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Classic Sponge Cake/Pudding - Core Recipe

Classic Sponge Cake/Pudding- Core Recipe

Light, fluffy, versatile, and made in one bowl, this recipe can be used to make a range of different sponge cakes, fairy cakes and cupcakes as well as puddings.

Course afternoon tea, Cake, Dessert, Morning Coffee, pudding
Keyword cake, dessert, light and fluffy
Prep Time 5 minutes

Ingredients

  • 130g unsalted butter
  • 130g caster sugar
  • 2 large eggs
  • 130g plain/all-purpose flour
  • 1¼ teaspoons baking powder
  • ¼ teaspoon fine salt
  • 1 tablespoon milk

Instructions

  1. Collect together your equipment (see Recipe Notes below) and ingredients.

  2. Preheat oven to Fan Oven 160°C/180°C/350°F/Gas 4

  3. Grease and line your cake tin(s) or baking dishes or insert cake tin liner(s), as necessary.

  4. Ensure the butter is at room temperature and soft enough to beat. If not soften it slightly in the microwave. (Be very careful not to melt it though – just do 5 seconds at a time if you are unsure.)

  5. Add all the remaining ingredients to the butter and whisk thoroughly with an electric whisk until just combined. This should take around 45 seconds to 1 minute, and no more.

    NB to sieve the flour, see Recipe Notes

  6. Transfer to the prepared cake tins or baking dish (see Recipe Notes) and cook in the centre of the oven for 18 - 22 minutes for a cake or 30 - 45 minutes for the pudding (depending on size of dish, it may take even longer) or until the sponge is cooked. It is cooked when:

    - the centre feels springy when lightly touched with your finger and no imprint remains

    - a toothpick inserted into the centre of the cake comes out clean

    - the cake is beginning to come away from the sides of the tin/dish.

  7. NB - puddings

    When making a pudding, you may need to cover the pudding with foil towards the end of cooking to prevent the pudding becoming too brown. See specific recipes for advice on this.

Recipe Notes

Equipment

  • kitchen scales and measuring spoons
  • mixing bowl
  • electric whisk
  • baking dish/cake tins
  • sieve
  • cooling rack, if necessary

If making a cake, use 2 x 15cm/6inch or 2 x 18cm/7inch cake tins for a 2 egg cake

The pudding in the picture above is made using a 1 egg sponge mix and is cooked in a 1.5 litre baking dish greased with butter (The one in the picture measures 15cm/6inches square at the base and 18cm/7inches square at the top and is 7.5 cms/3inches deep)

Sieve the flour

  • I don't always do this but it does add air into the cake to help make it lighter. The quickest way to do this is to:
  • Add the sugar, eggs and milk to the butter. Put the mixing bowl on the scales, balance the sieve on the bowl and zero the scales.
  • Weigh the flour directly onto the sieve and add the baking powder and salt. Lift the sieve above the bowl and shake the sieve. You may need to use a spoon to press any remaining lumps of flour through.

This cake is easy to increase, multiply using the 1 egg quantity:

  • 65g unsalted butter
  • 65g caster sugar
  • 1 large egg
  • 65g plain flour
  • ½ plus ⅛ teaspoon baking powder
  • ⅛ teaspoon fine salt
  • ½ tablespoon milk