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Simple sponge cake

Learn how to make the perfect sponge cake with this easy recipe from our development chef, Clive Goudercourt.

  • 10 minutes prep. time
  • 1 hour cooking time
  • Serves 8
  • Cakes, bakes & desserts
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Image of Clive Goudercourt
Clive GoudercourtDevelopment chef, National Trust
Baking with flour and butter
Rubbing the mix into fine breadcrumbs | © National Trust Images/Oskar Proctor

Ingredients

  • 4 eggs
  • 500g self-raising flour
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 300g butter or margarine
  • 250g caster sugar
  • Splash of milk to bind

Method

Top tip

Rubbed-in cakes like this are ideal for adding fruit to. Try cherries or sultanas, or a mix of both.

Step 1

Preheat oven to 170°C (150°C fan/gas mark 4). Line a 23cm (9 inch) springform baking tin with greaseproof paper.

Step 2

Place the flour and baking powder in a mixing bowl and stir well.

Step 3

Add the butter or margarine and rub the fat into the flour with your fingertips until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs. Add the sugar and mix in well.

Step 4

Make a small well in the centre of the mixture then add the eggs and a splash of milk.

Step 5

Use a spoon to mix the dry and liquid ingredients together until you have a soft batter. The batter should drop from a spoon when lifted out of the bowl, so add more milk if necessary.

Step 6

Pour the batter into your lined cake tin, place in the centre of the preheated oven and bake for 1 hour.

Step 7

Check if the cake is cooked by inserting a skewer into the centre of the cake. If the skewer comes out clean then the cake is done. Once cooked through, remove from the oven and leave to cool before turning out of the tin.

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