May 01, 2005
Basic Sponge Recipe
Ingredients
For each pint of liquid that the cake tin will contain, include:
- 2oz (50g) Soft margarine
- 2oz (50g) Caster sugar
- 2oz (50g) Self-raising flour, sieved. (Actually, I always use plain flour and add baking powder to make it into self-raising)
- 1 Egg
- A splash of milk
Or, for cake tins I've got:
| 2x 10" diameter, 1.25" deep round sandwich tins | 12oz mix (6 eggs) |
| 10"x10", 3" deep square tin | 14oz mix (7 eggs) |
In order to make a chocolate sponge cake (which, of course, is the best kind :) replace some of the flour with sieved cocoa powder - I usually use about an ounce (25g) of cocoa.
Method
- Grease and line the cake tin(s) with either greaseproof paper or baking parchment. Then grease the lining paper. I generally don't bother lining the sides of the tin these days - it's easy enough to run a knife round the sides after it's baked and it saves all the messing around lining the sides...
- Put the oven on to warm up whilst you're preparing the mixture. Gas mark 3 (170°C / 325°F).
- Cream the margarine and sugar together. This is easier if the margarine is at room temperature, rather than straight from the fridge.
- Gradually add the flour, cocoa and eggs, making sure that the ingredients are blended to a uniform consistency. Traditionally, this is the stage where you fold the flour and eggs into the mix, and are instructed to ensure you incorporate as much air as possible into the mixture. Although I do use what's largely a folding action, I still use the wooden spoon I used in the previous step (rather than a knife) and find that it's more important to ensure the ingredients are all mixed together well. If you sieve the flour into the mix from a reasonable height, I doubt you'll have any problems with not getting enough air into it.
- Add the splash of milk, and mix well. I'm not completely convinced that you need the milk - it may just be a superstition of mine, or merely my own personalization of the recipe - but I like a moist cake, and find that this helps. The amount I add depends on the consistency of the mixture at this point; sometimes it's as little as a teaspoon, and it's never more than a tablespoon or so. I suppose experience has taught me what sort of consistency I'm after, and so I can judge how much to add based on that, but I can't even begin to explain what that desired (by me, after all, your cakes will no doubt by subtly different) consistency is.
- Transfer the mixture to the cake tin(s) and put into the oven.
- Enjoy the remaining cake mixture from the bowl :-) (although you shouldn't if you're in one of the risk groups for eating raw egg! Shame.)
Baking times will vary, depending on how big the cake is. Do not open the oven in the first half hour of baking! An 8" cake will take around 45 minutes, and cakes made in my 10" square cake tin take about 1 hour 15 minutes. The cake is ready when a skewer slid into the centre of the cake comes out clean.
Once out of the oven, leave the cake in its tin for about five minutes to cool - during this time is will contract from the sides of the tin a little, making it easier to run a knife round the edges and remove from the tin onto a wire rack to cool properly.
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For a second I was expecting a BASIC Sponge Recipe.
Posted by: Andrew at May 3, 2005 11:12 AM10 LET MARG_AMOUNT = 8
20 LET SUGAR_AMOUNT = 8
30 LET FLOUR_AMOUNT = 8
40 LET EGGS = 4
50 CALL CREAM_TOGETHER(MARG_AMOUNT, SUGAR_AMOUNT)
....
It's been too long since I tried to write any BASIC!
Posted by: Adrian at May 3, 2005 11:18 AMLooks good to me!
(Tried hard to think of some cake related programming puns, but my brain isn't working too well today.)
Posted by: Andrew at May 3, 2005 02:52 PMvery helpful...thanks a lot :O)
Posted by: Sheila at July 18, 2005 01:06 PMFab recipe, try adding a few pineapple chunks and some desicated coconut for something more tropical in those winter months when you need a bit of a lift.....It's fab
Posted by: Joanna at September 17, 2005 10:58 AMInteresting idea. Haven't experimented with fruit in the cake mix itself. Maybe it's time I started... :-)
Posted by: Adrian at September 19, 2005 02:51 PMpoop.
Posted by: janet at January 8, 2006 06:14 PMhow much baking powder should i add to plain flour to make it self raising? i'm a bit of a novice!!
Posted by: laura at March 1, 2006 12:49 PMI can never remember how much baking powder to use, so I always have to check the baking powder packaging. Looking at the packet in my cupboard, it says that for a sponge cake you need to add 3 teaspoons of baking powder to every 8 oz of plain flour in your mix.
Posted by: Adrian at March 1, 2006 03:14 PMthank you!
Posted by: laura at March 1, 2006 03:23 PMvery good recipe-my cake turned out to be more
creamier than normal.
Just wondering, does it _need_ to be Caster sugar? Ever tried with plain old granulated?
Posted by: Ross at August 6, 2006 10:16 PMI haven't tried it with granulated, but then I don't bother buying granulated and just use caster anywhere where I'd use granulated (in tea, etc.)
It should still work, but it might take a bit more effort to cream the margarine and sugar together.
I think you can also convert granulated into something resembling caster sugar by putting it into a bag and then smacking it repeatedly with a rolling pin, but I accept no responsibility for any damage which may occur to you or your kitchen if you try it :-)
Posted by: Adrian at August 8, 2006 02:21 PMJust ref the pineapple/coconut idea, I've done this before and you should toss the pineapple chunks in flour first, especially if your pineapple is from a tin. Reasons being;
1. It absorbs the extra juice, and prevents the cake texture from being watered down too much
2. It helps to prevent all the fruit from sinking to the bottom of the cake.
Hope this is of use ;)
Posted by: MIke at September 3, 2006 11:32 AMCheers Mike - that sounds like a top tip. Not sure what someone so obviously experienced at cake making is doing poking round the 'net reading basic sponge recipes though... ;-)
Posted by: Adrian at September 11, 2006 11:16 PMI've often used granulated sugar in my cake recipes and it comes out just fine. I do use an electric mixer though so no extra work with the creaming etc. Also you can use brown sugar instead of white, gives it a different flavour but very good.
Posted by: Janet T at October 22, 2006 10:01 AMthanks me and my girlfreind just ate a nice meal now were making a random cake thanks to u oh well hopfully ill get some cake later
Posted by: lee at November 29, 2006 09:20 PMUp until now the only cooking I've done has been in the army feeding hundreds of people. My version of a basic sponge recipe involves trays of eggs and Kilos of flour! I fancied making a few home made cakes, but couldn't be bothered to get my cook books out of the attic, so I just Googled it. Works a treat by the way!
Posted by: Mike at March 25, 2007 10:23 AMJust reading this recipe and decided to try it. So I'm 25 minutes into cooking a chocolate sponge. I can't wait to try it :-)
Posted by: Dave at April 5, 2007 12:03 AMwow incredible... i didn't burn the house down making this :D
great recipe :)
Posted by: sarah at August 9, 2007 01:12 PMGreat recipe, we made a small birthday cake for our friend and turned out really good, thanks :-)
Posted by: Lucy and Roesheen at September 13, 2007 05:30 PMWoohoo! Happy Birthday Your Friend :-)
Posted by: Adrian at September 13, 2007 06:43 PMthank you ever so much. im 16 and moving out to live on my own and ive got posh family comming over and i want to show off and thanks to you i now can lol x x
Posted by: amie at September 13, 2007 08:55 PMThanks for the sponge recipe, it's really good!
I made something like jam tarts but instead of the jam, you put a square of chocolate i9n the pastry and then add a dollop of chocolate sponge on top and put in the oven! It's the best thing in the world! Well...after chocolate brownies of course!
try putting the pinapple ect at the bottom of the tin before you add the mixture makes a gr8 upside down cake yum. ^_^
Posted by: danny at October 19, 2007 05:25 PMme and my sister had a sudden urge to bake today and we foubd the recipe very simple and helpful
thank you very much =]
Posted by: Alice at January 19, 2008 05:46 PMwell me and charlotte were making a cake for our best friends birthday. The cake recipe was an easy following basic way for us to make his beautiful masterpiece..... although when it came out of the oven it wa black and crusty just like your big toe!! xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx lyl xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Posted by: laura and charlotte at January 25, 2008 08:45 PMI've just used this recipe and it's in the oven now!!
I used coconut and have prepared a coconut cream filling (simple icing + butter + coconut).
I just LOVE coconut :D
Thanks!!!
Posted by: Matt at February 5, 2008 07:33 PMI always use this (your) recipe. It works a treat. I always mix in some coconut flakes and top it with strawberry icing. Lush!!
Posted by: Deborah at March 7, 2008 02:28 PMWhat a beautiful recipe! It's been a very long time since I made a sponge, and using your recipe, they turned out just fine!
I did chocolate in half the mixture, and added chunks in too. The other half I added sultana's, cherry, nutmeg and cinnamon. Other change was that I used demerara sugar instead of caster, which was I am sure different, but very pleasant.
Really light, moist sponges.
Thank you very much!
to make a large tin cake do i have to add extra flour and sugar as havnt a clue thankyou
Posted by: chrissie at April 24, 2008 09:34 AM@everyone - glad the recipe is working well, and still helping people; almost three years since I first posted it!
@Chrissie - I don't ever add extra flour and sugar when making bigger cakes, and the 10" square cake is pretty big. So I think you'll be okay just to use the recipe as is. Happy baking!
Posted by: Adrian at April 24, 2008 11:25 AMJust about to crack on making a 1st birthday cake for my son using this recipe.... is anyone able to offer any advice on icing?
Plan is to bake 10" square sponge then cut it into a number 1 shape.... am I biting off too much I wonder????????!!
Posted by: Sophie at June 10, 2008 08:55 AMHi Sophie,
I don't think cutting a 10" square cake into a number 1 is too complicated.
Icing-wise, I don't tend to follow any recipe as such, and just mix things together until I get the right consistency. The downside (or is that upside...) to that is that I usually end up with far too much by the time I've got it right...
For basic, normal icing it's just a mixture of a little bit of water (I'd start with a teaspoon of water) with lots of icing sugar. If you want to colour it then add a couple of drops of food colouring.
If you want something that isn't quite as smooth a finish (which is often handy to cover the odd patch of not-quite-perfect cake underneath, then make something like buttercream. Again I don't have a specific recipe I'm afraid, but if you start with something like 125g (5oz) of icing sugar, 75g (3oz) of butter or margarine, and a teaspoon or two of water or milk. Then mix it all together and add small amounts of icing sugar or butter to get it to a stiff consistency. You can use cocoa instead of some of the icing sugar if you want chocolate buttercream, or if you want to colour it just add some food colouring.
Good luck with it all, I hope your son enjoys it :-)
Posted by: Adrian at June 10, 2008 09:50 AM