Vanilla Sponge Cake

This beautiful sponge works for me every time. Just remember the basics: triple sift the flour, use large fresh eggs, 2 x 8" pans, gentle folding with the mixture and bake at 180 degrees for 22 mins. 

The recipe makes two cakes which can be halved for a four layer cake. It goes perfectly with jam, berries and whipped chantilly cream (or lemon curd/passionfruit curd), but it also works well with a fluffy meringue buttercream. 

Vanilla Sponge Cake

(Makes 2 x 8" cakes, each of which can be halved to make a 4 layer cake)

8 eggs
1 cup caster sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract
100g butter, melted

1 1/3 cups self-raising flour, triple sifted (don't skip the sifting)

500mls pouring cream
2 tablespoons icing sugar (one for the cream, one for the top)
1 cup raspberry or strawberry jam
1 punnet fresh raspberries
1 punnet fresh strawberries


Preheat oven to 180C.
Grease and line two 8" (20cm) cake tins with non-stick baking paper.
Sift flour and set aside.

Melt the butter in a small saucepan and set aside.
Whisk the eggs and sugar in bowl of electric mixer on high speed for 10 minutes or until pale and tripled in volume.
Sift half the flour mixture over eggs and gently fold through with a large metal spoon.

Gently fold through half the melted butter.
Repeat with remaining flour, then butter, folding very gently and turning the bowl each time to ensure you mix in any butter that may have sunk to the bottom.
Divide mixture evenly between prepared cake tins.
Bake for 22 mins or until golden, springy to touch and sponges are coming away from the edges of the tins.

Turn sponges onto wire racks immediately and cool completely.

Sponges are best eaten on the day they're baked but will last until the next day nicely if wrapped tightly in clingfilm.

When ready to fill the cakes, slice each layer in half so that you have four cakes. Keep one of the tops for the top of the cake.
Whisk cream and one tablespoon of icing sugar in bowl of electric mixer until soft peaks form.
To assemble, place one layer on serving plate and spread with jam, then top with sliced strawberries and a scattering of raspberries, then top with cream. 
Repeat with remaining layers, place the final sponge on top and dust with icing sugar. 

*In these photos, I divided the mixture between three x 8" tins and baked each for 15-18 mins. 

** I prefer the result from using 2 x 8" tins instead and then halving them to form four layers.