How to Make a Basic Cake

If you’ve never made a sponge cake or want a no-fuss treat, try making the basic sponge cake. You don’t need anything but flour, sugar, eggs, and butter for a simple cake that you can top with your favorite whipped cream or leave it as is. Once you’re used to baking, you can change it up a bit or add more flavor to the cake.

Table of Contents

Ingredient

220 g all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon (4 g) baking powder
1/2 teaspoon (3 g) baking soda
1/2 teaspoon (2.5 g) salt
170 g unsalted butter at room temperature
300 g diameter
2 large eggs at room temperature
180 ml buttermilk or whole milk

Make a 23 cm diameter sponge cake

Mix the flour

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Mix flour, baking powder and salt in a bowl. Place 220 g all-purpose flour in a mixing bowl, add 1 teaspoon (4 g) of baking powder and 1/2 teaspoon (3 g) of baking soda and salt. Stir for about 10 seconds to mix the dry ingredients. ^{[1] X Research Source}

Baking soda and baking powder are important ingredients to help the cake rise when baking. If you haven’t made a cake in a while, check the expiration date on the packaging of baking powder and baking soda to make sure they’re still good.

Beat butter and sugar in a separate bowl for about 4-5 minutes. Place 170 g of room temperature butter and 300 g of sugar in a large mixing bowl. Turn on the hand or hand mixer on medium speed and beat the mixture until fluffy. ^{[2] X Research Source}

Using butter at room temperature is important because it will easily mix with the sugar. This will make the cake light and spongy, not thick.
Turn off the whisk and flick around the sides of the bowl a few times to mix all the butter.

Tip: If you want the cake to be less sweet, you can reduce the sugar to 250g. Note that the sugar will give the cake a golden brown color, so cakes using less sugar may pale in color.

Beat 2 eggs into the butter-sugar mixture on low speed, beating one at a time. Turn on the whisk on low speed and place one room temperature egg in the mixing bowl. Continue whisking until well combined, then add another egg. Continue whisking until the yolks and whites are no longer visible. ^{[3] X Research Sources}

Beat the eggs at room temperature to trap air in the dough, allowing the cake to rise in the oven.

Stir in dry ingredients and buttermilk for a smooth batter. Continue to whisk on low speed and stir in 1/3 of the dry ingredients into the mixture. Next, you will measure out 180 buttermilk or whole milk and pour half into the mixture. Continue beating the dough while stirring in the buttermilk, followed by the remaining dry ingredients. ^{[4] X Research Sources}

Stop stirring as soon as the last amount of dry ingredients has been incorporated into the mixture. If you mix the dough too much, the cake may become hard or thick.

Bake

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Preheat the oven to 177 degrees Celsius and line a cake pan with a diameter of 23 cm. Use a 23x23cm square cake, 23x13cm rectangular mold or a 23cm diameter round mold and spray anti-stick oil into the mold, then cut a piece of parchment paper to fit the bottom of the mold. ^{[5] X Research Sources}

Try to use metal cake pans as it conducts heat better than glass or ceramic molds.
If you want to make cupcakes, place muffin paper cups in a 16 or 18-cell muffin pan.

Tip: The parchment paper will help you remove the cake from the mold easily and the crust will not blacken when baking.

Pour the cake batter into the mold. Scoop all the dough into the prepared cake pan and use a knife or spatula to flatten the dough. This way, the surface of the cake will not be swollen when baking. ^{[6] X Research Source}

If you’re baking cupcakes instead of a muffin, try using a cookie dough spoon to divide the dough.

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Bake the cake for 45-60 minutes. Place the pan on the griddle in the center of the preheated oven and bake for 45 minutes. When the cake turns dark yellow and begins to loosen from the sides of the mold, it is ready. Since every oven is different, your oven may need extra baking time. Don’t worry if you need to bake for another 15 minutes. ^{[7] X Research Sources}

You can insert a toothpick or skewer into the center of the cake to see if the cake is done. When a toothpick or skewer does not stick to the cake dough, the cake is cooked; if not, you need to bake for a few more minutes and then try again.
If baking cupcakes, you should check after 20 minutes.

Tip: If you’re baking at a high altitude, consider adding an extra egg to prevent the cake from drying out. You can also reduce the baking time by 5-8 minutes because the cake will cook faster.

Remove the cake and let it cool on a cooling rack for 1 hour. Turn off the oven and wear heat resistant gloves to remove the cake. Place the cake pan on a cooling rack and let it cool completely before removing the cake from the mold. ^{[8] X Research Sources}

You do not have to worry about the cake sticking to the mold because there is a stencil lining the bottom of the mold.

Flip the mold to remove the cake. When the cake has cooled completely, take a knife around the edge of the mold, then place the cake pan on the table and place the cake cooling rack upside down on top of the cake. Holding the cooling rack and the bottom of the cake pan, quickly flip the cake onto the cooling rack. ^{[9] X Research Source}

You do not need to wear heat-resistant gloves because the cake has cooled by this time.

Peel off the parchment paper and serve the cake. Slowly wrap the cake liners with parchment paper and throw away. Flip the cake over and cut into pieces. If you like a little more decoration, you can sprinkle powdered sugar or cover the cake with buttercream, or pour simple glaze over the cake. ^{[10] X Research Source}

Place leftover cake in an airtight container and leave at room temperature for up to 2 days. You can also store the cake in the refrigerator for up to 7 days, but the cake may dry out.

Try the sponge cake variations

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Replace some flour with cocoa powder to make chocolate sponge cake. To turn a basic sponge cake into a rich chocolate sponge cake, use ½ cup (70g) cocoa powder instead of ½ cup (70g) all-purpose flour. You can also add 1 cup (180g) of chocolate chips to double the chocolate in the cake. ^{[11] X Research Source}

Consider coating cream cheese or chocolate buttercream over the chocolate sponge cake.

Red velvet cake variation: Add 1 tablespoon cocoa powder to dry ingredients and ½ tablespoon white vinegar with 30 ml red food coloring to wet ingredients.

Stir in 1-2 teaspoons (5-10 ml) of extract to enhance the flavor of the cake. Vary up the flavor of the basic sponge cake by stirring in a little more flavor extract when adding eggs to the dough. You can add vanilla, lemon, almond, coffee, coconut or orange blossom flavors to the dough. ^{[12] X Research Source}

If you’re making a citrus-flavoured sponge cake, try adding the grated zest of 1 lemon, 1 orange, or ½ grapefruit to the cake sugar before whisking with the butter to let the citrus oil release into the sugar.

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Add seasoning to dry ingredients for a warm spiced sponge cake. Stir 1 teaspoon (2g) cinnamon powder, 1/2 teaspoon (1 g) cardamom powder or Jamaican pepper, and a pinch of black pepper into the dry ingredients of the batter. After the cake is done baking, you can spread cream cheese or buttercream on top of the cake. ^{[13] X Research Source}

For more flavor, stir in 1 tablespoon (7 g) of grated ginger into the butter and sugar mixture.

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Sprinkle the toppings on the cake before baking. For extra color or crunch, sprinkle a handful of nuts like crushed almonds or pecans over the top. You can also sprinkle with colorful granulated sugar to make a birthday cake or crunchy streusel to make a simple coffee sponge cake. ^{[14] X Research Source}

For a crunchier texture, use roasted nuts in place of raw nuts.

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Use egg substitutes if you prefer to make eggs without eggs. If you don’t want to use eggs in your cake, use a vegetarian egg substitute or 90 ml of milk, buttermilk or sour cream instead of 2 eggs. Note that the eggless sponge cake will be slightly drier than the egg tart.

To make vegan muffins, you’ll also need to use vegan butter and dairy alternatives, such as almond milk or oat milk instead of buttermilk.

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Make gluten-free cakes by substituting flour. Buy gluten-free baking powder instead of all-purpose flour. You can use the same amount of flour as the all-purpose flour in the recipe, so it’s easy to use!

If you want to use a gluten-free flour such as almond flour or chickpea flour, follow the manufacturer’s instructions when baking. Remember that the texture of the cake may crumble more easily than the cake made with all-purpose flour.

Advice

If you don’t have a whisk, you can use a wooden spoon to beat it by hand.
Try adding a handful of dried fruit, chocolate chips or roasted nuts to the batter.

Things you need

Measuring cup and spoon
Whisk eggs
Mixing bowl
Whip
Egg beater
Non-stick spray oil
Cake cooling rack
Cake mold 23 cm
Stencils