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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Recipe Information
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
Instructions
Preheat your oven to 180°C (350°F) and grease and line a 20cm (8-inch) round cake tin with baking paper.
Sift the cake flour, baking powder, and salt into a medium-sized bowl and set aside.
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).
Add the vanilla extract to the egg mixture and gently mix to combine.
Warm the milk and butter in a small saucepan over low heat until the butter has melted. Do not let it boil.
Gradually fold the dry flour mixture into the whipped egg mixture using a spatula. Be gentle to maintain the airiness of the batter.
Pour the warm milk and melted butter mixture into the batter and fold gently until just combined. Avoid overmixing.
Pour the batter into the prepared cake tin and smooth the top with a spatula.
Bake in the preheated oven for 25-30 minutes, or until a skewer inserted into the center comes out clean.
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
Calories |
1350 | ||
|---|---|---|---|
% Daily Value* |
|||
| Total Fat | 64.9 g | 83% | |
| Saturated Fat | 32.4 g | 162% | |
| Polyunsaturated Fat | 0.0 g | ||
| Cholesterol | 860 mg | 287% | |
| Sodium | 1295 mg | 56% | |
| Total Carbohydrate | 146.4 g | 53% | |
| Dietary Fiber | 4.9 g | 18% | |
| Total Sugars | 4.3 g | ||
| Protein | 45.0 g | 90% | |
| Vitamin D | 4.8 mcg | 24% | |
| Calcium | 227 mg | 17% | |
| Iron | 5.7 mg | 32% | |
| Potassium | 576 mg | 12% | |
*The % Daily Value tells you how much a nutrient in a serving of food contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
