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.
Richard says
Hi Charlotte, I have just made my first ever 2 sponge cakes following your recipe and baking instructions, I used 2 x 20cm tins and put them both on the same shelve in the centre of the one (fan assisted), the one on the left looks great but the one on the right was sunk in the centre, and idea why please?
Thank you
Charlotte Oates says
That’s strange. Two possible ideas…
1) Did they have exactly the same amount of mixture in both? If one was fuller than the other it may not have been fully cooked when the other was which could have caused it to sink.
2) The heat in your over could be uneven (mine always cook better at the back of the oven than the front). Do you usually cook thinks using the full width of your oven? Do you find they cook evenly?
If it is that your oven is heating unevenly the best solution would be to bake the sponges one at a time.
Iris Doyle says
Hi Charlotte making this cake for the first time and want to know if it will freeze well. I like to.prepare my cakes the week before, freeze them, then decorate the day before they are needed.
Thanks
Charlotte Oates says
Wrap each sponge in cling film and defrost thoroughly before decorating and it should be fine.
George says
Brilliant recipe – definitely the best cakes I’ve ever made and received many compliments! Made 3 of these, in 3 sized tins and all came out perfect. I’ve just been searching the internet to find this recipe again to make it now. So glad I’ve found it
Charlotte Oates says
Make sure you bookmark it so you don’t lose it again 🙂
Ruth says
Hello Charlotte, I made your chocolate cake for my sons 18th in August and it’s the nicest one I’ve ever baked. Everyone loved it and it all went the same day, so I was asked if I could bake another haha
I did bake another the week after and that went quickly too. In the middle of them both I filled with raspberry jam and chocolate ganache and chocolate ganache on top.
I’m going to try the vanilla sponge next, can’t wait try that one
Thanks for the recipes
Charlotte Oates says
Ooh, I love the sound of the raspberries and chocolate ganache. I’ll have to give that combination a try sometime.
Daniella says
Hi Charlotte,
Can you advise why you add baking power if using self raising? I tried this recipe in a while back in either a 4 ‘or a 6’ tin (can’t quite remember which one) and it sank in the middle on both attempts. On the final go I omitted the baking powder and it bake perfectly, do you know why this could be? I’ll be using this for a 9×13 pan to create a number cake and I am not sure now whether to add it or leave it out.
Charlotte Oates says
For this cake, the reason I use baking powder is that it’s adapted from the recipe my mum used to make my cakes when I was little and that included both baking powder and SR flour so that’s what I stuck with. I’ve made it may times and never had a problem with it rising too high and then sinking and I’ve had a lot of comments from other that have baked it successfully. However, over time I have adapted the recipe to add different flavours and I now mostly leave out the baking powder (especially for my chocolate cake where I did have the over-rising and sinking problem when I tried adding it). Strangely whilst most people find the chocolate cake rises perfectly well without I have had a couple of comments from people that decided to add it and preferred the result. I have no idea why it behaved differently for them to me.
Quite simply, I’m not too sure why the cake did that for you and not others, but if it works well for you without the BP then leave it out (it will definitely still rise but may not be quite as fluffy as if you add it).
Julie says
Hi Charlotte
I was wondering if you have got a Almond cake recipe as I have to do one for a 21st Birthday, as she loves marzipan. I always do your vanilla & chocolate recipes and get loads of great feed back from them. So thank you for that..
Charlotte Oates says
Unfortunately I don’t have an almond sponge suitable for decorating. I do have this marzipan and cherry cake which she might enjoy though.
Michelle Wilson says
Hello. Im preparing to make my sons 4th birthday cake and it will be my first attempt at a birthday cake. It will be in the shape of number 4 and will be covered with fondant icing all over (White) and then a second layer of fondant icing on the top surface (Grey, to make a race track/road). My questions are… can i use a basic Victoria sponge recipe or the recipe you have detailed on this page or do I need to use a Madera cake recipe? I’m not sure about sponges and the weight they can take. Am I going about this the right way with double layers of icing or should I be doing it differently?
Thanks in advance, advice GREATLY appreciated x
Charlotte Oates says
I’ve not made this cake in a specially shaped tin, but I know others that have done with success so it should be fine. This cake is strong enough for what you propose with the icing. I’d recommend putting a thin layer of buttercream underneath the fondant and it helps the fondant to stick to the cake, helps you to get it smooth and it tastes nice 🙂
Michelle Wilson says
Thank you, Charlotte. Im making the cake in rectangular tins and will cut the shape out
I noticed your cake mix calculator for the size of tin so that will be extremely helpful.
I’ll be looking through lots of your picture before I attempt it.
Thanks again x
Charlotte Oates says
The cake can be a little soft for carving so take your time over it (it can be done, I’ve carved it into both a George Pig and an Iggle Piggle). Make sure it’ll cooled properly before you carve, if you can pop it into the fridge for a bit before you carve as the colder it is the firmer it’ll be making it a bit easier. I usually recommend medium eggs for this recipe as it give a softer texture, but if you’re carving I’d recommend using large eggs as it gives the cake a slightly firmer texture which is better for carving.
Michelle Wilson says
Thank you. I would never have thought of that!
I’ll make the cake in the morning and then cut in the evening when it is cooled and chilled (and the kids are in bed!).
I’m planning to get a smoother for the icing and small pallet knife for buttercream. Are there any other tools I’ll need?
Charlotte Oates says
It depends on exact how you want to decorate it. You’ll be fine with a small sharp knife for the road, but if you want to make any other fondant decorations you may find some other tools useful. To stick the road on just wet the surface with a small amount if water (only a tiny amount is needed)
Nicci says
Hi,
I am new to baking and have decided to make my son’s 2nd birthday cake – when I came across your recipe it was exactly what I was looking for. I’ve spent my last few evenings reading everything you’ve written – thank you! I’ve just done a trial run and am making 2 X 9″ circle cakes but only have 1 tin. Bit of a strange one but I made the mixture (using a mixer) lined one tin and cooked the first one which came out great. I washed out the tin (so it wasn’t too hot) and just lined the bottom on the second attempt rather than the edges too (to see if I could get a cleaner edge) however my second cake didn’t rise. I cooked it exactly the same temp/time. Do you think it was because I left the mixture standing for an hour before cooking or because I didn’t line the edge of the tin as they are the only differences? Thank you so much in advance – cake 1 tastes brill!!!
Charlotte Oates says
I suspect it is because you left the mixture as the raising agent will start to react when it is mixed with the wet ingredients and so won’t work properly when it is finally put into the oven.
Debi says
Unfortunately I followed your recipe to a T and my cakes didn’t cook in the time, I had to leave them in for one hour and turned the temp up to 150 fan oven, when removed they still sank in the middle… I’ll have to start again. How deep were the pans you used BTW? Thanks
Charlotte Oates says
I use two 20cm 3.5cm deep sandwich tins. If you cook the cake in one deep tin it’ll take much longer (45-50 minutes).
Leoni says
Oh hi. I’m making a 2 tier birthday cake, I’m following your ingredients but need the amount of ingredients I need for a 23cm also, could you help me with this please ?
Charlotte Oates says
If you enter your tin size into my calculator it’ll tell you the ingredients you need.
Nicole says
Hiya. Im making my daughters bday cake, her birthday is saturday. When am i best making this? I also plan to decorate it with ready to roll icing
Also what amounts of mixture do i need, my cakes are going yo be 8’’ and 6’’? And what gas mark to cook them at. Thanks xx
Charlotte Oates says
I usually bake on Thursday and decorate on Friday for a Saturday party. You can find the ingredients you need for any size of cake you’d like using my calculator. They need to be cooked at gas mark 3.
Jennifer says
Can this cake be frozen once cooked and cooled? If so how and how long after defrosting would it be ok for? Thanks
Charlotte Oates says
It can be cooked and the frozen undecorated. Wrap it tightly in clingfilm before freezing and defrost it thoroughly before decorating. It should be fine for 3-4 days after defrosting if stored in an airtight container.
Katy says
Hi … I’m making a 27cm square and used your calculator for amounts. After 45 mins it’s completely liquid still! I40 fan is that right? I wondered if it sounded low! Help it’s in the oven now! Thanks in advance! Xxx
Charlotte Oates says
That doesn’t sound right. I would have expected it to be pretty much cooked after 45 minutes at that temperature. However, it’s not a size I’ve tested myself but I have known people make a similar size with no trouble. Sorry I can’t be more help.
Natalie says
Hi Charlotte,
I have used your recipe several times and it has worked amazing.
I used it last night on a smaller time which I have done before but only as one layer and it worked out fine.
Last night it completely sunk in the middle? I did it as 2 layers in one tin. I used the calculator for the measurements, any ideas why it could have sunk please? I never opened the oven during cooking time.
Charlotte Oates says
How long did you cook the cake for? A deep cake will take 45-50 minutes to cook.
Natalie says
Just read my comment again that should have said on a smaller tin. Only 15 cm which I have done before but only single layer. I cooked it for 45 mins before I opened the oven, it was cooked but sunken right down in the middle.
Charlotte Oates says
I’m not too sure why it could have happened though. The only time I’ve had something similar (not for this recipe though) was when I wasn’t paying attention to the ingredients list and added too much baking powder. It made the cake rise too much but it didn’t have enough structure to actually hold and so collapsed in the middle.
Natalie says
I was wondering if it could have been too much baking powder for how it collapsed.
I’ve done the chocolate cake recipe since and it worked out fine 🙂
Caroline says
I made two attempts at making the cake, but unfortunately both sank for some reason. I can only think too much raising agent but happy it worked for others 🙂 I did love that you put the quantities in the method though so I didn’t have to keep flicking back to the list!
Charlotte Oates says
I’m sorry to hear that it didn’t work out for you. Did you use a measuring spoon for the baking powder or a standard teaspoon?
Ayanna says
What margarine did you use? Can butter be used also?
Charlotte Oates says
I use Stork. You’re fine to use butter, just allow it to soften a little before using it otherwise it won’t mix in properly and you’ll end up with a greasy cake.
Natalie says
Hi Charlotte,
What does 6 drops of vanilla extract equate to in mls?
Charlotte Oates says
Use about 1/8th of a teaspoon.
Lauren Crane says
Hi Charlotte.
I have found your recipe as i’m making a rectangle cake. I only have 1 tin so I presume in your size calculator I need to put 1 layer and the size which is 34cm by 24cm. My plan is to cut the cake in half to add buttercream and jam in the middle then use fondant icing to cover it. Your calculator has given me the following weights for the ingredients:
BIRTHDAY CAKE SPONGE
280g self-raising flour
280g soft margerine
280g caster sugar
5 egg(s)
2.5 tsp baking powder
8 drops vanilla extract
2.5 tsp milk
BUTTERCREAM
280g butter
560g icing sugar
0.5 tsp vanilla extract
3.5 tsp (approx.) milk
Would you recommend lowering the amount of buttercream ingredients as im going to be icing it or can you freeze your buttercream?
Thanks
Lauren
Charlotte Oates says
If you only want to fill the cake in the middle then you’ll need to reduce the amount of buttercream. You need roughly 100g butter and 200g icing sugar. However, I’d recommend a thin covering over the whole cake underneath the fondant as this make it easier to stick to fondant to the cake and also help to get the fondant smooth.
Charlotte Jenkin says
Hi Charlotte,
I made this cake as my daughters christening cake a few weeks ago and it was amazing! Thank you so much for the recipe. I wondered if you had ever tried it as a lemon cake? My father in law wants a lemon cake for his birthday.
Thanks!
Charlotte
Charlotte Oates says
I have tried it as a lemon cake. Top turn it into a lemon cake, simply add the grated zest of 2 lemons into the cake mixture. Alternatively you could add 1tsp of lemon extract.
Charlotte Jenkin says
Thanks so much for your help! Did you do lemon buttercream covering it or just lemon inside and the vanilla to cover? Thanks!
Charlotte Oates says
I actually tried then lemon cake as a base for a lemon drizzle (same basic sponge) so I didn’t decorate it. I don’t have a lemon buttercream on here, but you could use my vanilla buttercream recipe and substitute the vanilla extract for lemon extract (adding a little at a time until you have ht flavour you want).
Sarah says
HI Charlotte,
First of al, thanks for putting this recipe up.
I’m a real beginner when it comes to cake making (this is my first one!) and I’m trying to make my daughters 1st birthday cake.
I have used the ingredients and quantities you outline but used 2 tins and just transferred half of the mixture to each. However, I’ve tried it twice an both times, each tin seems to come out really flat with no real depth.
Would you recommend baking it in the one tin and then cutting it instead or how could I make the cake rise more?
I’m using two 25cm springform tins.
I modified the ingredients to 300g instead of 225 because it’s a bigger tin (and I couldn’t get the calculator in the site to work for me)
Thanks in advance
Sarah
Charlotte Oates says
Hi Sarah, sorry the calculator was playing up. It seems OK now. Did you increase the eggs along with the other ingredients?
The correct quantities for 2x 25cm round tins are:
340g sr flour
340g margarine
340 caster sugar
6 eggs
3 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp vanilla extract
3 tsp milk
Emma Catchpole says
Hi Charlotte,
I use and love your vanilla recipe! I have been asked to do a lemon sponge, how can I adapt your vanilla recipe to add in the lemon factor ?
Thank you
Charlotte Oates says
What great timing, I was experimenting with that just this week! If you add the zest of 1-2 lemons to the cake mix your cake will have a lovely lemon flavour (1 lemon for a subtle flavour and 2 for a stronger flavour – I prefer 2).
Charlotte Oates says
Oh, and I forget to say, I’d also leave out the vanilla extract.
Emma Catchpole says
Ah fantastic thank you for replying so quickly!! Would your suggestion be for an 8inch cake 2 layer cake? Thanks
Charlotte Oates says
Yes
Katie says
Hi what would the ingredients be in 2x 22cm trays . Thanks
Charlotte Oates says
Pop the measurements into my calculator and it’ll tell you what you need.
Jax says
Hi. I want to try this as the base for my sons bday cake friday-no time for rehearsal.
My tin is 25cm square tin. 2 layers is fine. With the quantities the calculator suggests, do i put it all in 1 tin and cut in half or does it envisage splitting between 2 tins? I only have 1 and am just trying to work out cooking times etc thank you in advance .
Charlotte Oates says
You can either split it between two tins, in which case it would cook in 30-35 minutes. Or you can cook it in one deeper tin and it’ll take 45-50 minutes.