Classic Italian Sponge Cake, Tall and Fluffy
Classic Italian sponge cake (pan di Spagna) with eggs, sugar, and flour, no baking powder: tall, fluffy, and perfect to fill. The base for layer cakes and trifles.
Want a sponge cake that’s tall and fluffy, the kind that slices into layers and soaks up creams and syrups without crumbling? Then follow this recipe: three ingredients, no baking powder, just technique.
Italian sponge cake (pan di Spagna) is the base par excellence of filled cakes: from birthday cakes to trifles to tiramisu bases. Its fluffiness doesn’t come from baking powder but from the air you incorporate by whipping the eggs well.
It has at least three real advantages: it’s made with the humblest ingredients, it’s the base of endless cakes, and it keeps well and can be made the day before filling.
The most important tip is one: whip the eggs with the sugar for a long time, until they triple and form a ribbon. It’s the trapped air that makes the cake rise in the oven. Then fold in the flour by hand, gently, so you don’t deflate the batter, and never open the oven during baking.
Once cool, you can cut it into layers and moisten it with any syrup you like: it’s the blank canvas for whatever cake you want to build.
Ready? Let’s make sponge cake.
To make this recipe
A small selection of handy tools to keep within reach. Some links may be affiliate links.
Pastry whisk
Useful for whipping egg whites to stiff peaks and for gently folding the mixture without deflating it.
Steps
- Whip the whole eggs with the sugar and a pinch of salt using electric beaters for 12 to 15 minutes, until the mixture triples in volume and forms a ribbon (when it falls from the beaters it leaves a trail that holds on the surface).
- Add the lemon zest, then sift the flour over the mixture in batches, folding it in with a spatula in gentle bottom-to-top motions so it doesn't deflate.
- Pour the batter into a 22 cm (9 in) tin lined with parchment only on the base, without greasing the sides.
- Bake in a preheated static oven at 170°C (340°F) for about 30 minutes, without opening the oven during the first 25 minutes.
- Check doneness with a skewer, then remove and let it cool completely before slicing and filling.
Helpful tips
Room-temperature eggs whip better and trap more air: that's the key to a tall, fluffy sponge.
Fold in the flour by hand, gently: beaters would deflate the mixture.
Don't open the oven during baking: the temperature drop makes the cake collapse.
For layer cakes, cut it into layers and moisten with a syrup (juice, syrup, or liqueur).
Average nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 220 kcal
- Carbohydrates
- 38.0 g
- Sugars
- 22.0 g
- Protein
- 6.0 g
- Fat
- 5.0 g
- Saturated fat
- 1.5 g
- Fiber
- 1.0 g
- Sodium
- 60 mg
You might also like
Related recipes
Selected based on the same practical features as this recipe.
Tender Meatballs in Tomato Sauce, the Traditional Recipe
Tender traditional meatballs in tomato sauce, with ground meat, milk-soaked bread, and parmesan, slowly simmered in a basil tomato sauce.
Classic Vanilla Panna Cotta with Mixed Berry Coulis
Classic vanilla panna cotta, soft and silky, with a mixed berry coulis: a no-bake spoon dessert, ready in just a few minutes.
Classic Italian Crostata with Jam and Crumbly Shortcrust
The classic Italian crostata with crumbly shortcrust pastry and jam: the traditional breakfast bake, simple to make and always perfect.