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Sliced vanilla sponge cake with jam and buttercream filling on a white cake stand
Continental · Desserts

Vanilla Sponge Cake

A soft, golden two-layer sponge sandwiched with strawberry jam and vanilla buttercream. It uses simple pantry ingredients and suits birthdays and afternoon tea.

Published 1 Oct 2026Tested by Hina Ikram

Prep25 min
Cook25 min
Total50 min
Serves10
DifficultyEasy
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Ingredients

10 servings

Equipment: Two 20 cm (8 inch) round cake tins, baking paper, electric hand mixer or wooden spoon, mixing bowls, sieve, wire rack, oven

Method

  1. Heat the oven to 170°C (150°C fan). Grease two 20 cm tins with butter and line the bases with baking paper.

  2. Beat 200 g soft butter and the caster sugar together for 4 minutes, until pale, light and fluffy. Scrape down the bowl halfway.

  3. Whisk the eggs with 2 tsp vanilla in a jug. Add them to the butter mixture a little at a time, beating well after each addition so the batter does not curdle.

  4. Sift the flour, baking powder and salt over the batter. Fold in with a large spoon or spatula until just no dry flour is visible.

  5. Fold in the milk to loosen the batter. It should drop easily off the spoon. Divide evenly between the tins and level the tops.

  6. Bake on the middle shelf for 22–25 minutes, until the cakes are golden, spring back when lightly pressed and a skewer comes out clean. Do not open the oven in the first 18 minutes.

  7. Cool the cakes in their tins for 10 minutes. Run a knife around the edges, turn out onto a wire rack, peel off the paper and cool completely.

  8. For the buttercream, beat 100 g soft butter until creamy. Add the icing sugar and 1 tsp vanilla and beat for 2–3 minutes until smooth and fluffy. Add a teaspoon of milk if it is stiff.

  9. Place one sponge on a plate, flat side up. Spread with buttercream, then jam. Top with the second sponge and dust with icing sugar. Slice with a warm, dry knife.

Cooking tips

  • Use soft butter that gives easily when pressed, but is not melted. Cold butter will not cream well and melted butter makes a dense cake.
  • Add the eggs slowly. If the batter looks split, beat in a spoonful of the flour and continue.
  • Fold the flour gently and stop as soon as it is mixed in. Overmixing makes the sponge tough.
  • Make sure the cakes are fully cool before filling, or the buttercream will melt and slide.

Substitutions

  • No caster sugar: blitz regular granulated sugar in a blender for 20–30 seconds.
  • Self-raising flour can replace the plain flour and baking powder at the same weight; omit the baking powder.
  • Use mango, mixed fruit or apricot jam instead of strawberry, or fill with 200 ml whipped cream instead of buttercream.
  • Use baking margarine in place of butter in the batter if needed, though the flavour will be less rich.

Serve with

Serve in slices with hot chai or coffee, or with fresh strawberries and a spoonful of whipped cream.

Storage

Keep in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days in cool weather. In hot weather, refrigerate for up to 4 days. Unfilled layers can be wrapped and frozen for up to 2 months.

Reheating

Bring refrigerated cake to room temperature for 30 minutes before serving. Thaw frozen layers at room temperature, still wrapped, before filling.

Nutrition per serving, estimated

480kcal
5 gProtein
56 gCarbs
26 gFat

Estimated from the ingredient list. Values vary with brands and portion size.

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