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.
Hannah says
Hi Charlotte,
I’m looking to make a huge cake at the weekend. I’m planning on basically baking it in a tray bake, twice to make two layers and then covering it in icing and decorating it. It’s approx. 39cm by 26cm. Do you think your recipe would work for that? I’m really nervous about it not working.
Thanks in advance
Charlotte Oates says
I haven’t tried making one that big but I’ve had messages from people who have made a similar size and said it worked well so you should be fine.
Hannah says
Thank you and thank you for a speedy reply.
Angela Barnett says
just tried this recipe but my cakes seem to have bubbles in the top – what did I do wrong. thank you
Charlotte Oates says
I’m not too sure as I’ve not had that happen before, but I’d suspect that you’ve beaten it for too long or on too high a speed and added too much air into the mix which has then bubbled at the top.
SARAH says
all so you can bang the tin with cake mix in it on the side gently to remove the air bubbles hope it helps
Michelle says
Hi Charlotte,
I am making my son’s 2nd Birthday cake tonight and going to use your recipe, Do you use buttercream and fondant icing to decorate? if so do you have a recipe for this or any tips. Also his party isn’t until Sunday but I’m making the cake tonight (Thursday) and icing is (Friday night) do you think it will be ok for Sunday?
Thanks,
Michelle
Charlotte Oates says
My vanilla buttercream recipe is here or if you fancy trying a different flavour you can find them here. I usually use shop bought fondant as it’s much easier. I’ve just published a calculator which should help you to know how much you’d need. You can find it here. If you bake on Thursday and decorate on Friday it should be absolutely fine for Sunday.
Megan Richards says
Hi charlotte, just wondering if I used this recipe but change the vanilla for coffee, would that work?
Thankyou
Megan
Charlotte Oates says
You can but I don’t think it would have a very strong coffee flavour. You can use my coffee cupcake recipe to make a coffee cake (that has a definite coffee flavour). The mixture for the cupcakes is enough to make an 18cm round cake with 2 layers. If you’d like a 20cm cake then you need to use 4 eggs (an increase all of the other ingredients by 1/3).
Leanne says
Hello I wondered if it was ok to use butter instead of margarine?
Also reading some of the comments about storing it in the fridge before party, is this just the sponge before it’s decorated?
Charlotte Oates says
Butter is fine instead of margarine. Just make sure it’s left at room temperature for a while to soften or it won’t mix in properly. Ideally you’d store the finished cake in the fridge (due to the butter run the icing) but as I have a small fridge I tend to keep mine out and they’re always fine for 4-5 days after baking. Just make sure your room is quite cool otherwise the icing will go funny.
Jessie says
Thank you!
Eleanor says
Hi Charlotte, I want to make a birthday cake for my boyfriend and this looks perfect! I’d like to decorate it with his favourite sweets: crispy M&MS around the sides and then pile a bunch of pic n mix type sweets on the top. Do you think that would work? What would you recommend I use to ice it so everything stays on? Would a thin layer of the butter cream work? I was also thinking of adding sprinkles into the cake batter so it’s colourful on the inside!
Charlotte Oates says
It should work. I’d suggest putting a thin layer or buttercream onto the cake allowing that to set and then adding antlers layer that you stick the M&Ms on to. The first layer will help manage any cake crumbs and allow the second layer to spread more smoothly helping two get it all nice and neat.
Elaine says
Hi Charlotte
I going to bake your all in one vanilla sponge.
I have two 23cm tins, what will the ingredients
be please ?
Regards
Elaine
Charlotte Oates says
Is that 23cm square or round?
Elaine says
Round
Elaine says
Hi managed to use you calculated but the cakes have only reason to about 2cm why? please
Charlotte Oates says
Hi Elaine, I’m sorry to hear the cakes haven’t risen as expected. I would usually expect them to be about 3cm tall after cooking. Can I just check how many eggs you used in case the calculator was playing up for any reason when you used it.
Elaine says
Hi 6 eggs Charlotte
Charlotte Oates says
Hmmm, that should have been more than enough to get the cakes higher than yours. Was your baking powder/self-raising flour new or old? Sometimes the raising agents can lose some of their power over time.
Elaine says
The flour is new but kept in fridge and the baking powder is Feb 18
Charlotte Oates says
Hmmm, I’m at a bit of a loss on this one then – sorry.
Raphaella says
Hi Charlotte, can you please tell me how long in advance can I bake the cake and keep it in the freezer? I was planing in baking the cake a month before and leave it in the freezer. Also, is this recipe suitable for fondants or it will sink?
Charlotte Oates says
It should be fine for up to three months in the freezer as long as it’s wrapped in clingfilm to protect it, so a month in advance will be fine.
Grace says
Hi Charlotte,
I have used your vanilla sponge recipe on several occasions and I get great comments all the time. Thanks for sharing!!
How many tiers can I make with this recipe seeing it quite soft?
Charlotte Oates says
I’ve not made this cake with tiers (as my parties are not big enough) so I’m not sure how high you can go. You can definitely do two (as I’ve seen several photos from others that have). I’d expect three would be OK but I probably wouldn’t go higher than that.
Sarah says
Hi Charlotte
If I make this in a number 6 cake mold will I be able to use all the mix or divide into two?
Thank you
Charlotte Oates says
It depends on the size of your mould. If you let me know the dimensions/volume of your tin I should be able to help.
Katie says
Hi Charlotte
Thankyou so much for sharing this recipe! Great comments and I’ve even been asked to make some of my friends cakes. It’s fantastic the calculator was a great help to as I made a two layered 13 x 9 peppa pig cake for my little girl, I couldn’t find any recipes for that size of cake anywhere.
Colin Thomas says
Hi i need the ingredients recipe for a 13×9 inch sponge tin can you help.
Charlotte Oates says
Have you tried my calculator?
April says
Hi Charlotte
I’m going to make this next week in a 12” tin.
I have used your calculator for 30cm and 2 tiers. Will a 3inch deep cake tin suffice to bake the cake whole, and then cut into 2 tiers? Or should I bake them separately?
Thank you!
Charlotte Oates says
I usually bake mine in sandwich tins but you can cook two layers in one 3″ deep tin and the slice it if you prefer. As it’s deeper it’ll take longer to cook so leave it in the oven for 45-50 minutes
Karen says
Hi Charlotte how do you make the jam filling on a birthday cake
Charlotte Oates says
I usually just use seedless raspberry jam from the supermarket. I have got a strawberry jam recipe on here which would also work well, although the jam has some largish lumps of strawberry so you may prefer to use something smoother.
Rachel says
Hi Charlotte I noticed it’s a cake tin in the link its deeper than the sandwich tin from Delia is this correct ? Loved the Xbox recipe just need to upgrade my tins x
Charlotte Oates says
You’re right it is, I’m sure that link used to go to sandwich tins. I’ll have to go back and update the link. I use the sandwich tins of the same make (they’re about 3cm deep). You can use one deep tin and then slice it in half if you prefer but the cooking time will be longer (45-50 minutes).
RACHEL COALTER says
Thank you so much for replying so speedily Charlotte its much appreciated all the hard work on this site truly shows. Only discovered it last week and wow its amazing I adore the cakes going to amazon to order new tins now x
RACHEL COALTER says
Xbox meant chocolate cake lol
Charlotte Oates says
That’s quite an autocorrect fail!
Ranjit says
Hi Charlotte
I’m looking to make a two tier cake with fondant icing and was thinking of using your all in one vanilla cake recipe for the base tier and you choc cake recipe, do you know if this would be ok, in terms of stability?
I have read that sometimes cakes can collapse, so wanted to get some advice.
Thanks
Ranjit
Charlotte Oates says
I haven’t tried these cakes tiered but I’ve had feedback from others that they work well. To add a bit of extra strength to the cake I’d recommend adding some trimmed straws or dowels into the bottom tier to provide some support to the top cake.
May says
Hi Charlotte, If I want to make a birthday cake that is good for 20, is it okay if I just double up the ingredients? Also, I am using a square baking tins.
Charlotte Oates says
If you want to make a cake the fit a larger tin then pop the tin size into my calculator and it’ll tell you the ingredients you need. To feed 20 people I’d suggest a square tin about 23cm x 23cm. If you want to use one deep tin instead of two sandwich tins then you’ll need to cook the cake for 45-50 minutes rather than the 30-35 suggested in the original recipe.
Sarah Gardiner says
Hi Charlotte. I’ve made the vanilla cake for my son’s birthday and plan to sandwich it with buttercream and jam, then cover with a thin layer of buttercream and fondant icing. What’s the best way to store this please and how long will it last? I’m baking it today (Friday) and his birthday is on Sunday. Thanks so much
Charlotte Oates says
Ideally the cake should be stored in the fridge but i’ve always found it’s fine out on the side as long as the room isn’t too hot. I usually bake cakes on a Thursday for a Saturday party and find they’re still good to eat in the middle of the week after. Once that cake has been cut make sure you keep it in an airtight container to keep it fresh.
Jo says
Hi can this cake and the chocolate one be frozen before decorating?
Charlotte Oates says
Yes, both can be frozen. Wrap them in clingfilm to protect them in the freezer and defrost them thoroughly before decorating.
Vanessa says
Thank you so much for sharing this recipe. It is absolutely fabulous. I made it for my birthday back in October when one of my go to recipes didn’t quite come out as I needed it to. I looked for one and yours came up and I’m so happy I’ve tried it. It’s fail proof, amazing flavour, it rises well and it has been a success every single time I’ve baked it. I’m yet to try the chocolate one, but this is now on my favourite list.
Charlotte Oates says
Thanks Vanessa. The chocolate cake was created based on this recipe so hopefully you should enjoy that one too. Let me know how it goes.
Miss J E Herrington says
Hello
Can you use butter instead of margarine?
Tganks
Charlotte Oates says
Yes, just make sure you take it out of the fridge a little while before you want to use it so it’s soft.
Elizabeth says
Hi charlotte how long will the vanilla sponge keep for after.baking
Charlotte Oates says
I usually find that it’s good to eat 4-5 days after baking as long as it’s kept in an airtight container.
Elizabeth says
Thankyou I can’t wait to try it out for my sons birthday. I made your vanilla cupcakes and they are so delicious Keep your recipes coming !!!!!!!
Charlotte Oates says
Thanks. The cupcakes are based on the same recipe so hopefully you should enjoy this one too 🙂
Rachael says
Hi, how do I make the buttercream for the middle?
Charlotte Oates says
You can find my recipe here
Louise Manning says
Hi Charlotte,
I emailed you a couple of weeks ago asking for your help with baking this cake for my mums 73rd birthday. I just wanted to let you know that the cake was a great hit! It took a bit longer in my oven but it’s a fantastic recipe, really moist, so thanks for sharing it and for your patience in answering all of our questions!!! Love this website, thanks!
Charlotte Oates says
I’m glad I was able to help. I hope your Mum had a lovely birthday x