Plain Vanilla Sponge Cake – Moist and Fluffy.
Your search for soft and spongy Vanilla cake ends here. This is the best basic recipe for simple, fluffy, moist plain vanilla sponge cake with butter and hot milk. With step by step pictures.
This Vanilla Sponge Cake is very close to my heart. This is my mums favorite cake. She calls it tea cake. She would have a piece of this cake with coffee in the evening. This cake is the lightest, fluffiest and tastiest simple plain vanilla sponge cake ever. It is called as the hot milk cake. This old-fashioned cake has been around for a very long time. It’s a very delicate and moist cake.
“If you look over the years, the styles have changed – the clothes, the hair, the production, the approach to the songs. The icing to the cake has changed flavors. But if you really look at the cake itself, it’s really the same.” -John Oates.
Preheat the oven to 350F/180C. Line and grease two 8 inch round pans and keep them ready. Take a large mixing bowl and add the eggs, sugar and vanilla in it.
Set the bowl over a pan of simmering water. Heat the eggs,sugar and vanilla until slightly hot, stirring constantly to prevent curdling. Don’t move away. Constant stirring is the key..Else you will end up with sweet curdled eggs. Agh….I have done that before and you cannot do anything about it. So all eyes on the bowl. OK.
Keep stirring until all the sugar is completely dissolved. Run your fingers in the batter and feel the batter. It should be smooth. If its grainy, stir for some more time. This whole process can take between 3-5 minutes. Remove the bowl from the water bath.
Note: Indian sugar granules are really big. Grind the sugar once in the mixie and add or use castor sugar so it dissolves completely.
Now, lets start whisking. Using the whisk beater, beat the mixture on high speed for 5 minutes or until triple in volume. If you are using a hand beater you might need to beat for at least 10 minutes. Its important that you beat for the above said time. Do not stop after 3-4 minutes even if it looks done. Trust me, the eggs are doing their work. It should form a light ribbon when the whisk is pulled up.
Combine flour and baking powder and sift. Add it to the batter. Whisk until smooth.
In a small saucepan, heat milk and the melted butter just until the mixture is slightly hot. Add the hot milk mixture to the batter. Gently whisk to fold in the batter.
The batter will not be thick. Pour the batter in two 8 inch pans and bake for 40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Do not open the oven for the first 20 minutes of baking. Cool on a wire rack.
Update:
A reader used only 1.5 cups sugar instead of the two cups and informed me that the cake turned really well. Using less sugar makes the cake lite too! I tried it and I liked it too!. The original recipe uses two cups of sugar.
Plain Vanilla Sponge Cake – Moist and Fluffy
Your search for soft and spongy Vanilla cake ends here. This is the best basic recipe for simple, fluffy, moist plain vanilla sponge cake with butter and hot milk.
- Total Time: 1 hour
- Yield: 12 1x
Ingredients
- Measurements used – 1 cup = 240ml , 1 teaspoon =5ml
- 2 and 1/4 cup all-purpose flour (maida)
- 2 and 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
- 1.5 cups to 2 cups sugar (use 1.5 cups for a very lite cake)
- 4 eggs at room temperature
- 1/2 cup melted butter
- 1 and 1/4 cup milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract (use the real kind)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350F/180C.
- Line and grease two 8 inch round pans and keep them ready.
- Take a large mixing bowl and add the eggs,sugar and vanilla in it. Set the bowl over a pan of simmering water. Heat the eggs,sugar and vanilla until slightly hot, stirring constantly to prevent curdling. Keep stirring untill all the sugar is completely dissolved. Run your fingers in the batter and feel the batter. It should be smooth. If its grainy, stir for some more time. This whole process can take between 3-5 minutes.
- Using the whisk beater, beat the mixture on high speed for 5 minutes or until triple in volume. If you are using a hand beater you might need to beat for at least 10 minutes.
- Combine flour and baking powder and sift. Add it to the batter. Whisk until smooth.
- In a small saucepan, heat milk and melted butter just until the mixture is slightly hot. Add hot milk mixture to the batter. Gently whisk to fold in the batter.
- The batter will not be thick. Pour the batter in two 8 inch pans and bake for 40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack.
- Prep Time: 20 mins
- Cook Time: 40 mins
- Category: Dessert
- Cuisine: American
Hi mam,
Your recepies are awesome and believable to do at last min without second thought.
I tried this recepie ,I have a query why we are melting egg/butter and sugar at same time .having fear of curdles..
Instead beat egg and essence for the time you mentioned inbtw add required sugar powder and melted butter..
Will it give the same results or suggest
No. the results wont be the same if you dont heat up. Heating the sugar and eggs is for it double up in volume and hold up when beaten.
Cake taste good but what is the reason for cake breaks out on top and feel like not spongy kind of rigid.
Could you please assist me
Thanks
can you explain how you made the cake? Did you beat for the exact time etc… Also measurements are very crucial.
Thanks For Sharing this amazing recipe. My family loved it. I will be sharing this recipe with my friends. Hope the will like it.
Thank you.
Perfect cake
Thank you!
Hi,
Can I scale the measurements by half for just one 8 inch pan?
Sure. You can.
Really lovely! We had a strong sugar craving last night and I quickly whipped this up – no pun intended :D. YUM! Next time, I might try with dates and nuts. Thanks SV!
Thank you!
This is THE best vanilla sponge recipe I have come across.. foolproof if you follow the steps exactly.. I used 1.5 cups sugar as you had suggested and the cake was literally melt in the mouth.. thank you so much
Thank you so much!
I enjoy cooking your recipes Suguna, and they are excellent.
At 71 I am back in my kitchen full time thanks to Covid 19 and the lockdowns. I don’t allow even my cook of 43 years to enter the house.
Thank you for giving me so much joy in the kitchen and good luck.
Thank you so much. Stay safe and happy cooking.
Tried it for my daughters birthday today
to make as a layer between chocolate cake.
Came out awesome pa. Thank You.
Thank you!
Can I steam bake this cake instead of oven baking?
Steam wouldnt work for this recipe.
I tried tis recipe today, after three unsuccessful efforts at baking a simple sponge cake, I thought this recipe was by far the simplest and easy to understand.
I went by the book, followed all instructions to the T. I baked it in my convection oven and not OTG (All my previous attempts were in OTG), though the batter did not overflow this time, the cake collapsed (this was in a 8″ did 2.5″ deep pan lined with foil. What could be the reason?
You should try and bake the cake for some more time or just let it cool in the microwave for around 10- 15 min.
Can we make this with whole wheat flour? It’s lockdown and shop doesn’t have maida🥺🥺 please suggest substitute
Delicious, moist sponge. Where sponges such as a traditional genoise are often somewhat dry, this one is tender, moist and flavorful. Recipe is as easy as any sponge with excellent results.
Today I tried this cake and it came out very well.
Thanks a ton!
Tried the recipe today and it came out Soo perfect. Thanks a ton. Please can you also post ghee cake recipe.
Thank you!
Tried the recipe today and it came out Soo perfect. Thanks a ton. Please can you also post ghee cake recipe
Can we use oil instead of butter in this recipe?
yes. you can.
Hi akka, I love all your recipes ♥️. I have one doubt in this recipe
Can I bake this cake with cooker???
Never tried in cooker. So not able to comment.
nice recipe I will try to make this out todayonly
My 10 year old son made this cake with some help from me and it turned out perfect. Very nice and spongy, not too sweet! Thanks for the recipe!
wow! Thats so nice to hear. I am so happy you baked with your son. God bless!
I can’t thank u enuf fr diz recipe mam.. thanks a ton…
Thank you very much!
Hi.
Tried this cake and came out well. How long can I keep this?
Hello ,
I have tried this cake and it came out very well.
Thank you for the recipe
Could you please post vanilla cupcake recipe also?
Hi Suguna,
I absolutely love this recipe – made it several times, always with great success!
I have a question for you though on a possible modification: I am planning to make a birthday cake for my daughter, which should be a coconut cake with pineapple filling. I’ve used this cake recipe to make thin cake layers before, for multi-layered cakes, and what I’m wondering about now is whether you think it might work with this recipe to substitute part/all of milk for coconut milk, to give it a coconut flavor?
Thank you in advance for your reply and thank you for the great recipe!
Never tried with coconut milk so not able to say how the cake would turn out. Sorry about that!
Hi Suguna,
I absolutely love this recipe – made it several times, always with great success!
I have a question for you though on a possible modification: I am planning to make a birthday cake for my daughter, which should be a coconut cake with pineapple filling. I’ve used this cake recipe to make thin cake layers before, for multi-layered cakes, and what I’m wondering about now is whether you think it might work with this recipe to substitute part/all of milk for coconut milk, to give it a coconut flavor?
Thank you in advance and thank you for the great recipe!
I tried this cake today..The inside of the cake was soft and moist..But the sides and bottom were hard ..What could be the reason?
Hi Suguna, can I have an eggless version of this recipe?
Please refer to my eggless vanilla cake.
Hi Suguna, love the recipe but is it possible to get a substitute for eggs.
This is confusing and I am confused. Why are the instructions confusing? This is a weird, confusing cake. Moral of the story I am confused. Thanks for confusing me.
If i want to bake it in one single tray how many inch tray needed
Very easy and so delicious .. thankyou
Hi Suguna I tried this cake using traditional cake oven which will be like a ifli cooker. And I poured entire batter in a single deep container. The cake became so stuffy instead of fluffy. But the taste was awesome. Can you suggest me how to bake in such traditional oven?
Hi Suguna I tried this cake in a traditional cake oven which will be basically like a idli cooker. And I poured the entire batter in a single deep container. So it became stuffy instead of fluffy. But the taste is awesome. Please suggest me how to bake in such aluminium ovens.
This cake is very light. Do not use a deep container to bake this cake.
Hi,
Will the texture of the cake will be affected if I lessened the sugar? Thank you.
Hi suguna.. can i bake the whole thing in a single container.. please tell me the changes i must make.
what size? Too deep containers wont woek
Hi. I have got a six inch pan. Can I half the recipe and then make it?
I baked this cake over the weekend. Turned out delicious and soft, and my son loved it. Your instructions are so clear. Thank you for the effort.
Thank you ! Glad you liked it!
Couldn’t stop myself from posting at almost midnight!
This is the first eggbased vanilla sponge I’ve tried out. It is light and fluffy.
This will be my no fail vanilla sponge recipe.
Absolutely liked the way you’ve explained the details.
Thanks.
Thank you. Glad you liked it.
Hi there!
I’m baking this recipe right now for my dad’s birthday but instead of whole milk I substituted buttermilk, I’ll have to let you know how it comes out. Have you ever tried it that way?
Hi Jessica, I have never tried butter milk for this cake. I am eager to know how the cake turned out.
Hello mam .. I have tried this cake 3 times but every time the top becomes sticky the next morning . The base is awesome but again the top sticks to fingers … y so ??
I made the cake a week ago. The family raved about how good it was. I’m making it again for Easter as a base for strawberry shortcake.
Thank you!
Hi Suguna…..
I am going to try ur cake recipe in 2 or 3 days…..
I hav a question…..
Can we bake the cake in small ramekin?
Small ramekins will cook really fast. This cake works best for atleast a minimum 6 inch pan.
Hello.. I wanted to know how to store it? And what can be used in place of butter? Is it salted or unsalted butter? Do we need to cover the baking pan with aluminum foil paper?
Its unsalted butter. No need to cover with foil.
Absolutely delicious! My family loved it! Thank you! <3
Thank you!
Please please do a chocolate cake recipe! 🙂
Hi
Planning to do this for my hubby’s bday.. I have a doubt I don’t have such round pans.. can I pour the batter n rectangular glass container which s microwave safe??
Sure. you can do in a glass container. Do bake in convection mode.
Hi Suguna.. Thanks 4 dis Awesome recipe. I just have a small doubt. The milk n butter mixture should be hot or warm..? And can we decrease the amount of milk if the batter is already lil runny..
Hi Priya, Do not alter the measurements. The batter should not be too runny if you followed the correct measurements. The milk and butter mixture needs to be slightly hot.
Good day Suguna,
Awesome work you’re doing here.. can I use margarine instead of butter? The issue is, margarine is cheaper and motr accessible than butter here in Nigeria.
Awaiting your response 😊
Sure Tule, you can. Let me know how the cake turns out!
Hi Suguna
The first batch cake came out so well, just the same as your picture is. thanks a ton for sharing wonderful recipe.
However the second batch is sinking a Bit and taking longer than expected. Though I have 2 pans, I was unable to accommodate both in my convection oven. Any suggestions please on using convection at the same time for both pans?
Also, if I need to halve the recipe, should every ingredient (incl vanilla) be halved?
Thanks again.
Hi Poorni, Yes you can halve the ingredients and the batter sinking might be because it was out for a long time. Try storing the raw batter in the refrigerator till the first batch is finished.
Can this recipe be halved?
Yes. You can but the timings will remain the same for mixing, baking etc…
How to store it to keep it soft.
Thank you for delicious recipe.
I followed instructions but my cake ended harder. I baked cake in microvave mode 900 for 7 minutes and Combo mode (microvave + conv) for 22 minutes…please suggest what is wrong in baking process
For baking, you should always use convection mode.
Hi Suguna !! I made the cake today.It came out awesome.I used the exact measurement and got 2 super-soft cakes.My kids finished one in half an hour.Thank you so much!!
Thank you so much!
HI Suguna, thanks for your blogs, tried sponge cake, the day we baked it was soft & smooth, but next day become bit hard & dry. Please suggest what could be wrong? thanks
how did you store the cake?
Thank you very much for this nice recipe, I’ll practice it this week end.pls ma can I use it for cup cakes and what’s the shelf life
cup cakes dont come that well with this recipe.
Can this recipe be doubled?
Yes. it can be.
Which oven do you use? I am having an otg. Will it bake well?
OTG will work fine. I have a KAFF oven.
Thank you for the awesome recipe. The cake is perfect. I tried your tea biscuits too, they too came well.
Thank you so much. Happy you liked it. Wish you and your family a very happy new year 2018!
This is like my favorite sponge cake recipe ever. I’ve made it a few times now and it always turns out great. I’ve made sheets of this for birthdays with buttercream sandwiched between them and it was easy. Thanks for sharing this recipe!
Thank you Aaron!
Hi Suguna. I tried this vanilla sponge cake. It was my first time im baking anything and i was just perfect. Thank you for this wonderful recipe.Will be trying more from your page. Love your blog 🙂
Thank you!
Hi Suguna,
Can i use powdered sugar?
store bought powdered sugar has corn starch added so it will not work. It will become lumpy when heated.
I made the cake yesterday,it was good enough but a little bit hard or say lack of softness. I was confused about the milk measurement,it was stated 1 cup, not in ml. Actually I used a small cup which contains 120 ml,moreover I used raisins (soaked in Red Wine) in the batter. Next time I shall try using more milk(240ml) & hope the result will be good. Thanks,
In baking measurement is key. Also adding raisins soaked in wine (which makes it acidic) throws the whole ratios off.
hi, if i halve the recipe –will the specified timings change for the beating, whisking and baking?
granulated sugar is very coarse here in India- can I use castor sugar instead?
Hi Maria, Yes. you can use castor sugar. That is infact better. The timings does not change.
thanku for the info – will be trying this some time soon when time permits-will let u know the resuts then.
god bless!
Thank you Suguna! Will update on my bakes soon!
Hi Suguna! Thank you for the great recipe! I’m going to try. Will like to check with you, for your cups measurements, do you measure off literally from a USA metric cup (because I realised, conversions from online tables from cups to grams varies, also if I measure off a physical cup , it doesn’t tally with cup measurements I see online 🙁 , so your advice will be of great help to
Make this beautiful cake!
Yes. that’s right April. Its the standard US measuring cup. 1 cup= approximately 240 ml. I use the scoop and sweep method.
Hi Suguna I have prepared the cake it was awesome, can I use this as a base cake and use cream for decorating the cake
sure.
Hi, I am beginner. what exactly should be the measurements for flour, sugar and butter in grams and milk in ml. I am a little confused about the size of the cups used. Wish me luck!.
hey, I haven’t baked this yet. Just curious to know if I can switch butter with vegetable margarine?
I have not tried this recipe with margarine. But I guess it should work.
Hi. I followed the instructions to each and every word. And the taste and texture of the cake was brilliant. Thanks for it. But the top of the cake cracked. Any idea how to avoid it next time?
Thank you. Try covering the cake with a foil next time.
This is the best sponge cake that I have made. My family and friends love it
Thank you.
My first time baking a sponge cake and I am thrilled with the result. You are amazing! Thank you for a great recipe. The cake turned out perfect. I did mess up a few things and thought this is going to be a disaster, nevertheless turned out great! Reminds me of home “(and of course the Iyengar bakeries 🙂
That’s great Priya. Wishes for you to try more baking recipes.
Hey thanks for sharing the recipe. I tried it today and the cake turned out OK. It was a bit too sweet for my taste so will b reducing sugar to 1.5cup next time. Also the crumb was a bit dry. I’ll try increasing butter content to 3/4th cup and see how things go. The side & bottom crust of the cake came out thick and the top cracked. Dont know what went wrong..
Amazing recipe Suguna! Thanks a ton.. been waiting for eons to get a perfect sponge cake and Voila! You made it possible. Made a loaf cake and a round cake… Both turned out super duper. Wanted to post pics too but am afraid here there is no provision.
Thanks Sunisha. Glad you liked it!
Thank you for this recipe, Suguna! It is a big hit in my house. I’m making one for 4th of July like I did last year with strawberry jam in between the two cakes for my father, he went crazy for it. I don’t know why other people are having problems making this cake, I’ve made it about 6 times and the only problem I ever had was one broke once because it was TOO moist lol.
Thank you so much Caitlin. I am glad that you like the recipe so much. Hope you had good fun on 4th of July with your family.
This recipe was fantastic! I followed the directions and the cake came out of the oven very moist and delicious. I also added about a tablespoon of orange zest to give it a citrus taste and it was amazing! Thanks so much for the recipe and step-by-step instructions!
Thank you! Glad you liked it. Happy Cooking!
Hi Suguna, in India which pan material can be used in microwave oven – the one that combines microwave and oven. Can we use glassware ? Aluminium? Thanks
I followed the directions but it turned out thick and goupy… not sure what went wrong. Put it in the oven anyway and we will see what happens, may be trying again.
Dear Suguna, thank you for the recipe. I tried and it was soft and yummy. But, the top layer has risen and cracked. What would be the reason?
May be check out the measurements precisely and check on the oven temp.
Hi Suguna, I tried making it, but something is wrong. I tried beating the eggs, sugar and vanilla, the sugar didn’t dissolve even after about 15 mins, I proceeded anyway(Err.. I shouldn’t have) the batter didn’t fluff up even after beating it for about 20 mins, we tried mixing the flour beating slowly, but the flour was too much, it was lumpy.. I didn’t proceed furthur 🙁 What went wrong?
I am not sure why the sugar did not dissolve. Did you use the double boiler method?
can i reduce the sugar??
I have not tried. But upto 1/4 cup should be ok.
thanks
Thank you for your reply, Suguna. Yes, I beat the eggs for a full 10 minutes. I tried it again with AP flour and used 1 cup milk instead of 1 1/4 cup. It turned out lighter than the cake flour one I made previously. It was delicious!!! Thank you for this recipe.
I have another question. Can I use 9 inch round pans? Will I have to adjust the recipe?
You can use 9 inch pans but the cake won’t be tall
Hi!
Do you think it will taste fine if I use Coffee instead of Vanilla??
Hi Suguna,
I’ve made your recipe three times for a strawberry cake and I was very happy with the result. However, some of my friends wanted a lighter crumb so I used cake flour. The result was a dryer cake with little rise. What could I have done better? I noticed that when I add the butter and hot milk, the batter gets really runny, could the eggs be deflating?
Thank you!
If using for a layer cake, please use simple syrup to moisten cake. The eggs need to be beaten for 10 full minutes. Else the cake will deflate.
Hi suguna
Thanks for the receipe it turned out so well everyone loved it ? i had a query can i use wholewheat in this recipe
Never tried it with wholewheat.
Hi Saguna! On step 3 when you put the eggs, sugar, and vanilla on top of simmering water, do you whisk the 3 ingredients before and then put on top of the water or just pour in and whisk after they’ve been heated?
You whisk first and after keeping on the water bath too keep whisking continuously to avoid scrambling the eggs.
Ma’am can we decorate this with wipping cream
sure you can.
Hi. I am going to try this recipe today.just one question is the butter salted or unsalted?
unsalted butter
Hi mam .. i tried your recipe cake came out really well .. but little sticky wat is the reason. .and one more doubt can we add icing sugar..if so wat ratio..
The top of the cake may get a lil sticky due to humidity. I have not tried this recipe with icing sugar.
can this cake be tiered?
No.
Hi can I half the ingredients to make a small cake as I have small oven ?
Sure you can!
Instead of all purpose flour, can we use self raising flour ? If so, any difference in taste or texture ?
You cannot substitute self raising flour as its already leavened.
This. Recipe. Is. Amazing. It is absolutely delicious. Easy to follow recipe. THANK YOU!
Thank you very much!
Such a lovely recipe! I tried it coz of the excellent rating. Halfway through I realised I dint have as much butter so I used half butter half ghee. Except for some extra crispiness it tasted great. Can’t wait to try more recipes!
Thank you!
How many cupcakes will this recipient make?
Cupcakes dont come good using this recipe.
Hi Kannamma,
First of all, thanks a lot for boosting my spirits 🙂 I cannot tell you how happy I am today! I tried this cake just now.. I used a 9″ inch so yes the cake is thinner but I can see its soft and spongy.
If you can, could you tell me how much will the ingredients be for 9″ tin? Else, I will get a 8″ of course.
Thanks again. Cannot wait for it to cool down now !
Just one thing.. the bottom of the cake is very pale and not crusty like yours. I am guessing because of spring form tin? Do let me know.
Cheers!
Did you bake in the middle rack and preheat the oven?
Yes and yes. I think it is because of the spring bottom. I will try this in an 8″ tin like you have shown. Also, I took the cake out in 25-30 minutes because it was done (inserted a fork and it came out clean).
If I want to spin a chocolate cake variant from this one, what do you suggest should be done?
Cheers
Ruth
Thanks a lot Ruth. Glad you liked the recipe. 8 inch is better.
Dear Suguna. …tried this cake today n it came out extremely soft n spongy. …thank you so much. .
Thank you Jayanthi!
This cake turned out awesome. I baked it for my husband’s bday. I did whipped cream frosting and layered with fruits. It was an instant hit. Kids loved it and wanted second serving.
Thank you for the wonderful recipe.
Thank you so much.
what size panshall i use if i only want to do one cake?
Hi..Ur recipe s awesome…I want to try for my daughter’s bday…But I have a doubt…I have only one 8 inch pan…So can the remaining batter stay out till the first one is cooked?
It kind of falls flat. It has to go in to the oven immediately.
Thank you, this is exactly what I was looking for! Just like the name, the cake is really fluffy and moist and delicious. I do not like cakes that are too sweet, and I don’t like icing, so I am always looking for a good yellow or sponge cake recipe. But it would probably be perfect with frosting as well. It also freezes perfectly, I wrapped cut pieces individually and then just heat up in the toaster oven each time I want some with my coffee. Thanks for sharing this great recipe!
Thank you so much!
Hi Suguna! I have made this cake twice in a week already. It is a keeper and comes out exactly like plain vanilla cakes from small bakeries. I reduced the sugar to 1.5 cups because that suits our taste better. Other than that, no other changes. It comes out beautiful every single time. Thank you for a wonderful recipe!
Thanks Vaishnavi!
My daughter is allergic to anything dairy. Can I replace milk with soy milk and butter with oil? I know the taste won’t be rich and there will be a slight difference. Wanted to know if the cake would otherwise rise and puff up
I have never tried with plant based milk. Sorry about that.
I did attempt just after writing the comment! And guess what.. it turned out fine. The texture wasn’t altered at all. I substituted 1:1 soy milk for regular milk and 1:1 oil for melted butter. There’s s slight difference in taste in that it’s not as rich and milky tasting as dairy lends to cakes but for someone who cannot include dairy, this substitution works great.
Wow. That’s so nice.
I did with olive oil and oatmilk it came out amazing also..x
Thank you so much.
Sugana can we use this recipe to make cup cakes. Love your recipes. God bless you
This is a very light cake and i do not prefer this recipe for cup cakes.
Hi,
Can this cake be stored for a few days or immediately to be consumed.
Thanks in advance,
Jasmine David
Can be stored for 3-4 days.
It was really fluffy and white and beautiful. I have posted the picture in HBG!! thank you for sharing!!
Thank you!
Hi I am very curious about this recipe, would the fluffy cake good for fondant decorations? Can the cake hold the weight of fondant?
Its a very light cake. not good for multi tier fondant decorations.
Hi, Suguna.. Before trying out I want to clear some doubts… I have convection micro wave oven.. Can I bake in that. ?? Can I try with half the qty ..In one 8 inch pan first?? Hope I am not bothering..
??
Yes. You can bake in a convection oven and yes you can make one 8-inch.
Make sure you follow the recipe measurements and beat the eggs for the specified time.
Hey ma’am we don’t eat eggs any substitute for eggs to make eggless sponge??
You can use banana blend it with some rice milk make it fluffy then it works like egg.
Hi can I use salted butter
Please use Unsalted butter
Any recipe for eggless.?
Same mix just bananas instead
Hi mam, thank u for sharing such a wonderful recipe. Just a small query how does the method of mixing of egg and sugar on hot water and also taking hot butter and milk mixture helps in the baking process?
Hi Suguna,
Made this cake by substituiting wheat flour…taste was awesome…thanks for the recipe!!!!
Thats nice to know Keerthi.
Baked this cake yesterday.. the texture was so good and everyone loved it 🙂
Thank you!
Mam baking powder is 2 and 1/2 tspn
Isn’t it too much plz reply mam
This recipe makes two 8″ cakes.
Hi ,
i tried your recipe. cake came out really well..im very happy..i can not control my feelings.because first time i am making a cake and more than that it became success also taste was excellent.credit is only for you..Thank you so much..my mom really liked it.
Thanks much Ammu.
Made this many times already! My mom and dad loved it. Thank you for sharing!!
Thank you Mia.
I made this cake today and it came out perfect. Thank you for the recipe
Thanks for trying! Glad you liked it!
Hi,i followed the instructions as exactlyas given and used the ingredientsas given quantities but i have got a crack middle of my cake why is tha please help me
Hello Suguna,
This is the second time I try your sponge cake and it’s now cooling on the rack… Can’t wait to try it! I have only one question: in you recipe you say to remove the egg/sugar/vanilla batter bowl from the water bath and then to do the whisking. However in a reply to a comment, you say the whisking should be done in a double boiler (so still over the simmering water) so I am wondering which one is the correct or preferred method or do both work?
BTW, my daughter requested this cake after I made it for her younger sister’s birthday earlier in the year and everyone loved it!
The gentle whisking when the mixture is in the double boiler is to ensure that the eggs don’t scramble.
The real whisking happens when the sugar is completely dissolved, the mixture is hot to touch. The bowl is removed from double boiler and whisked for 10 minutes.
Thanks for trying this recipe again.
Please suggest a good otg oven?
My friends have bajaj and they like it. I like Siemens built in ovens.
Hi
I only have a 12 inch cake pan; will it still work if I make one large cake instead of 2 medium ones?
Or is it possible to cut the recipe to fit the larger cake tin?
I love the idea of your recipe, so alternatively I would have to go buy two additional tins to try it :/
What are your thoughts?
I had given this example before. You can use this to find yours.
This is how I calculate to see If a recipe can be accommodated for different size pans.
The area of an 8 inch circle is pi*R*R 3.14*4*4 = 50.56. We use 2 * 8 inch pans. So the area would be roughly around 100. lets say.
The area of an 10 inch circle is pi*R*R 3.14*5*5 = 78.5. SO the batter would overflow in one 10 inch pan.
Hii! I just had a teeny doubt..if I want to make just 1 cake, the ingredients specified should simply be halved?
Yes. Thats correct.
Baked it today n it was perfect. My children loved it.Thank you.
Thank you! Really glad you liked the recipe. Happy Cooking!
Hi mam ur recipe is the simplest ive found till now….my mom and i are trying it right now…(hope it goes alright!)…thank u very much for the awesome recipe
Thank you Sneha. Let us know how you like it!
Hi suguna, thanks a lot for the wonderful recepie. I tried this today and it turned out yum. But I do have some challenges faced. My cake cracked at the top and was bit raw in the middle after suggested 40 mins baking. So left for extra 7 mins. It perfectly cooked but is very dense and the top and sides are bit hard. Plz advice as I have to make one for my hubby’s birthday next week. And the taste is superb….
Beating the eggs and sugar for the full 10 minutes is very important. Make sure your oven is heating right. Try to calibrate your oven. If you find the top is browning fast, then try to cover the cake pan with a foil. Also, always bake in the middle rack. Hope this helps.
HATS OFF DEAR….
Thank you.
Can i bake this in pressure cooker?
I never tried baking in pressure cooker. sorry about that.
Sooo i accidentally added the butter along with the first step which was to only put the eggs, sugar, and vanilla, it still came out DELICIOUSLY MOIST just in case someone makes the same mistake lol I love this recipe SUGUNA!
Thank you Dora.
Hi mam,
For the above same ingredients if we want to use one pan means how much size we should buy
hey,
can we use refined oil instead of butter?
i really need to make this today but all markets are closed and all i have is refined oil. 🙁
Hi Aditi,
I have never tried this recipe with refined oil.
Sorry not able to help with that! 🙁
hey, can we use refined oil instead of butter?
P.E.R.F.E.C.T.
Thank you.
Hi…I tried the basic vanilla sponge cake. Results were amazing except for the fact that the smell of eggs is overpowering. Is there any way to rectify that???
Using double vanila might help!!!
I have a microwave convection oven. with all cake recipes one problem I face when baking cake, the whole cake done within the said time, toothpick also comes clean, but the upper centre remains undone. it is perfect from above, but when I cut I see the raw cake batter. to make that part done I have to bake it for more time and with the time the other parts of the cake, specially the top of the cake becomes so dry. is it my oven problem?
I am going to follow ur recipe today, I don’t have two tin cake dish. can I use one glass baking dish to bake this cake?
Try calibrating the oven to see if the oven’s the problem. May be get a service done from the manufacturer.
How to calibrate oven?
Wonderful recipe! Easy to follow and a great result 🙂 Thank you!
Thank you Inna.
Hai suguna, Im a beginner and tried many recipes but this recipe gave me the first peefect cake..very happy thank u so much..will this cake be good when frosted with butter cream and can u please share the recipe for basic vannila and chocolate cup cakes
Thank you Kavitha. Yes. This cake will be good with butter cream. I will share the cupcake recipes soon!
Dear Suguna ….Thanks so much for your wonderful recipe. ….my sponge cake came out so well. …I think I am hooked on to ur site. …really genuine. …
Thank you!
Today I made ur vanilla sponge cake mam,really I can’t believe tat it came out sooner sponge moist cake,thank u so much mam for sharing step wise detailed process.ll try all recipes mam
Thank you! Really glad that you liked it.
Dear Suguna,
Do you think this cake would fine to use for Tiramisu? It is an Italian cake layered with coffee and whipped cream?
Suguna, I’ve just popped this into the oven and my house smells divine already. Can’t wait to see how the cake turned out. Read the comments below and you’ve answered whatever can go wrong but I’m hoping my cake turns out perfect. I’m in my seventh month of pregnancy and have gestational diabetes hence all my bakes have been with wheat or oats and oil. Went all out today and whilst husband and friends will have most, I can’t wait to tuck into my slice. Thank you for such a simple and awesome recipe.
sorry to know about the condition. Hope you are well. Glad you liked the recipe.
would this recipe work as cupcakes? if so how many cupcakes do you think one recipe would make?
This recipe is not suitable for cupcakes. I find that the sides become hard.
u rock u r my mentor now i tried that recipe for my sweet daughter for the first time it was my first bake and i was surprised to see the outcome i was overwhelmed to see the smile on my little daughter face. thanks a lot
Thank you so much for saying that Arif! Means a lot!
Hi mam.. Can u tell me if this cake was baked in an otg or microwave convection oven? I’m looking to buy any one of these. Can you suggest which one will be better for baking (taste and texture wise )
Thanks
OTG! OTG is better for baking!
Madam kindly share the measurement. I got it sugar 1 cup is 200 gm but i am not clear how much 1 cup is maida, milk and butter.
Please google these things.
Hi. Few queries regarding the recipe:
– 1 cup means 200gm or 250 gms ?
– If I want to prepare only one 8″ cake, how long should i beat the eggs with the whisk beater.
– Can I add trutti frutti in the end in the batter to prepare trutti frutti cake?
-1 cup of what? 1 cup sugar and 1 cup flour weighs differently. This recipe is by volume and not by weight.
-Beat for 10 minutes.
-I have never added tutti frutti in the batter.
Hi madam Thx for the receipe. I followed every step. Few things –
My cake rise only around 1 inch
Top of it is dark brown
What’s the reason for this.
Not beating the eggs completely is usually the cause for dense cakes.
Wow!!! Super simple. Want to try . But mam whtr v can do whipped cream icing on it.??
sure you can do the whipped cream icing!
Hi
Kannamma tried you cake it was real awesome .i have no words to express. Thanks your showering real knowledge to all of us. I would be really happy if you could post more cake recipes and frosting for the same
Thanks Anu, Currently I am living in Hong Kong and do not have an oven yet. Will post more recipes soon. Thanks.
All your recipes are excellent. Have tried most of it. Great work.
Thank you so much!
Hi,
I tried this recipe a few days back and it was nice except a layer sugar glace on the cake crust. So today came home little early from work and thought of some baking to surprise my wife. So I made two batches (Reduced your measurements into half). one with castor sugar bought from store and other with powdered sugar (used my food processor and powdered the granulated sugar). Outcome was perfect. After a bit of ground work, found that eggs has to be of nominal size / weight to accommodate the whole sugar dissolved. Sometimes all I see is below average size eggs at shops hence it is not sufficient to dissolve the sugar. Now baking has become really interesting.
Thanks
Thank you so much. Really glad that the recipe worked for you!
Hi,
I tried this recipe a few days back and it was nice except a layer sugar glace on the cake crust. So today came home little early from work and thought of some baking to surprise my wife. So I made two batches (Reduced your measurements into half). one with castor sugar and other with powdered sugar (used my food processor and powdered the granulated sugar). Outcome was perfect. After a bit of ground work, found that eggs has to be of nominal size / weight to accommodate the whole sugar dissolved. Sometimes all I see is below average size eggs at shops hence it is not sufficient to dissolve the sugar. Now baking has become really interesting.
Thanks
Hi now again I am doing your receipe but the batter got thick. I used 150gms flour and 200gm sugar but in your receipe it says the batter is not thick.i beat the sugar and the egg for longng-time. Where did I go wrong.
How much flour did you add? The recipe is 2 and ¼ cup all-purpose flour and 2 cups sugar. 2 cups sugar is 400 grams. And also butter, milk and eggs are liquid ingredients. I think measurements is key. 1 cup is usually 240-250 ml by volume. Milk and butter are in ml.
Simply wow!!!!
Pls mention the measurements in grams? Pls
Please go through the comments. It has been mentioned earlier. Thanks.
Tried this for my daughter and she loved it. Thank you.
wow. nice crumb! superb shot!
Hai i m a beginner in baking… today i had made it…it become very good… thanks alot…can u give me the recipe for butterscotch icing cake?
Thank you. Will post one soon!
Hi Kannamma,i tried this cake today.It came out really awesome.This is now my “go to sponge cake recipe”.I have been searching through the blogs for that perfect recipe.With your recipe my search came to an end.thank you..
Thank you so much.
Sorry misprint it’s 128 gms
Can i I use icing on this cake and if yes, have i to reduce the sugar quantity. Another thing you have said 1 cup flour is 150gms. I am a bit confused elsewhere I found out 1 cup flour is woogm. Can you please help me to understand. God bless.
You can use icing. No need to reduce sugar and please use the measurements as per the recipe.
Hi Kannamma,I tried this recipe yesterday and it came out really well except that it smelled n tasted too eggy. I read in some blogs it’s due to quality of eggs, so can I reduce the quantity of eggs? Otherwise the cake was spongy n yummy. After many failed attempts (trying recipes from other sites) this was my 1st successful attempt..thanks for sharing the recipe ?
Hi Loveena. Try using a good quality real vanilla extract. that might solve the egg issue.
I did use real vanilla extract with seeds, UK based brand.
Hi,
Tried the cake yesterday evening and it turned out soft and fluffy.
Thanks for the recipe 🙂 Will save it as a bookmark and refer to whenever i need a sponge cake!!
Thank you so much! Happy Cooking!
Hi suguna
I halved the receipe as i have 10 inch pan.
My egg sugar muxture didn’t increase in volume at all after whisking.instead it became too thick on whisking.then on adding flour it became doughy.
I however combined milk n butter in it n baked.
It came out so dense n didnt rise at all.
What could have gone wrong!!
Please help
The sugar egg mixture should be beated for 10 min minimum to get the desired texture. This should be done over a double boiler. If this step is overlooked, then the cake will be dense.
hi Suguna
dear can you recommend any brand for unsalted butter. i use margarine which is white is colour. but in most of the videos i have seen yellow unsalted butter. pls reply
Any brand of unsalted butter will get the job done. I like Amul.
Hi , I tried it and it tasted very good. It was very light fluffy..everybody liked and appreciated. 🙂 Thanks for the recipe
Thank you!
Hi Suguna, Can I use wheat flour instead of maida ? what would be the effect?
Thanks
I have never used wheat flour for this recipe.
I appreciate your quick reply. My children like mango or orange flavoured sponge cake. Health conscious you see. They say good to see not to eat. I love anything made of orange my favourite. Tks
Sorry it is receipe and not received
Dear Suguna
I was waiting to hear from you regarding mango cake. Please tell me can i add mango puree to this cake instead of vanilla. How much should I add to get a good cake like yours.
Dear don’t tell me that you have not tired. I trust your received so I keep checking your blog to see if anything new in baking.
Hi Ana,
We moved to Hong Kong recently and I dont have an oven yet to bake. My kitchen is very tiny to accommodate an oven.
Adding mango puree to this cake wont work.
But if you want a mango cake, you can apply mango puree on top of cake sponge. fill it with mangoes. This sponge absorbs well.
Then frost it with whipping cream ( you can add mango puree while whipping).
Thats how we used to do mango cake.
Hi kannamma,
What is the oven heating settings ? Like bottom heat only , top and bottom heat , bottom heat with fan etc., I have an Electrolux one.
Thanks,
Gowth
Hi Gowthami, Please read the manual as each oven is different. But as a general rule, for baking bottom heat or bottom heat with fan is ok.
Hi nice recipe. Can I use this cake for trifle pudding?
Sure. You can.
Hi, Im using a 7 inch round cae tin. What measurements do i follow?
I had given this example before. You can use this to find yours.
This is how I calculate to see If a recipe can be accommodated for different size pans.
The area of an 8 inch circle is pi*R*R 3.14*4*4 = 50.56. We use 2 * 8 inch pans. So the area would be roughly around 100. lets say.
The area of an 10 inch circle is pi*R*R 3.14*5*5 = 78.5. SO the batter would overflow in one 10 inch pan.
Hi.the cake was good… I reduce the the sugar to only half cup n tasted good…thnk u
Hi,
Your recipe is awesome. I tried and it came out perfect!! Can we make cupcakes with ? same hot milk cake batter
Can i use freshmilk?…and how much the butter in grams?thankyou
yes. You can. 1/2 cup butter is about 115-120 grams.
Hello,
I was wondering how high the cake will rise after its done?
Mine didn’t rise very much at all. It’s probably 2 inches in height. Did I do something wrong?
the cake batter usually rises double. The main reason for cake not rising is not beating the eggs for the said time.
hi suguna, i have tried tis cake to make pastries. But i noticed that once the cake cools the top and bottom of the cake becomes very sticky. is there any remedy to avoid this
May be it’s because of the humidity. You can use a tissue to just scrape it off.
I seem to have faced the same problem as seema mentioned..baked it just as your recipie said..the skewer came out clean as well..the cake looked perfect when it was out from the oven, but as I let it cool (in the pan; uncovered) and in 15 mins it started forming a sticky film on top ad got more stickier with time..the cake tasted fab but I wish it was soft on the top and not sticky..what could have gone wrong? and if it gets sticky, how can we fix it?
This problem appears in humid weather.just take a tissue and wipe off. The sticky layer should come off easily. it’s because of the sugar.
Are you able to give me the measurements in grams please?
1 cup flour is around 150 grams in this recipe. 1 Cup sugar is 200 grams (granulated sugar)
I’m not sure which sugar you have used. Could please tell me what type of sugar you have used? I really want this recipe to be THE ONE because the reviews look very promising. Thank you!
Its regular granulated white sugar.
hi! can i halve the recipe and still get the same fluffy and moist texture of the cake?
Sure. You can halve the recipe.
Brillant and so helpful.
i really love this page. The sponge cake recipe is brillant. Pls could u pls help for d measurement for a place sponge cake of 14inch. To be delieverd 9th of this month. Cheers
round, square???? Tell me the size Ashley?
nice recipe u got here for ur sponge cake. Can u pls give me the measurement for 14inch sponge cake to be delieverd by 9th of the month.cheers
hi
mango season and no mango cake surprise. i would like a receipe from you, after baking your vanila sponge cake i just searching if you have posted any mango cake receipe.if
not please looking forward. tks
But I have used from my pantry aunt Jemina corn meal mix self raising mix white flour. Baking powder already added in it with little bit of salt.
instead of 2 1/4 cup by mistake added 2 cups flour and 2 cups sugar
is that OK ?
I love this simple tea Cake .Can not wait ! We are making right now and will post you in a couple of hours.I want this to be done before our kids come back from School . Grateful for your authentic version.
I coated it with Cinnamon powder and Sugar on top for the awesome Color and flavor !
Let us know how it turns out!
Suguuuunaaaa!! I could kiss you right now!! Just popped my cake out,n it’s just wonderful!! I was very skeptical since I had to do all the whisking by my hand,but the result is just so so soooo good!!! The color- perfect,the texture – perfect,the taste – perfect!! I really feels just like a sponge to touch!! God bless ya!! This recipe is a keeper for sure!!!
Aw…..Thats so nice of you to say Aathira. Thank you so much.
Hi, I hav a microwave oven, how much time will it take to bake in that?
Pls advise
Is it a convection microwave. Then around similar time.
Hi in Singapore there’s this sponge cake mix. Can i use this instead of all purpose flour? If yes, which ingredients should i omit? Thank you.
I am not sure what ingredients your sponge cake mix has. Its difficult for me to say. Its better to use regular flour.
Hi can you double this recipe?
Sure.
I was looking for the recipe of sponge cake for very long time but none of them clicked my mind.But as I read your recipe,l felt that I should try this.I tried this recipe.A very big thanks to you.It was awesome.So spongy,delicious,yummy,absolutely perfect.Love you for this.
Thank you Usha!
Hi, i have been wanting to bake for a long time and was tired of scrolling through tons of recipes
thats when i foind yours which sounds very doable! the only problem is that i have a 7×2 square tin,what would be proportions for it??
You can halve the recipe.
The recipe is for two 8 inch cake pan. Lets say we want to convert for 7*7 inch square pan. This is how to do it.
The area of an 8 inch circle is pi*R*R 3.14*4*4 = 50.56. We use 2 * 8 inch pans. So the area would be roughly around 100. lets say.
The area of 7*7 pan is 49.
Thanks a ton suguna! I will give it a shot and let you know how it turns out!!
Hi
Is it okay to reduce the sugar to half the recommended amount? Just wondering if it will change the cake’s taste and texture in any way. thank you.
Reducing the sugar will make the texture change. I will not recommend.
It was 6 inch round pan and was pre-heated in 180c
Sorry..7 inches:) nd I have taken the ingradients in exact half of mentioned.
Thanks for your immediate response 🙂
The recipe is for 8 inches Meera. The batter would be too much for a 6 or 7 inch pan. That’s the reason the cake did not cook properly.
Great recipe..thanks for sharing 🙂
I tried and it was successful almost, except the bottom portion was not baked perfectly..can you please suggest the possible reasons.
Thanks 🙂 🙂
Hi Meera. This is a fool proof recipe and I am sorry you had trouble.
Was the oven preheated?
What size pan did you use?
Can you tell me these things?
Tks dear I baked the cake toooo good my daughter loved it all credit to you. Regarding the pans I could not understand specially the round pan how to compare the mixture to the pan. Tks God bless you, looking forward for some more
Thats really nice that your daughter liked it Ana. Tell me what size pan you have. So I can help.
Tks dear I baked the cake toooo good my daughter loved it all credit to you. Regarding the pans I found not understand specially the round pan how to compare the mixture to the pan. Tks Gor bless you looking forward for some more
Thanks will buy plain flour then. On butter any type is ok as long its written butter or there is specific type of butter
Look for unsalted butter.
Hi
I want to try ur recipe but i have self raising flour is it okay ok to use it and do i put baking powder. Also on butter this side butter is not always in our shops what should i substitute with or can i use vegetable oil instead pliz help
self raising flour wont work in this recipe. And I have never tried this recipe with anything but butter. So I am not sure how the texture might be if done with oil.
I want to try this receipe but taking half of this quantity as i have small pans. Can you please help how to calculate for chosing the size of the pan. And what kind of butter salted or unsalted. Can you please reply
Always use unsalted butter unless specified.
This is how I calculate to see If a recipe can be accommodated for different size pans.
The recipe is for two 8 inch cake pan. Lets say we want to convert for 12 by 10 inch rectangle pan. This is how to do it.
The area of an 8 inch circle is pi*R*R 3.14*4*4 = 50.56. We use 2 * 8 inch pans. So the area would be roughly around 100. lets say.
The area of 12*10 pan is 120.
I bake this cake almost 2 to 3 times a week, my son absolutely loves it and am a big fan of it too, I have tried other recipes, but none of them came out as good as this one. Tomorrow again I plan to bake it, but this time my son insists that should make it a cho locate sponge cake, and add a few walnuts too. Can you please tell me the ratio of cocoa powder and flour I should use? Also would it be fine if I added a few walnut pieces (chopped) right before I pour the batter into the mould?
Thank a ton for all the awesome recipes!
Whoops chocolate* not choc locate. Thanks* not thank
Adding walnut is fine. But I have never tried it with cocoa. How about you substitute 1/4 cup cocoa powder for flour.
Thank you so much!
I substituted 1/4 cup flour with cocoa powder, and added walnuts, the cake came out delicious, moist, soft and fluffy like always!
Thats so nice Akershika. Glad to know. you rock.
Hello,
I was wondering what would be the utensils/equipment needed for recipe? I’d be using it as my baking assessment for school. Also, how long do you recommend to cool it for? I have plans to decorate it as a spongebob theme.
Thank you
You will need a stand mixer / hand blender – thats the main equipment you will need apart from the whisk, spatula bowls, cake pans etc.. Cool for an hour.
I can’t wait to try this recipe!!!! I got one question though… Do you ever remove the bowl from the boiling pot??
just after the sugar is melted and you dont feel the grainy ness anymore, you remove it.
Thank you! You’re amazing! I’m gonna try this today. Hopefully it’ll turn out as good as yoursssss!!!! My niece and nephew will love me forever. Hahahahah!!!
That’s nice. Let us know how it turns out.
I just baked the sponge cake and it turned out spongier than I thought it’d be!!!!!!!!! Love love loveeee this recipe! I already wrote it down on my recipe book. It’s replacing my old vanilla cake recipe which is a rock compared to this one. Thanks so much! I’ve become a huge fan. ❤️
Thank you Vivi.
Your receipe seems too good i will try half the quantity. Can you please tell me how to select the pans. I saw in the review Where you have explained but I could not u derstand the calculation can please elaborate if you don’t mind
Hi. I need to bake this cake into a rectangular sheet cake. Do you think this recipe is enough to make one 12 x 10 pan? Thank you. 🙂
This is how I calculate to see If a recipe can be accommodated for different size pans.
The area of an 8 inch circle is pi*R*R 3.14*4*4 = 50.56. We use 2 * 8 inch pans. So the area would be roughly around 100. lets say.
The area of 12*10 pan is 120. The recipe will just slightly dome. It should work. I am guessing the height of the pan is 2 inches.
Tried the recipe with reduced qty. Turned out perfect and so yumm. Thanks for the recipe 🙂
Thank you Manjiri!
hi this shalini , y v heating the sugar &butter ? .and I have tried the cake in ur method but it came out very hard.
Can you explain how you proceeded with the recipe.
Hi,
I made this cake today.Came out very well.Thank you for the recipe.How many days I can keep this cake in fridge?What is your suggestion ?
For upto 3-4 days in fridge.
Recipe looks promising. I tried another hot milk cake recipe and cake didn’t rise though my baking power was new. I will give a try to your recipe now.
Please suggest what could be the reasons that lead to cake not rising properly.
1 Can it be the milk butter mixture temperature?
2 can I beat eggs in my blender as I don’t have electric mixer. Though I will be buying one soo.
Thanks.
Beating eggs in blender – I donno if it will fluff up in a blender.
The reason for your recipe not working – # Eggs not beaten properly #too much leavening! #Baking temperature. – Any of these…..
Hi,
I got my hand mixer and followed your recipe today. It turned out very soft and light. Your recipe is amazing.
Thank You!
Directions for recipe was perfect. Delicious cake and could not have turned out any better. thank you…..
Thanks for writing in. Glad that you liked it!
is batter so important to add?Can i only use milk instead
batter?
i love make that cake thank you
Hello,
I was wondering if i could substitute the milk with soy milk?
I have never used soy in my cooking! sorry about that!
Why is room temperature so important ??
cold eggs dont fluff up well!
How can I substitute Cake Flour for AP Flour?
Can I pour all the mixture into one nine inch springform pan? How much longer would I have to make it, and at what temperature?
What is the height of your pan?
This looks amazing! Your very detailed instructions and explanations are very helpful. I plan to make this for a layered naked cake. Does this cake freeze well as I need to bake it ahead of time?
Yes. Ramani. I have frozen the cake couple of times and it has worked well.
I just tried your recipe and it’s super. My children love it.
I made the cake for the first time, few weeks ago. It was a success. It was so good that I had to make it again the next day for my father-in-law. Here I am today making it for my niece’s birthday. Just wanted to say thank you for this wonderful recipe. Delicious, delicious.
Thats so nice Mouna. I am very glad that you like the recipe. A virtual Hi5!
I’m planning to make this for my daughter’s birthday (along with a generous layer of whipped cream and strawberries) and I was wondering if I can add the sugar to my dry ingredients instead. Or is there a particular reason to add it to the eggs? Thanks in advance.
Hi Rossitza, We add sugar to the eggs so the eggs will fluff up in volume when you beat it. Its a very light cake. Adding sugar to the dry ingredients in this recipe wont work. After heating up the eggs and sugar in the double boiler, you need to beat the eggs for atleast 10 minutes so the fluffiness and softness remains in the cake.
Hello Suguna,
The cake is in the oven and while I wait to find out how it will turn out, I wanted to ask you a few questions that came up. I will need to make a second cake so I want to find out what I should adjust.
I am using two 9″ springform pans- which by the way didn’t leak since I used parchment on the bottom cut a bit larger to cover the seam. I don’t mind that the cake(s) will be not as high since I am using both as layers for a birthday cake. I think once the cream and fruit are added in the middle and on top it will be tall enough. That being said, should I adjust the baking time?
I am not using a mixer, so I whisked the eggs by hand. After sifting the flour I added it all at once to the egg sugar mixture and it turned into a really thick dough. Should I use a mixer next time? And should I add the flour gradually?
After I added the milk-egg to it the consistency corrected itself but I’m worried it won’t be very light or fluffy so I’d like to find out what I can do better the next time (tomorrow night).
Thank you for your help – it’s truly appreciated.
‘
Baking time – Yes you might have to adjust slightly. Just check the cake for doneness after 30-35 minutes.
I strongly recommend using a mixer as this cake batter wont work if the sugar and eggs are not beaten to fluffy.
I have clearly given the instructions in the recipe. You need to beat it in the mixer for atleast 10 minutes.
Its ok to add the flour at once.
But dissolving sugar in eggs on the double boiler and then beating up till it forms thick ribbon is key!
You dont add milk to the egg. Milk and butter are heated and then added at the last. Please refer the recipe and proceed step by step as the recipe says.
hope you have success!
Hi, can I use margarine instead of butter does that change the outcome of the cake ?
Hi Priyam, I have never used margarine in any of my baking. I will not know about how margarine works. Sorry about that!
I love this cake… gorgeous pictures, maybe I’ll go makes some right now.
Thanks James. Let us know how it turns out!
Hi this recipe was amaizing….thank you so much
Thank you Faffy
Hi! I plan on making this today! Just wondering how the cooking time and oven degree would vary if I cooked in just one tin, instead of two?
the time and temperature remains the same.
Hi,
Thank u so much, I had tried your recipe and it came out very well. I am so glad to see the cake. For beginners like me, your recipe is very much helpful. Pls do post many recipes and always keep rocking.
Hello, once the sugar is dissolved I move the bowl away from the simmering water right?
Yes. You are right.
Hi Suguna!
Sorry for double commenting but do you also use parchment paper to line the pans? If you do, do you grease it too? Or do you just grease it?
just parchment. No greasing necessary. It works without it too!
Hi Suguna!
I haven’t tried your recipe yet but it looks amazing! I am definitely going to try it out! I was just wondering if you used regular salted butter or unsalted butter???
Waiting for your reply!
Thanks!
unsalted butter!
can I use homemade curd instead of milk?
if not then why?
Curd is acidic. Cannot be substituted for milk.
Hi Suguna!
I haven’t tried your recipe yet, but it looks amazing! I’m planning on making it, and when I do, is it regular salted butter or is it unsalted butter.
Thanks!
Hi even I tried all went well but the centre still had a sticky texture.
Sorry if I’m double-commenting right now, but did you use an 8 inch by 2 inch pan, or an 8 inch by 1 1/2 inch pan? Thank you in advance.
8 inch by 2 inch pans
Are these 8 inch by 2 inch pans, or 8 inch by 1 and 1/2 inch pans? Thank you in advance.
Can i use a pomegranate juice as the food coloring?
I have never tried it Julia. I doubt as you will be adding liquid to the already liquidy cake batter.
Very fond of yr recipes.I always look for new recipes from you.
Hi
I tried this recipe today..Thks for posting a lovely recipe. Just a few things dint work out for me. I set the temperature to 180 degrees for 30 mins first. I had a nice looking Crust around the 25th minute. So tried poking a toothpick in the center of the cake. It looked like it needed a couple of minutes in the oven. So I tried to bake at 150 degrees for another 5 more minutes and then checked it was cooked all the way..but when I removed the cake from the tin after cooling it down the cake was slightly burnt around the sides and from the bottom.
What could have been wrong???
Waiting for ur response
Did you bake in two 8″ pans?
Hi,
Can you provide your recipe in gram and ml, esp for flour and sugar? I google and a cup of flour can range from 120g to 145g….
Thanks!
1 cup flour is around 150 grams in this recipe. 1 Cup sugar is 200 grams (granulated sugar)
Hi, is d cooking temperature 350 F, I poured d mix into one large pan instead of two, it became too black on d surface n it was not cooked in d middle
yes. 350 Fahrenheit or 180 celcius. If you are in india, then the measure will be in celcius.
Do u have ur own cookbook? If yes then whats the name? If no then please publish it soon. But make sure the explanation is same as in this website. And book will not have comment box so please be available on mail. 🙂
haha…You made my day. Will definitely publish some day!
I am eagerly waiting for whole wheat sponge cake recipe as well as your cook book…… Even I am from Karnataka. I was in texas for some time. Now in Chennai. Ur sakkare Pongal helped me to impress my hubby…. Thnk u
Really Nice Maryam. Will post really soon!
Can I replace all purpose flour with whole wheat flour which we grind in mill (India)?
I will post a whole wheat recipe soon!
Just came across ur recipe intend trying it out …wish luck….thanks
I’m a beginner at baking. .. what temperature should the cake be baked? Is it the same 350F?
350 Fahrenheit or 180 Celcius.
Excellent receipe. I did the exact process but wid half the ratio and still final outcome was wonderful. The occasion was my mother in law’s bday and she was very happy. This is 1st time i tried sponge cake and it was success.. thanks to you 🙂 🙂
Thats so nice to hear Neha. Thank You.
Tried this today and the cake was fluffy, light and delicious. Thank you for the wonderful, precise recipe and instructions. The details on the time required for each of the processes also helped. Thank you for sharing this recipe.
Thank you so much Preethi!
Hi. I’m planning on making a doll cake for my daughter Bray.. So my doubt is I’m gonna bake bottom layer in an 8″ pan with height of 2″ and a borosil bowl. No carvings on the cake. And sand which between strawberry fresh cream whipped up.. Do you recommend to use this sponge for the same….???
Hi Bena. This is a very soft sponge. A small cake should hold. but a lot of weight will weigh it down. So be mindful of that.
Oh.. OK… Sure… Will let u know the result.
Hi 🙂 I want to try this recipe, but we don’t have Maida in the philippines, is all purpose flour okay to use? We have cake flour here but I am not sure how many cup should I use and if I need to omit the baking powder? Your help will be greatly appreciated. Thanks
All purpose flour and maida are the same. This recipe wont work if you omit baking powder. Regular all purpose flour works just fine. Hope this info helps.
jus now i tried this recipe…. it cameout very well.. thanks alot for the upload… waiting for more delicious baking recipes
Thank you Radhika. Will upload more!
I just saw this recipe today,pls can I use canola oil in place of melted butter?
Sure.
I have had success only with sponge cake recipes that call for separating the egg whites and beating them stiff and I still haven’t mastered the separating part. So i very very rarely make sponges.
I gave this recipe a try and boy I am blown away. The sponge is soft, springy and light. I would have gone with a little less sugar though. This recipe is sure for keeps. Thanks.
Thank you so much Latha.
Hi
Suguna..
Yes Suguna i have godrej microwave oven it as convection mode..Pls can you tell me how to bake in convection microwave and how much degree should i bake and for how much time?
Can you pls tell me which Oven do you use?
I have an OTG Khanita. I have never baked in a microwave.
Hello Suguna,
Really your vanilla cake inspired me so much and Your step vise process look so easy to prepare…today i gave a try but cake within 10 mints top layer turned brown to black…after finishing time i opened the bottom part is as it is didn’t cooked at all why all this happened? i baked in microwave oven at 180 dgr ..Where i went wrong? i want to bake cake exact like you plzz guide me..
Did you have a convection oven? Convection microwave heats faster I have heard. I have never baked in a microwave Khanita. I am thinking what might have gone wrong.
Hello
Can i use Vanilla essence instead of vanilla extract?
Yes. You can.
I know u said this is for 2 8 inch pans but I was wondering if this batter would work as cupcakes? Looking forward to trying it ☺
This recipe is not suitable for cupcakes. I find that the sides become hard.
Hi tryed this cake turned out vry soft and nice… Thks for wonderful recipe Suguna!
Wanted to also mention that i tyrd out your Pallipalyam chicken fry turned out delicious.
Thank you!
Hi. I made this cake today and it turned out wonderful…. exactly the way u described it. After tasting though, i felt the vanilla flavour needs to stand out more. So i was wondering if i should have used 1 tbsp instead of 1 tsp of the extract. I have the home made vanilla exact. Could it be because of that? Where in Bangalore do u get the real vanilla exact?
Hi Sheetal,
I get mine from http://goodnessvanilla.com/
Thank you Suguna. Have ordered a pack. Will try the cake once more after that arrives. Until then some more of your recipes to try!
hi…
Thank you fr the amazing recepie,but my sponge cake is too sweet, that is correct 2 cup of sugar?
Yes Nunu. 2 cups sugar is right. It makes two 8 inch cakes.
Hi…I have tried many recipes for basic sponge cake. This is the best of all. Everybody liked it so much. Though taste was excellent, cake didn’t rise much. I didn’t triple the egg sugar volume and I used sand and baked in pressure cooker. Where did I go wrong? Pls help
This recipe is not a pressure cooker friendly recipe Anu. And the eggs needs to be be beaten until it is fluffy. Else the recipe wont work. Hope this helps.
hi.. I have one 8inch pan with detachable bottom. Once I tried chocolate cake recipe in which batter was watery So it dripped through bottom. Will I face same problem with this recipe? I’m desperate to try but apprehensive same time.. Please reply soon
This might drip Krupa as the batter is watery too.
Hello …. hope you doning good . I was searching for a basic sponge cake recipe , now it seems my wait is over n I got the desired one . I just want to ask ,first, what is the science behind the use of simmering water to mix eggs n suger ? Second, can we bake this cake in pressure cooker ?? Waiting for reply
The recipe wont work in a cooker.
The reason is for proper emulsification and to help get eggs beat up fluffy.
Hi Suguna,
Thank you so much for your recipe the sponge cake came out very well…my daughter jus loved it she never says very good to all my recipes but, this she was extremely happy
WOW. Selvi….I am so happy. You made my day. My hi-5 to the little one! Thank you for writing in.
Hi ! I just made one. It’s delicious.
I’m making a layered cake for my dad’s birthday tomorrow. 2 layers of sponge vanilla cake and 1 of chocolate sponge cake. I want them to be the same consistency, how do I change this recipe for a chocolate cake ??
Thanks !!!
Hi Terrie, I have never adapted the recipe to make chocolate cake. So cant tell. Sorry.
hey! i wanted to make this for my friends birthday but i also wanted to put icing on it. what icing do you recommend and do u have the recipe for it?
Fresh cream icing goes well for this recipe. Will post icing recipe soon!
Hi…I wud lyk totry your recipe for my daughters bday… I tried looking for regular milk.. But supermarkets don’t have.. Can I use evap milk instead of ur recommended regular milk.. IInid to know ititdesperately… Pls help me… Any other milk instead?thank u
Hi, the milk you use everyday for coffee, for cereal etc…. is what is called as regular milk. I am sure you will be having it. You can use that. Normal everyday milk that you use – you can use in this recipe. Please dont use evaporated milk.
Hi i need to make a birthday cake for my son .. going to try with your recipe .. can you pl tel how to use this recipe in 10inch cake pan.. do i need to make any changes
This is how I calculate to see If a recipe can be accommodated for different size pans.
The area of an 8 inch circle is pi*R*R 3.14*4*4 = 50.56. We use 2 * 8 inch pans. So the area would be roughly around 100. lets say.
The area of an 10 inch circle is pi*R*R 3.14*5*5 = 78.5. SO the batter would overflow in one 10 inch pan.
Dear suguna
Thanks a lot for the wonderful recipe….I tried your recipe today it came out perfect.the best sponge cake that I have every made.so fluffy n light.and the best part is after taking it out from oven it didn’t sink from the middle.the only issue is it has little eggy smell….can we make chocolate sponge with the same recipe if yes then how much cocoa powder to be added.
Hi Shazia, I am really happy to know that the cake turned out good. The eggy smell can be avoided by using a little extra pure vanilla. I have tried this using cocoa but not very happy with the result. I will post a recipe with cocoa soon once i hit it right!
Hi. What kind of milk is that? Is it ok to
use evaporated milk? Because i tried
already and turns out perfectly BUT the
problem is oily on the surface. Is it the
evap milk that i used? Will wait for your
reply. Many thanks!
Hi Pooja, Its not evaporated milk, just plain regular milk.
Hi. What kind of milk is that? Is it ok to use evaporated milk? Because i tried already and turns out perfectly BUT the problem is oily on the surface. Is it the evap milk that i used? Will wait for your reply. Many thanks!
Hi Danielle, Its not evaporated milk, just plain regular milk.
Dear Suguna,
Possible to translate cups to grms? Measuring butter in cups is a real pain!! 🙁 I would like to try this to the usual pound cake that I am so used to!!
Sharon.
Half a cup butter is 110 grams. Hope this helps.
This is looks like a no fail cake recipe.. So well written and easy to follow .one query- the sugar is castor or regular granulated? Since the measurements are in volumes I want to get clarified before trying 🙂
Its regular granulated Sugar Madhu!
Hi,
I wanted to try this today but just small query which measuring cup to use..
1 cup = 200 ml
Or 1 cup = 240 ml
Thanks
A standard baking measuring cup 1 cup = 250 ml. Hope this helps.
Tried the recipe ….. It came out wonderful …. One of the best spoke cakes I have had in a while. Wanted to know the shelf life of this cake.
Thanks
3 days!
Excellent recipe, next time I will bake it at a lower temperature but apart from that, perfect! Thank you for sharing this recipe.
Thank You so much Natalie!
Hi Suguna – I made the cake today and it came out really awesome. Thanks for the recipe.
Regards,
Ammu
Thank you so much for writing in Ammu! You got a sweet name!
This is everything that i wanted in a vanilla sponge cake.thank you for this wonderful recipe.
Hi
I have only a 10 inch pan…is it OK if I bake one big cake rather than two 8
This is how I calculate to see If a recipe can be accommodated for different size pans.
The area of an 8 inch circle is pi*R*R 3.14*4*4 = 50.56. We use 2 * 8 inch pans. So the area would be roughly around 100. lets say.
The area of an 10 inch circle is pi*R*R 3.14*5*5 = 78.5. SO the batter would overflow in one 10 inch pan.
Hi Kannamma,
I have 9″ cake tin. I calculated the area and it is 63.6. Do you think this size should be fine too?
Ruth
The height would be less in a 9 inch pan.
I tried this recipe but the cake didn’t swell. it remained flat and not very well cooked, where might I have gone wrong please?
Did u open the oven door? Did u mix the eggs and sugar for the said time?
Hey! Do you think that coconut oil would work instead of butter?
Hi Luciana, I have not tried it with coconut oil but I think it should work as we use clarified butter for this recipe and not butter as such. And the texture of coconut oil and melted butter is kind of similar. Hope it works. Let me know if you try the recipe with coconut oil and how it turns out.
I skipped on using the whisked beater and heating the liquids and just tossed everything in a bowl and mixed cause I was feeling lazy. Then I separated the batter into two equal part,s baked one plain and it turned out amazing! In the other I put load of chocolate powder and bits of chocolate that one is still in the oven hopefully it will turn out to be even more amazing 🙂
Thank you for the recipe!
U are one amazing baker. Congrats Arctis.
Hello Kannamma
I just took a look at the cake inside the oven and he centre is nice and rising. Only the height does not look ok. What bright of the tin should I pour the batter? half, or say two third ?
also I used two tins- one on top and one below. the one below is a silicone pan.
Wonderful smell, great recipe
Abhijit
Thank You Abhijit. This recipe is for two 8 inch pans and pour a little over half.
Thank-you so much for the recipe. I made it today and it was perfect
Thank you so much Fathima for writing in. I am really glad you nailed the recipe.
hi suguna,
I BAKED VANIILA SPONGE..MY WHOLE FAMILY LOVED IT.
MY NEPHEW ASKED ME TO BAKE A BIGGER CAKE NEXT TIME.
THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THIS WONDERFUL RECIPE.
Thank you Binu. I am really glad your family liked the Plain Vanilla Sponge Cake – Moist and Fluffy recipe.
I had 2 doubts. Please clarify. 1. When exactly do you take the mixing bowl off the simmering water pot.
Does the whole mixing and whipping take place over the simmering pot or do you take it off after step 3.
2. Can you bake two 8″ pans side by side at the same time or should I do it one after another.
This recipe process is new to me. So these doubts.
I just found your blog today and loved its name, layout and recipes. Have to try.
Hi Elizabeth, To answer your questions,
1. When exactly do you take the mixing bowl off the simmering water pot.
Run your fingers in the batter and feel the batter. It should be smooth. No sugar grainyness should be left. If the batter is smooth, its ready to whip
2. Does the whole mixing and whipping take place over the simmering pot or do you take it off after step 3.
Once the batter is smooth, you take it off heat. Then you start whipping. The whipping does not happen over simmering pot. Only dissolving sugar happens over simmering pot.
2. Can you bake two 8″ pans side by side at the same time or should I do it one after another.
If you have an oven big enough, you can bake 2 pans at the same time.
Hope that helps!
Thank you for your reply and clearing my doubts, Suguna.
Very good recipe, my cake came out very well! Thankyou!!
Thanks you Mrs. Ramani!
Hello Kannamma,
Can I adapt the same recipe for a chocolate cake?
Replace 1/2 cup of flour with cocoa powder? And do i also add 1/4 tsp of baking soda?
Ty
Awesome recipe…:-)
Can self raising flour used in place of all purpose flour and baking powder..?
Hi Varsha. I have never tried it with self raising flour.
Thank you so much for the quick reply…can we bake the cake in barbie cake pan..?
I liked the recipe so much I am planning birthday cake for my kid..
Sure. That should not be a problem.
Hai.. Is it okay if I bake today the cake and I put into the fridge because I wanted to use for my coming function, and Can I give some colouring food ? I want to try for making a cake birthday. Thank you.
Yes Ana, you can refrigerate the cake. You can add some food coloring too.
I only have one 8 inch pan, can i halve the recipe ?
Sure. You can.
Hi,
Excellent recipe. Although one thing is not very clear to me.
When do we stop using the “steam-bath”. Once the eggs and sugar are done i.e once the ribbons are formed or much later ?
Thanks,
Swati
Hi Swati, You stop When you dont feel the graininess of the sugar anymore and the sugar has completely dissolved.
Hi,
I tried this recipe and got the flavour and colour of the cake perfectly. But I faced a small problem. The center portion of my cake remained unbaked and soggy. I baked it in Convection mode at 180C for 35 mins first. Then on inserting a knife the blade did not come out clean so I baked it for another 10 mins. Both the times I let the cake be in the oven for 10-15 mins after the baking time. Finally, I cooled the cake on a wire rack after pulling it out of the oven.
I am trying to understand where I must have gone wrong. Any help?
Thanks in advance.
Apurwa.
There might a few issues I am thinking of –
Did you measure the ingredients properly. Too much baking powder can cause this.
Also whisking eggs and sugar for the stipulated time is important. Using the whisk beater, beat the mixture on high speed for 5 minutes or until triple in volume. If you are using a hand beater you might need to beat for at least 10 minutes. Its important that you beat for the above said time. Do not stop after 3-4 minutes even if it looks done. Trust me, the eggs are doing their work. It should form a light ribbon when the whisk is pulled up.
Hope this helps.
Yes, the ingredients were correctly measured. I whisked the eggs mixture with a hand beater for close to 15 mins. Am I getting the temperature wrong? Or should I try adding little less baking powder next time?
Also my baking pan is not as small as shown in the pictures above. It is a bigger one. Can that be a problem too? Too much batter stuffed into one single pan?
Yeah Apurwa. This is a fool proof recipe and a lot of people have tried it with amazing results. Whats the size of your cake pan?
Hi, I really wanna try this recipe. But I have only a 10 inch pan… can it be used instead of 8 inch pans without altering the texture
It will not rise high if using a 10 inch pan Surya.
🙂
Hi, how to store this cake? Room temp air tight or fridge? Also does this recipe work fine when halved?
Thanks, plan to try it today:)
Hi Divya, You can store it in the fridge wrapped for up to two days. It can be halved and used as a sponge for layer cakes. I have used it several times. It can also take in simple syrup without becoming soggy and mushy. Its my go to all purpose cake. Let me know how it turns out.
The cake came out very well. Thank you so much.
You are most welcome. Thanks for trying out!
I have one doubt if I am using this recipe for making cupcakes what temperature i have to use