August 10, 2020

Vanilla Sponge Cake

Name: Vanilla Sponge Cake
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 35 min
Total time: 45 min
Ingredients: 1.5 cups All-purpose flour; 1.5 tsp Baking Powder; ¼ tsp Baking Soda; 1 cup Yogurt; ¾ cup Castor Sugar; ½ cup Oil/Melted Butter; 1.5 tsp Vanilla Extract

An eggless classic vanilla sponge cake recipe that needs only 7-simple pantry ingredients and is light and fluffy even without condensed milk and eggs.

Jump to Recipe

If there’s one recipe that a majority of people begin their baking journey with, it has to be a plain ol’ vanilla sponge cake. It’s like the kindergarten of baking, the ABC of cakes. So simple and yet so good. A warm slice of one with cream or fresh fruits is sure to evoke some childhood nostalgia. It takes me back to when I was still in school and my cousins and I would decide to bake a cake. By default it would be the vanilla cake recipe from a Tarla Dalal book. We’d spend half the day making the batter, and then spend more time licking clean the leftover milkmaid in the can and the batter in the bowl, while waiting for the cake to bake, our excitement resting squarely on the reliability of the rickety 20-year old oven my aunt possessed.

Thankfully it doesn’t take me anywhere as long to bake a cake anymore and this cake particularly is amazing because it’s a simple no-fail recipe that doesn’t require any fancy ingredients or any heavy beating/whisking. All the ingredients required for this cake are found at most homes easily:

Yogurt
Sugar
Oil/Butter
Baking powder
Baking soda
All-purpose Flour
And a good quality vanilla extract! (Ok maybe this you may not have but it isn’t too difficult to get)

The process to make this cake is even simpler. The most important rule of making this however is that you cannot OVERMIX the batter. Just like any other eggfree cakes, this vanilla sponge relies on a very gentle hand to create a light and airy final product.

USING AS A BASE

This recipe is also a great sponge to use as a base for layering decorative cakes. While light, it’s still quite sturdy, and can be cut into multiple horizontal layers without being crumbly or breaking.

OIL/BUTTER

If you plan to eat the cake on its own, like a tea cake, using butter Is a good option as it creates a sponge that’s richer in taste. However oil gives it a better structure if you intend to use it as a base sponge or use any heavy frostings on the cake.

MAKING THE BATTER

To make the batter, start by placing yogurt and sugar in a bowl. Home-made curds are fine as long as you use only the thicker curds and not too much of the liquid.

Next use a sieve and add the baking powder and baking soda to the yogurt and give a light whisk. Now set this aside for 5-7 minutes till you see bubbles appear on the surface of the yogurt. This basically also tests the strength of your baking agents. If the baking powder or soda are expired/old there won’t be any bubbles.

Tip in the vanilla and the melted butter or oil next. A good quality vanilla extract will make all the difference to your cake. Commercial vanilla essences are usually not even made with real vanilla and lack any flavour. Do remember to use a neutral oil like Sunflower or Canola. Avoid any oil with a strong smell or flavour profile like olive/groundnut/peanut/sesame etc as that will impact the taste of the cake.

Finally, add the flour using a sieve directly into the batter. Do this in batches and whisk immediately to ensure that no lumps are formed. Stop whisking as soon as the last dry trace of flour is gone.

Transfer the batter to a greased or lined (with parchment) pan and give the pan a few light taps to even out the batter.

Bake in a pre-heated oven for 35-40 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. If you use a smaller pan for the same amount of batter, the baking time will increase since the center part will take longer to cook through.

Let the cake cool on a wire rack completely before slicing and serving. This cake can store well in the refrigerator for 3-4 days.

BAKING WITHOUT AN OVEN

This cake can also be easily baked without an oven. I’ve tried it and it comes out as perfectly as the one in the oven. Follow the same steps to make the batter and then read this post to set up your stovetop equipment:
BAKING ON A STOVETOP

FROSTING

This eggless vanilla sponge cake is really versatile and works with a variety of frostings from buttercream to cream cheese to ganache. However my absolute favorite way to eat it is with whipped cream and fresh fruit. I’ve shared an article on how to whip up the perfect stable whipped topping here –How to Make Whipped Cream

Once the cake is cool, you can top it with the whipped cream and fresh fruits of your choice.

VARIATIONS

This cake is also adaptable in that you can make additions to the batter itself for a twist. Think – chocolate chips – one or different varieties of chopped nuts – saffron, cardamom and other spices – fresh or frozen fruit pulp of your choice Amazing right! This is one recipe every baker needs to have in his/her repertoire.

If you liked this recipe, you may like some of these others too!

Eggless Coffee Cinnamon Cake
Eggless Chocolate Cake
Eggless Semolina Cake
Eggless Banana Walnut Bread
Eggless Lemon Loaf Cake

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