This easy sponge cake recipe from culinary team member Ben Perez will give you light and fluffy results every time. Use it for layer cakes, trifles or just with berries and whipped cream for a lovely spring or summer dessert.
"Feel free to use this sponge cake recipe as a base and experiment using different extracts and flavorings, such as almond or lemon. You can also play with food coloring—I recommend gel food coloring rather than liquid food coloring, so that it does not alter the consistency of the batter—and different pan shapes and sizes too. Bake at the same temperature, but be mindful of the timing. Once you see the golden-brown color on the top of the cake, you know you are getting close." –Ben
Pro Tip: Only the bottoms of the cake pans are coated with cooking spray to help the parchment stick to the bottom—not spraying the sides helps the cakes rise in the oven.
For another classic from Ben, check out his Angel Food Cake recipe.
Preheat oven to 350°F and spray the bottoms of two 9-inch cake pans and line with parchment paper.
In a standing mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, add the eggs and beat on medium-high for 1 to 2 minutes to break them up. Gradually pour in the sugar, then add vanilla and salt and continue to whip the eggs until pale yellow, fluffy, and the mixture falls back on itself in a ribbon, 8 to 10 more minutes on medium-high speed.
Once finished whipping, the mixture should be pale yellow, fluffy, and should fall back on itself in a ribbon. Remove mixing bowl from base and add sifted flour and baking powder in two batches, gently folding between additions until there are no more streaks of flour.
Divide the batter evenly between the pans, smooth the top lightly, and bake until golden brown on top and a cake tester or toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, 25 to 28 minutes.
Cool in the pans for 20 minutes, then run a sharp knife around the edge of the pans to loosen and transfer cakes to a wire rack to cool completely.