11 easy tips for a fluffy sponge cake

There’s nothing quite like a slice of moist and fluffy sponge cake. With a light melt-in-your-mouth texture and delicate flavour, it’s a classic cake and real people pleaser, wonderful for celebrations, entertaining or a special afternoon tea.

 

A few tips and tricks make it easier to get that beautifully airy and tender texture. With the recipe and steps below, your sponges will be a success every time.

 

 

 

 

 

These recipes all use the same base sponge recipe.

It’s important to prepare the pans as follows so the cake will rise properly and come out of the pan with ease.

 

Sponge cakes have a delicate batter that works best when it’s baked as soon as possible. To reduce the amount of time between making the batter and getting it in the oven, weigh and measure all the ingredients before you start, ensure your cake pan is ready to go, and have the oven preheating.

 

Whipping the eggs is a very important part of the process, so don’t skimp on the time! You need to incorporate as much air into the eggs as possible, as this is what levels the cake and will give you a light and fluffy sponge.

 

Set a timer for 7 minutes and allow the electric mixer to do the work before adding any sugar. The eggs should triple in volume and look pale, thick and shiny.

 

Yes! The sifting process makes the flour airy and light. This both incorporates extra air into the batter and reduces the amount of air it pushes out of the egg mixture.

 

Folding is a much gentler method of combining ingredients together. Stirring from side to side pushes air out of the batter and you'll end up with a dense cake. 'Fold' the ingredients by using an up and down scooping motion with a spatula. Scoop from the top to the bottom of the bowl, giving the bowl quarter turns until the flour is just incorporated. Fold the flour into the eggs in two batches to reduce the amount of air loss.

 

The best way to get even cakes is to use a scale to calculate the weight of the batter that should go into each pan.

 

To do this, weigh the empty bowl before you begin. Once the batter has been made, weigh the batter and bowl together. Subtract the weight of the empty bowl to give you the weight of the cake batter. Divide this by the number of pans. Voila! That’s the weight of batter you need in each pan for nice and even cakes.

 

Once your batter is prepared, bake it in the oven as soon as possible. Any standing time will impact on the rise of the cake, so it's important that your oven has been preheating while you're making the batter.

 

Bake for 20 minutes or recipe recommendations. To check if the cake is done, insert a skewer into the centre. If it comes out clean, the cake is cooked. A cooked cake will also shrink and begin pulling away from the sides of the tin. Another indicator is that your kitchen will fill with the smell of freshly baked cake.

 

Immediately turn out the cakes to cool. Remove the baking paper, and it place onto a wire rack lined with a new sheet of greased baking paper to stop it from sticking.

 

If making the cakes ahead of time, wrap cakes individually in cling film while they are still slightly warm. This will soften the crusts so they’re easier to trim. Store at room temperature.

 

This sponge is lovely simply topped whipped cream and jam or your favourite fruits. Or to frost it:

 

 

If you're finding it difficult to get a smooth finish, try using an offset spatula and wiping off the icing each time you smooth the cake.

 

You’ve worked so hard to get a beautifully fluffy sponge, make sure to serve it at room temperature for the best texture! The texture will be denser if served cold.

 

Take the cake from refrigerator at least an hour before serving and use a long knife to slice, ensuring it’s nice and sharp so it doesn’t crush the airy cake.

Want more great baking projects? Click to check out how to make focaccia from scratch, how to make Dutch baby pancakes and how to make the best-baked cheesecake!