South African Basic Sponge Cake
Delightfully light and irresistibly soft, the South African Basic Sponge Cake is the perfect foundation for your next dessert masterpiece. Featuring a simple yet classic combination of pantry staples like cake flour, caster sugar, and vanilla extract, this recipe yields a tender, fluffy cake that melts in your mouth. Whipping the eggs and sugar to a pale, cloud-like consistency ensures an airy texture, while the warm milk and melted butter lend a subtle richness without weighing it down. With just 15 minutes of prep time and a quick 25-minute bake, you’ll have a versatile cake ready to enjoy as-is or dressed up with your favorite frosting, fresh fruit, or whipped cream. Perfect for birthdays, tea parties, or as a crowd-pleasing treat, this South African classic is a timeless recipe every baker should have in their repertoire.
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Ingredients
- 180 grams cake flour
- 10 grams baking powder
- 2 grams salt
- 4 large eggs
- 200 grams caster sugar
- 5 ml vanilla extract
- 60 ml milk
- 50 grams unsalted butter
Directions
Step 1
Preheat your oven to 180°C (350°F) and grease and line a 20cm (8-inch) round cake tin with baking paper.
Step 2
Sift the cake flour, baking powder, and salt into a medium-sized bowl and set aside.
Step 3
In a large mixing bowl, beat the eggs and caster sugar together using an electric mixer on high speed until the mixture becomes pale, thick, and triples in volume (approximately 8 minutes).
Step 4
Add the vanilla extract to the egg mixture and gently mix to combine.
Step 5
Warm the milk and butter in a small saucepan over low heat until the butter has melted. Do not let it boil.
Step 6
Gradually fold the dry flour mixture into the whipped egg mixture using a spatula. Be gentle to maintain the airiness of the batter.
Step 7
Pour the warm milk and melted butter mixture into the batter and fold gently until just combined. Avoid overmixing.
Step 8
Pour the batter into the prepared cake tin and smooth the top with a spatula.
Step 9
Bake in the preheated oven for 25-30 minutes, or until a skewer inserted into the center comes out clean.
Step 10
Once baked, let the cake cool in the tin for 10 minutes, then transfer it onto a wire rack to cool completely before serving or decorating as desired.
Nutrition Facts
| Serving size | (501.9g) |
|---|
| Amount per serving | % Daily Value* |
|---|---|
| Calories | 1349.7 |
| Total Fat 64.9g | 0% |
| Saturated Fat 32.4g | 0% |
| Polyunsaturated Fat 0.0g | |
| Cholesterol 860.3mg | 0% |
| Sodium 1294.9mg | 0% |
| Total Carbohydrate 146.4g | 0% |
| Dietary Fiber 4.9g | 0% |
| Total Sugars 4.3g | |
| Protein 45.0g | 0% |
| Vitamin D 191.2IU | 0% |
| Calcium 227.1mg | 0% |
| Iron 5.7mg | 0% |
| Potassium 575.8mg | 0% |
Source of Calories