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.
FREE GRAMS TO CUPS CONVERSION CHARTS
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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.
Bina Chauhan says
Hi this cake sponge is amazing. I want to make this sponge recipe by within a rainbow cake. Am I ok to add food colouring to this sponge or will it alter the flavour? I’m making it tomorrow. I’m new to baking so this is all new to me. Thanks in advance
Bina
Charlotte Oates says
It should be fine. I’ve not added colour but I’ve had lots of comments from people that have and they’ve always said it works well.
Israh says
Hi Charlotte. I was just wondering roughly how many teaspoons 6 drops of vanilla was . Thank you
Charlotte Oates says
About 1/8 of a tsp, although it’s fine to use a bit more.
Steve says
I have try the food colouring didn’t work wen I did it
Asma says
Hi Charlotte,
I have used your all in one birthday cake recipe many times and have had a great response every time!
I wanted to say Thank You for sharing this recipe.
I originally made a gender reveal cake for a customer and now am facing a bigger challenge of a 2 tier baby shower cake for the same customer.
I’ve always believed that a cake should not just look great but should taste great too and thanks to your recipe all this is possible!
Thank You x
Charlotte Oates says
Thanks you for your lovely comment Asma. Good luck with the baby shower cake, I’d love to see a picture when it’s finished.
Abigail says
Hello, just wanted to know if the 2 tier cake was a success, as I am planning to do the same using this recipe. Did it hold up well? Thank you
Charlotte Oates says
Thanks Joanna. Let me know what you think if you give the chocolate cake a try too.
Louise Manning says
Hi Charlotte,
Thanks for this recipe and all your tips and ideas. I’m completely inexperienced regarding cake making but have decided to bake a cake this year for my mum’s 73rd birthday. I have one ten inch round tin, 4 inches deep. Maybe a stupid question but can I still do two separate cakes and sandwich them together if I use the ingredients for a ten inch one layer cake and just bake one cake after the other or do I have to do one deep cake using all the ingredients for two layers in one??! Sorry if this is a completely rooky question!!! Also, how long exactly should you bake a ten inch one layer cake? Or a ten inch two layer deep cake? Many many thanks in advance for your help!!!
Charlotte Oates says
You can cook it as one deep cake if that the tin you’ve got. As it’s a deeper cake it’ll take longer to cook so don’t check it until it’s been in the oven for 45 minutes.
Louise Manning says
Thanks charlotte! Much appreciated. Will it take much longe than the 45 minutes do you think? Many thanks!
Charlotte Oates says
It should be pretty much cooked at 45 minutes. Check it with a skewer and pop it back in for another few minutes if necessary.
Louise Manning says
That’s brilliant! Thanks again Charlotte for getting straight back to me, it really is appreciated!
Stephanie pintus says
Hi, I am making a very large cake, 12” tin but would like 3 layers, could I do this in 1 tin? Then cut into 3? How long would you recommend cooking for?
Thank you
Charlotte Oates says
I’m not sure most tins would be deep enough to give three layers without risking the cake overflowing (unless you wanted quite thin layers). If you’re happy with layers a similar thickness to my coffee and walnut cake then you could put the mixture for two layers into one tin and then carve it once it’s cooked (although you may find slicing a cake that thin tricky). If you take this approach then you’d need to cook it for 45-50 minutes.
Mandy says
Love this recipe. I made two of them in a 39cm tin using your handy conversion guide which I then sandwiched together for a massive cake! I received a lot of compliments on the taste. Thank you x
Charlotte Oates says
I’m so glad you enjoyed it. I’ve not tried a tin that big before so it’s great to know that the calculator works at that size.
Mark burbridge says
Can you use this recipe using 9in cake tins.would I need to increase quantities and what cooking times.
Charlotte Oates says
Absolutely. If you have a look under the ingredients there’s a link to a calculator that’ll tell you exactly what ingredients you need.
Hasan says
Hello Charlotte,
Can I replace margarine with butter? Thanks
Charlotte Oates says
Yes, that’s absolutely fine as long as it’s soft before you start.
Charlotte says
Do you have any links on how you ice the cakes following making them please. Cannot wait to try this recipe this week x
Charlotte Oates says
There’s a great tutorial here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-awHIcPaeuY. I’ve also made my own tutorial about how I go about making the characters https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vvayftEv5Uo&t=210s.
Susan Richards says
Hi please could you advise me. Your recipe sounds great and I’m eager to try it. I have bought a 28cm square tin would the quantities listed be ok for my tin? Thanks x
Charlotte Oates says
Hi Susan. There’s a link to a calculator in my recipe where you put your tin dimension in and it’l tell you what ingredients are needed.
Susan Richards says
Thanks. I can’t wait to try x
Tanya says
I need to make a cake today for tonight I want a cake to fill 11 maybe bit more how much ingredients should I use
Charlotte Oates says
If you make the cake as per this recipe there’ll be enough for a decent sized slice for 11 people.
Mia says
Hi Charlotte, I’ve purchased some 8inch tins that are 3 inches deep, would this recipe be suitable for it? I’ve tried your cake recipe before with very shallow tins and it was perfect- I would like to go for a thicker sponge this time! X
Charlotte Oates says
Yes, use the ingredients for two layers in one tin and increase the cooking time to 45-50 minutes.
Amanda says
Hi,
I’m going to do a 5 egg mix for my daughters birthday cake, but just in one cake tin, how long do you think it will take to cook? And still 140c for fan assisted? I did it last year but can’t remeber how long I did it for! It’s a fab recipe and so light. Thank you, Amanda
Charlotte Oates says
What size is the cake tin?
Jo says
I tried to make this and followed the exact instructions/recipes and the cake just didn’t cook at all in the middle! I left it for a bit longer, took it out and then it just sunk. Tried to cut it in half and then it just sank and was a complete mess. Do you have any idea what I did wrong?
Charlotte Oates says
Hi Jo, did you cook the cake in one deep tin or two sandwich tins? The recipe is for using two sandwhich tins so if it was in one deep tin then it’ll take longer to cook (about 45-50 minutes). Sadly once it’s been removed from the oven the first time it was likely to sink the second time around 🙁
Helen says
Hi Charlotte,
Came across this recipe and all the positive comments about it, going to try this tomorrow for my sons 1st birthday cake. Could you advise me on this please? – I have bought x2 19cm (7.5″) tins that are approx 2.5″ deep as they have loose bases and I wanted something that was just a little taller than using a regular 2 layer sandwich tin. Which quantities would be best to use and what would the cooking times be? I was thinking of using the 3 layer quantities (335 flour/butter/sugar…) you had previously mentioned but dividing it between the two tins so they were a little thicker? Thanks so much in advance!
Charlotte Oates says
Hi Helen,
In that depth of tin you should be able to use double quantities but you’ll probably find that you’re cake ends up taller than you’d like. Enough mixture for three layers split between the two tins, as you suggested, should work well. As the cakes are thicker the cooking time will be longer. The cake usually takes 30-35 minutes and 45-50 minutes for a deep tin so it’ll be somewhere between the two. I’d check it at around 38 minutes and the pop it back into the oven if necessary.
Nadia mitchell says
Hi Charlotte.
I’m looking for advice please. I used your recipe and put it all into one 8inc cake tin. At fan 140c.
How long should I keep it in the oven for
Thanks Nadia
Charlotte Oates says
Leave it in for 45 minutes before you check on it.
Marie Richardson says
Hi Charlotte I’ve used your vanilla cake recipe
Numerous times and its been successful every time until the past 3 times its sunk, have you any idea what im doing wrong getting very frustratedl
Charlotte Oates says
I have no idea as it’s worked so well in the past and I haven’t changed anything in the recipe. Have you changed your oven or your tins?
Tasmia Faruque says
Hi, I would like to make this for my daughters birthday and was wondering what size eggs you use? Thanks in advance!
Tasmia
Charlotte Oates says
I usually use medium but I’ve also made it with large and still had good results.
Roxie says
Hiya, I’m going to make this cake this week for my sons first birthday on Saturday. I was just wondering if I could use vanilla bean paste instead of the vanilla drops as that’s what I have in my cupboard. If this would still work I imagine of use less of the paste?? I’m going to to a 2 tier 18cm and 26cm and decorate it with fondant and bits n bobs . I’ve used the calculator hopefully it goes to plan for me! Wish me luck! X
Charlotte Oates says
Yes you can. I use whatever I happen to have in the cupboard. You use the same quantity.
NS says
I baked this cake for my mom’s birthday and she loved it soo much thank you for the recipe
Charlotte Oates says
Excellent, I’m glad you all enjoyed it x
Susan says
how long will this cake stay fresh for,due to time, I need to make a week in advance, will it be ok
Charlotte Oates says
I usually make my cakes on a Thursday for a Saturday party and they’re good for a few days after. I think a week before might be pushing it. However, you can freeze the cake if you want to, just wrap it tightly in clingfilm. You’ll then need to defrost it thoroughly before icing.