Oates says
These ingredients are for a 2-layer 20cm cake. If you’d like a different size or number of layers then you’ll find a link to my calculator at the end of the recipe to find the ingredients needed.
Rache says
Hi Charlotte, just wanted to say a massive thank you for this and your chocolate cake recipe! Both have been a huge hit at home and work. This is my new go to. I was just wondering, do you think this would work okay with lemon zest? I have some lemon frosting and not sure what to do with it so thought maybe a lemon cake and was hoping to use this recipe again xx
Charlotte Oates says
I haven’t tried it but I’ve been told by others that adding lemon zest to this recipe works well.
Carol Wilson says
Great recipe – everyone enjoyed the sponge. It baked up nicely and held well for decorating. So easy to have the all-in-one method. I felt it was a little split but maybe didn’t mix it enough – was concerned about over beating – i was using a stand mixer with the whisk attachment – how long do you normally mix it up? Also my mum was saying i should bang down the tin to spread it out evenly but i was worried about losing air in the mix – advice on that? Not a baker but this is perfect for annual birthday cake requests, next year i will perfect!
Charlotte Oates says
Hi Carol, I’m really glad you enjoyed the recipe, I get a lot of lovely comments about this cake from people who rarely bake.
To (hopefully) answer your questions… I mix it until it’s just combined to avoid over mixing. I’ve never banged down the tin, just spread the mixture evenly with a spatula. The fat content in the sponge means that it should even itself out as it bakes. What temperature were your eggs when you added them? Eggs straight from the fridge tend to split a cake mixture more than ones at room temperature.
Adele Evans says
Hi Charlotte, I am useless at making sponge cake but I have just followed this recipe as a test ready for my nieces 18th birthday cake next weekend & it has worked out perfectly. To make it lemon flavoured, can I just exchange the vanilla for zest of 1 lemon? Thank you so much, going to look up some more of your recipes.
Charlotte Oates says
I’m so glad it worked for you. Ive not tried it as a lemon sponge before, I’ll have a try at adding the zest when I do.
April says
Hello! This recipe looks lovely. I am going to make it for a 20th birthday cake.
I’ve misplaced my two matching sized tins so am going to have to use 1 big tin (23cm). How would cooking times alter for cooking one large cake then cutting it into 2 layers? would you recommend baking the layers separately? Thanks!
Charlotte Oates says
I always bake the layers separately but I know quite a few people have made this recipe in a deep tin without any problems. A deep cake takes longer to cook so don’t check it until it’s been in the oven for at least 45 minutes.
Lucy Wilson says
Love this recipe. Used it for my daughter’s birthday cake and couldn’t believe how easy it was and how nice it tasted (particularly considering I had baked it!)
Just wanted to say thanks.
Charlotte Oates says
That’s fantastic Lucy. I’m glad it turned out well and everyone enjoyed it x
Gemma says
Just wanted to say thanks for a great website and delicious cake recipe. I don’t usually write comments or bake for that matter but was so happy with the results of my son’s 3rd birthday cake that I wanted to thank you. Having your instructions and info for buttercream etc made it really easy and stress free. Glad I found your site!
Charlotte Oates says
Thanks for taking the time to comment Gemma. I’m so glad you enjoyed the cake x
Hannah says
Hello I’m making a 8 inch square cake for my sons first birthday using your scale up of 280g and 5 eggs. Do I need to increase the time from 35 minutes? I’m just doing one deep tin and going to cut in half after. Thank you!
Charlotte Oates says
You’ll need to increase the cooking time to check it at 45 minutes. This is because the cake is deeper rather than wider. If you were making an 8″ cake split between two tins it should still be 30-35 minutes.
David Rowley says
I want to make a strawberry sponge. How would you suggest I do this?
Shall I puree some strawberry’s and put them in? Would I have to put more flour in also? Or should I use strawberry jam?
Suggestions gratefully received.
Charlotte Oates says
I’ve not tried it so I’m not 100% sure. You couldn’t simply add pureed strawberries as the additional liquid would change the consistency of the batter and it wouldn’t be a case of simply adding more flour as you’d need to ensure that the balance of butter, eggs and sugar was right too so that it’s sweet enough, rises well and isn’t too dry. If you post the question onto my Facebook page then I’ll share it with my followers and see if they have a recipe they can recommend.
Gwen Jowett says
Hi Charlotte, I need to make 3 sponges so I can stack them. Could you tell me the correct measurements for this please also if I need to use more eggs, vanilla and baking powder please. I’m using gluten free flour so hoping it will be ok, I have some cake dowels for support. Fingers crossed
Gwen
Charlotte Oates says
Hi Gwen, have you tried using my converter it should give you the measurements you need. I’ve not tried making this cake with GF flour but I’ve know other people that have and have told me it’s worked well.
Sarah says
I made this cake and my cake turned out pretty dry. I’m not sure what I did wrong, I made the cakes a day in advance to decorating and wrapped them in plastic wrap. I then leveled and stacked them and did the crumb coat and let it sit for a few hours before decorating. The buttercream frosting came out perfect and everything else came out perfect except the cake :/ Just wondering if you might have an idea what went wrong.
Charlotte Oates says
I’m not too sure as it’s usually quite moist. How long did you leave it in the oven? it’s possible it was slightly over-baked which would dry it out.
Colleen says
Hi, I just wanted to say thank you for this recipe! I’ve actually been using it for a few years for birthday cakes and it has never let me down. Yesterday’s effort was two rectangular cakes sandwiched together to make a sheet cake for 40ish people, and got lots of lovely comments.
I’m so glad I found your blog and this recipe 🙂
Charlotte Oates says
That’s fantastic. I’m glad you all enjoyed it 🙂
Abigail worthington says
Hi charlotte
Ur bday vanilla cake looks amazing! Am planning my baby girls first birthday cake and want to do one like urs.
Will it work as a 2 tier cake?
I read ur post re fondant icing. So u would use that all over right? Not ready to roll? Could u recommend a good fondant icing?
Any reason why u use margarine and not butter? Which marg? I normally use butter!
Take it its ok to put butter cream in the middle? Do u put buttercream and jam? Do u have a perfect buttercream recipe?
Thanks so much!!!
Charlotte Oates says
Hi Abigail.
I haven’t made it as a two tier cake but I know other people have and it has worked well. Make sure you put a few dowels or straws in the bottom cut to the height of the cake to give it a bit of support and put the top tier on a thin board the same diameter as the cake before putting on top of the bottom layer which again adds a bit of support and also stops the moisture from the cake ruining the icing on the bottom layer.
You can you ready-to-roll or ready rolled fondant icing. I tend to buy the big packs of Tesco own brand but Renshaw is also very good.
I use margarine because that’s what my Mum used when I was little. Butter would work just as well just make sure you take it out of the fridge and let it soften before adding it to the cake or it won’t mix in properly.
I always put buttercream in the middle and sometimes jam too (if the person I’m making it for is a big jam fan). I’ll also add a thin layer to cover the cake under the fondant. I love the flavour or butter icing and it helps you to get a smooth finish with the fondant.
If you have a look at the bottom of the cake recipe you’ll find a link to my vanilla buttercream. There’s also a link to a calculator so you can work out the ingredients for different sizes of cakes which you’ll find useful if you want to make layers.
I hope that helps. Let me know if you have any more questions.
Abigail worthington says
ThAnk you so much for your reply i only just saw it!
Super thanks!
I made a practice on friday and am so impressed!! Cake itself is so good and worked perfectly! In then end i have decided for a standard 2 layer (but may do 3) as urs and covered with thick buttercream (ur recipe which also is amazing!) and did pink ombre shading with the buttercream. Looks so good! I might make the sponges ombre coloured too. Have u added food colouring to this spong mixture before and did it work ok?
Will decorate then top with a lovely sign i have order and flowers. So pleased thank you so much!
Its so good my friend has already ordered a blue ombre version for her babyshower!
Hope it wasnt fluke and works as well for the party! Sure it will.
I will definitely follow ur recipes more now!
Thanks again
Abi
Charlotte Oates says
I haven’t tried adding food colouring but I can’t see why it wouldn’t work. Use the thick gel colours as they’re bolder colours and won’t change the consistency of the mixture.
sama says
Hello,
i was trying to calculate but don’t know why its not working for me.
can you please tell me what are the exact measurements of ingredients for my 22cms cake with 3 to 4 layers.
i prefer 4 layers.
thanks in advance 🙂
i am waiting for your reply!
Charlotte Oates says
Here are the ingredients for 3 and 4 layers…
3 layers
395g self-raising flour
395g margarine
395g caster sugar
7 eggs
3.5 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp vanilla extract
3.5 tsp milk
4 layers
565g self-raising flour
565g margarine
565g caster sugar
10 eggs
5 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp vanilla extract
5 tsp milk
Mairi says
Not sure if you’ve answered this question already but how do you get your cakes to come out so flat? Mine always have a peak in the middle. I’ve tried the damp cloth round the edge and that seems to work quite well but you don’t seem to use that in your YouTube video. Thanks.
Charlotte Oates says
I’m not too sure what the trick is as mine are always pretty flat. I do find that if I mix the mixture on a fast speed then it peaks a bit more (as there’s more air beaten in) so make sure you keep you mixer on the lowest possible speed.