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strawberry sponge cake

Strawberry Sponge Cake Recipe

This strawberry sponge cake is light, fluffy, and melts in your mouth with fresh strawberries and whipped cream filling. It's an elegant dessert that looks impressive but is surprisingly easy to make with just basic ingredients and simple steps.
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Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 25 minutes
Servings: 8
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Calories: 320
Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients
  

  • 3 eggs
  • 1 cup self-raising flour
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 1 tablespoon butter
  • 4 tablespoons water
  • Strawberries
  • Whipped cream

Method
 

  1. Begin by preheating your oven to 350°F and lining an 8-inch cake tin with non-stick baking parchment paper.
  2. In a separate saucepan, bring 4 tablespoons of water to a boil, then melt 1 tablespoon of butter into the hot water and set aside. In a large mixing bowl, beat 3 eggs together with 1 cup of sugar until the mixture becomes very thick and pale—this indispensable step typically takes at least 10 minutes of beating and is essential for incorporating air into your batter.
  3. Sift 1 cup of self-raising flour to remove any lumps, then gently fold it into the egg-sugar mixture using a spatula or folding technique to maintain the airiness you've created. Carefully fold in the butter-water mixture last, being gentle to preserve the light texture.
  4. Pour the prepared batter into your lined cake tin and bake for approximately 25 minutes, until the cake is springy to the touch and a light golden color.
  5. Once baked, remove the cake from the oven and allow it to cool completely on a wire rack before proceeding. This cooling step is important as it allows the structure to set properly before you slice and fill the cake.
  6. Once cooled, slice the cake horizontally into two layers. Fill the center with whipped cream and fresh strawberries, then reassemble the cake. The result is a light, fluffy sponge cake with a delicious fruit and cream filling that's perfect for any occasion.

Notes

Strawberry Sponge Cake Substitutions And Variations

Once you’ve mastered the classic strawberry sponge, you’ll probably want to tinker with it—and honestly, this cake’s pretty forgiving when it comes to swaps and tweaks.
Want to switch up the filling. Raspberry jam works beautifully instead of fresh strawberries, or I’d suggest mixing whipped cream with mascarpone for richness. Chocolate lovers could spread a thin layer of chocolate ganache between the sponge layers before adding cream.
For the cake itself, I’d consider adding lemon zest to the egg-sugar mixture for brightness, or a teaspoon of vanilla extract for depth. Need it gluten-free. Swap the self-raising flour for a gluten-free blend using the same measurement.
Feeling fancy. Dust the finished cake with powdered sugar, or pipe whipped cream rosettes on top. The basic structure stays solid, so honestly, you can’t really mess this up—which is why I love it.