Simple sponge cake

Try Clive's recipe for making the perfect sponge cake.

Cakes and bakes
Milk and eggs on kitchen table
  • Preparation time 10 minutes (prep. time)
  • Cooking time 1 hour  (cooking time)
  • Serves 8

Ingredients

  • 4 Eggs
  • 500g (1lb 4oz) self raising flour
  • 1tsp baking powder
  • 300g (12oz) butter or margarine
  • 250g (10oz) caster sugar
  • Splash of milk to bind

Method

  1. Preheat oven to 170°C (150°C fan)/gas mark 4. Line a 23cm (9”) springform baking tin with greaseproof paper.
  2. Place the flour and baking powder in a mixing bowl and stir well.
  3. Add the butter or margarine and proceed to rub the fat into the flour with your fingertips until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs. Add the sugar and mix in well.
  4. Make a small well in the centre of the mixture then add the eggs and a splash of milk.
  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.
  6. Pour the batter into your lined cake tin, place in the centre of the preheated oven and bake for 1 hour.
  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.