Basic Vanilla Sponge Cake
Vanilla Sponge cake is the basic cake for a birthday cake, it has a mild flavor and its texture is soft and spongy.
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Equipment
- 1 9-inch round/8-inch square cake pan
Ingredients
- 4 egg yolks grade A
- 60 g fine granulated sugar about ¼ cup + 2 tsps
- 60 ml corn oil (or other vegetable oil) about ¼ cup
- 70 ml milk about ¼ cup + ⅖ tbsps.
- ¼ tsp vanilla essence
- 120 g low protein flour (cake flour) about 1¼ cups
- 1¼ tsps baking powder
For meringue:
- 4 egg whites grade A, room temperature
- ¼ tsp cream of tartar
- 60 g fine granulated sugar
Makes: 9inch round
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 160°C/320°F (you may add in a tray of water, about 2 cups, to increase the humidity, which helps the cake bake evenly).
- Line a 9″ (23-cm) round or 8″ (20-cm) square baking pan with parchment paper.
- Combine egg yolks and sugar, then beat until thick. Add in corn oil and beat until combined. Add in milk and vanilla essence, mix well. Sieve in low protein flour and baking powder, mix until just combined (do not overmix, to avoid activating the gluten).
- In another clean mixing bowl, whisk egg whites over medium-low speed until large bubbles are formed. Add in cream of tartar, continue whisking until small bubbles are formed. Add in sugar gradually, continue whisking until stiff peak (the peaks will point straight up and hold).
- Add meringue to batter in 3 batches, mix gently using a balloon whisk. Fold gently until well mixed using a spatula.
- Tap mixing bowl on countertop for a few times (to release large bubbles), then pour batter slowly into baking pan and tap baking pan again for a few times.
- Bake at 160°C/320°F for 25 minutes, then increase to 180°C/355°F and continue baking for 10 minutes, or until fully cooked (wooden stick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean). (Reminder: The heat for different oven is different, the suggested time is only for reference, adjust the baking time base on your oven if necessary.)
- Once remove from oven, drop the baking pan from 1 foot high onto countertop (to minimize shrinkage), then let the cake cools in pan for 25-30 minutes before unmoulding.
- To unmould, remove the parchment paper, cover the cake surface with cling wrap. Invert the cake onto a flat plate, then remove the parchment paper at the bottom. Invert the cake again onto a cake board and slice into desired size.
Video
Notes
This recipe yields a round (9-inch/23-cm) sponge cake divided into 12 slices.
The nutritional value for reference is for 1 slice of sponge cake.
Tips:
1 For Pandan Sponge Cake: Omit the vanilla essence, replace milk with pandan milk (blend together 10 g pandan leaves with 80 ml milk until very fine, then measure out 70 ml of pandan milk).
Tips for baking sponge cake:
1 Egg whites and equipment used to beat egg whites must be grease-free and water-free (including egg yolk) or the meringue will fail. I will usually clean the egg shells and equipment with dishwasher detergent, then dry them with a clean cloth.
2 Use a clean small bowl to separate the egg yolk and egg white, if the egg yolk cracks, don’t use that egg white.
3 When all sugar has been added to beaten egg whites and the meringue begins to look glossy, stop and check after beating for every 10 seconds, stop the beating process immediately once it has reached the stiff peaks, do not over whip.
4 When folding the meringue into the batter, do it quickly but gently to avoid deflating the meringue. Scrape the bottom of the mixing bowl with a rubber spatula and fold over, and repeat the folding motion until just well mixed.
5 Do not open the oven during the first 30 minutes of baking; the cake might collapse when out of the oven.
1 For Pandan Sponge Cake: Omit the vanilla essence, replace milk with pandan milk (blend together 10 g pandan leaves with 80 ml milk until very fine, then measure out 70 ml of pandan milk).
Tips for baking sponge cake:
1 Egg whites and equipment used to beat egg whites must be grease-free and water-free (including egg yolk) or the meringue will fail. I will usually clean the egg shells and equipment with dishwasher detergent, then dry them with a clean cloth.
2 Use a clean small bowl to separate the egg yolk and egg white, if the egg yolk cracks, don’t use that egg white.
3 When all sugar has been added to beaten egg whites and the meringue begins to look glossy, stop and check after beating for every 10 seconds, stop the beating process immediately once it has reached the stiff peaks, do not over whip.
4 When folding the meringue into the batter, do it quickly but gently to avoid deflating the meringue. Scrape the bottom of the mixing bowl with a rubber spatula and fold over, and repeat the folding motion until just well mixed.
5 Do not open the oven during the first 30 minutes of baking; the cake might collapse when out of the oven.
Nutrition (per serving)
Calories: 145kcalCarbohydrates: 18gProtein: 3gFat: 7gSaturated Fat: 1gPolyunsaturated Fat: 2gMonounsaturated Fat: 3gTrans Fat: 0.02gCholesterol: 62mgSodium: 74mgPotassium: 54mgFiber: 0.2gSugar: 10gVitamin A: 92IUCalcium: 45mgIron: 0.3mg
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