Classic sponge recipe

by Metropol | April 29, 2026 8:33 am

Need a cake for a special occasion to please a crowd (or your mum)? Few people have the willpower and self-control needed to say no to a slice of decent sponge cake. This recipe from Christchurch-based food photographer and recipe developer Jessica Donaldson is perfect for a treat or celebration.

Is there a simpler and more sophisticated kind of cake than a sponge? It can be naturally flavoured in many ways, for example, with fruit, liqueurs, chocolate, spices or powders (cocoa or fruit) and coloured to suit. Or it can be flavoured with vanilla (one of my all-time favourites) and filled with an array of boozy creams, frostings, jams or custards.

The recipe here isn’t really ‘my’ recipe as such – it’s more of a tried and tested ratio, and it’s probably been made millions of times over by hundreds of thousands of bakers around the world. If you make it, you’ll see why – it’s easy and oh so delicious. Give it a go! Makes one large cake for 10 to 12 people.

Ingredients

• 200g butter, softened
• 200g caster sugar
• 3 eggs, at room temperature
• 1 tsp vanilla paste (I use Heilala vanilla)
• 1/3 cup milk
• 200g plain flour
• 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp of salt

Method

Heat oven to 170°C. Prepare a 23cm spring-form cake tin by lining the base with a round of baking paper, and greasing the bottom and sides generously with oil or butter.
Cream together the butter, sugar and vanilla in a mixer with a paddle attachment for a few minutes until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one by one, mixing well between each addition.
In a separate bowl, combine the flour, baking powder and salt. Add half the flour mixture to the butter, and combine on low speed until incorporated. Repeat with remaining flour.
Finally, add the milk and mix through well. Add the mix to the tin, and roughly level off, then bake for approximately 45 minutes. The cake is done when it’s risen, golden-brown, and a skewer comes out from the middle covered with only a few small crumbs.
Set aside to cool for 10 minutes in the tin on a wire rack. Then carefully remove the cake from the tin, also removing the baking paper. Leave to cool completely on a wire rack covered in a clean tea towel.
Fill or top with whatever you fancy! Best eaten on the day you make it, but it does keep for a few days in an airtight container and will freeze well for up to three months.

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Jessica Donaldson is a Christchurch-based food photographer and stylist, recipe developer and video content creator. After decades as a baker and café owner, she now works with boutique food brands to create delicious recipes and bright visuals that showcase their products and grow their audiences. For more recipes, go to www.semlastudio.com.

Source URL: https://metropol.co.nz/classic-sponge/