Hello everyone, Here I have a basic sheet sponge cake recipe for you. You can bake this simple sponge cake in a few minutes. This sponge cake base for one baking sheet is nice and fluffy, airy, and light. You can use this sponge cake base for many different cakes and desserts, and it is also the base for many of my delicious cake and dessert recipes on the blog. Here in Germany we know these delicious cake layers as “Biskuit” and use it for a variety of sweet and lovely cakes and desserts. In France, it’s called “gâteau éponge”.
Sheet sponge cake recipe
This sponge cake recipe is perfect to make a lovely summer lemon or strawberry cake roll with. Filled with fruits, custard cream, whipped cream, or curd cream, it tastes very delicious. Sponge batter is super versatile and belongs to the basic batter types, just like yeast- and shortcrust dough.
Sponge cake base recipe for a baking sheet or a rectangular baking frame: When my daughter Anni turned 30, I baked this sponge cake base and used it for her birthday cake, a Number Cake. It is perfect for this, and you can be incredibly creative. I usually bake this sponge base recipe whenever I want to make a fruity
and creamy cake roll. With the sponge cake base recipe, you can create many different cakes, from small birthday cakes to huge wedding cakes.
Sponge cake base recipe – some advice
To make your sponge cake batter nice and fluffy, it is very important that you beat the egg whites until very stiff. When beating the egg whites for the batter, be sure to separate the eggs so that no yolks get into the egg whites! The bowl for the egg
whites must be free of grease. I prefer to beat the egg whites in a large bowl with
plenty of space.
The egg yolk should be whisked with the sugar until you have a light yellow, creamy mass and the sugar has dissolved in it.
I like to use very fine sugar for the sponge cake batter. The whisked-in air in the sponge cake batter is an important rising component. You should always ensure that the cake batter is processed quickly. The batter shouldn’t rest, otherwise, it would lose volume and the beaten egg whites would start to fall together.
Therefore, it is always best to preheat the oven right at the beginning, so that it already has the right temperature when the sponge cake is ready to bake.
You should always bake the sponge cake batter in a preheated oven. Otherwise, it may collapse and not be as fluffy. Pour the batter immediately onto the baking sheet or into the baking pan and put it into the oven right away. It is also important to never grease the baking sheet or pan or spray it with baking spray. It is perfectly fine if there is a piece of baking paper on the bottom of the sheet or baking pan.
The grease would prevent the cake from rising at the edges, and you would get an uneven result later on.
After baking, I drop the sponge cake base onto a platter, that I cover with a piece of baking or parchment paper and moisten the baking paper on the bottom of the cake with a pastry brush and a little water. This allows you to easily remove the baking.
When I want to prepare a cake roll with the sponge cake base, I flip the sponge cake layer onto a dish towel that I have sprinkled with a little sugar beforehand. I then wet the baking paper with a little water as described above. In order to prevent the base from breaking, I roll it up with the tea towel and let it cool a bit. You can then roll the cake layer out of the towel and fill it with curd cream, fruits, and much more, before
rolling it up again.
Cutting numbers or shapes from a sponge cake layer As mentioned earlier, the deliciously fluffy sponge cake is quite great for making creative cakes and cupcakes. For the Number Cake above, this sponge cake base is actually the main ingredient. For my Number Cake, I needed two layers of the cake to
make 2 big numbers out of it.
You can also cut the sponge into bars and fill them with whipped cream, vanilla custard, or lemon curd to make delicious cake slices. Or you fill the sponge cake base with a ganache and later cover it with marzipan or fondant. Almost anything is possible with a simple sponge cake base, and it’s the perfect set-up for creating a variety of fun and delicious treats.
When I bake the batter in a spring form pan for a round cake, I used to cut it with a string instead of a knife. A while ago, I bought a cake layer cutter (cake leveler) that allows me to adjust the thickness of the dough halves. This is a real convenience, although the string trick is a pretty decent alternative. For my little layered raspberry – cakes, I use a very similar cake batter, but with a little more flour and less cornstarch.
Here are some frequently asked questions and my answers to them: How long does the sponge cake need to bake? – On the baking sheet, sponge cake needs about 13 to 15 minutes. It should not be baked too long, as it can become chewy and dry. I tap the cake briefly with my finger towards the end of the baking
time, if it bounces a little it is good. It should still feel a little moist when touched.
How long in advance can you bake a sponge cake base? – I prefer to bake the sponge cake the day before. It will be easier to cut then. How do I prepare a sponge cake batter? – It is very important that the egg whites are whipped until very stiff. The egg yolks and sugar should be whisked until the mixture is very light and creamy before you add the flour.
Have a great day!
Equipment
- 1 Mixing bowl
- 1 backing paper
- 1 backing sheet or
- 1 mixer
Ingredients
- 75 g flour 1/2 Cup + 2 tsp
- 50 g Corn flour or cornstarch 1/4 cup
- 4 eggs
- 130 g Sugar 3/4 cup
- 1 tbsp vanilla sugar
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 3 tbsp warm water
- 1 pinch salt
Instructions
- It is best to prepare all needed ingredients right at the beginning. You can do yourself a big favor by weighing and measuring your ingredients right from the start, too. Mix baking powder and flour with cornstarch and a pinch of salt. Everything should be mixed well and sieved together at least once.
- Separate the eggs and process them separately. Whip the egg whites until very stiff.
- Whisk the egg yolks in another bowl with sugar until foamy. Let the sugar gradually trickle into the butter while mixing. It doesn't matter if you use a food processor or a hand mixer. Whisk until the mixture is light yellow and fluffy. Then whisk in water and add the sieved flour (with baking powder, cornstarch and salt) to the mixture.
- Gently fold the stiff beaten egg whites into the batter. Line a large baking tray with a piece of baking paper and
- Carefully spread the cake batter on the baking sheet and smooth it out with a dough scraper or spatula. Bake the sponge cake at 360° F. convection in a preheated oven for about 15 minutes. Since every oven bakes a little differently, you should check the cake before taking it out of the oven by poking a toothpick into the cake layer. If nothing sticks, the cake is ready.
- Flip the baked sponge cake layer onto a platter or board that is covered with a sheet of baking paper or, for a cake roll, onto a kitchen towel sprinkled with sugar.
- Carefully remove the baking paper from the baked sponge cake (if necessary, brush the baking paper with a little water beforehand). If you want to make a cake roll from the cake layer, you should roll the cake in with a kitchen towel sprinkled with sugar, while it cools down.
