Sponge Cupcake Recipe

Fluffy, airy, zesty, and soft — this angel food cake is so tantalizing it’s irresistible. Yet, this easy sponge cake recipe (mini) incorporates easily obtainable ingredients to whip up a perfect sponge cake with some orange zest to go with your early morning coffee, after-meal dessert palate, or your tea time cravings.

The basic traditional sponge cake is one of the very first cake recipes a first-time baker should attempt as it is a simple recipe that produces an amazing airy cake. It is not hard to master, yet it introduces you to basic techniques that will be required by seasoned bakers, such as separating egg yolks and egg whites and then using the separated egg whites to create a meringue in soft peaks and stiff peaks (depending on the recipe) to create a fluffy cake. It is a great recipe for you to practice your baking techniques, such as handling your cake batter and controlling the baking time immaculately.

With the small amount of flour used in this recipe, this paper-wrapped sponge cake has a light, fluffy texture, super soft, and it literally melts in the mouth. It is not too filling, so you may consume more if you like it, and you won’t feel full easily. For those of you who easily feel guilt pangs after giving in to your sweet tooth (guilty as charged), don’t worry, this sponge cupcake is considered a lower carb cake as it uses a smaller amount of flour compared to other types of sponge cake recipes.

An important thing to note is that the texture of a baked sponge cake and a steamed sponge cake are quite different. A baked one gives a more fluffy and light texture, whilst a steamed one has a higher moisture content, and the texture is much denser. In this recipe, this simple sponge cake recipe is one that uses the baked method. If you are interested in giving a steamed sponge cake a try, or if you simply do not have an oven as I did back then, then I highly recommend trying out this delicious steamed sponge cake recipe as an alternative to your sweet tooth cravings.

In reality, there are many types of sponge cakes, namely the chiffon cake, swiss roll cake, castella cake, and genoise cake. Most of them differ only very slightly via the techniques and filling, the ingredients are more or less the same. The recipe for a sponge cake that I am giving you here is a basic recipe that is modifiable to other types of sponge cakes, depending on your preference. Flavors for sponge cakes include vanilla sponge cake recipe, butter sponge cake, chocolate version of this sponge cake, victoria sponge cake recipe, strawberry shortcake, etc.

Ingredients in this Sponge Cake Recipe (mini)

Here are some of the dry ingredients and wet ingredients that you will need to bake this sponge cake (sponge cupcakes, to be more accurate!). They are all easily acquired in your nearest baking store or local grocery store in the bakers’ aisle. All ingredients are at room temperature unless stated otherwise.

• 5 Large Eggs (Separate the whites and yolks)
• 90g fine granulated sugar/castor sugar
• 60g cake flour / Superfine flour
• 15g Cornflour / Cornstarch
• 60g Salted butter (melted)
• Zest of 1 Orange (optional, to enhance the flavor)) you may replace it with lemon juice or lemon zest as well. Or, if you prefer a more classic cake, then you can just replace the fruit zests with a vanilla extract
• 10-12 pcs 6”x6” parchment paper to line a 12 holes muffin pan

Tools Required

• Cake pan or muffin pan, or baking pan
• a small bowl or mixing bowl
• cooling rack/wire rack
• rubber spatula
• sieve
• oven
• Microplane / grater (for zest)
• stand mixer with a whisk attachment
• spoon
• measuring scale/measuring cups

Pro tips for success

For first-timers or even seasoned bakers, here are some guides on what to take note of to ensure maximum success probability for your sponge cupcakes! For the best results for your fluffy sponge cupcakes, I highly suggest you follow my recipe with images step by step, as well as make sure all measurements are accurate before beginning.

1. NEVER OVERBEAT OR UNDER-BEAT
   • this is one of the most common mistakes bakers make, either intentionally or not. Over-beating your egg mixture not only won’t give you a more fluffy cake, as it will cause the cake to deflate, and your baked cake will be one that is lumpy and not so appetizing. Of course, don’t be too hesitant and under-beat your eggs as well. The fluffy, airy texture comes from the volume of froth that forms from your beaten egg whites. Remember to beat your egg whites till the meringue has soft peaks. (view the image down below the recipe if you are unsure what they are supposed to look like, and refer to this video to understand more)
2. FOLDING
   • Folding must be done meticulously. Be it folding in your egg yolks or when combining your flour mixture. Make sure to fold gently but at a certain speed as well. Remember to fold it thoroughly to make sure no flour or solid ingredients stick at the bottom of the pan or bowl without you knowing.
3. SIEVE
   • Don’t be lazy and skip the sieving of your purpose flour or cake flour. This is because sieving makes your flour much finer and aerates it, so there are no clumps of flour that get trapped in your batter. This will result in a lumpy batter and, of course, a not-so-fluffy, airy, and soft cake.
4. MONITOR BAKING TIME
   • Keep a close eye on your cake as it rises in the oven. Follow the timings and temperature stated below. Check with a wooden skewer by poking it into the center of the cake, if it comes out dry and clean, your cake is ready. Underbaking results in a wet, not evenly cooked cake, but overbaking it gives you a dry crusty cake as well. Both are equally undesirable, so do be careful!

How do I serve my sponge cupcakes?

There are soooo many ways to eat this delicious sponge cake from an easy recipe. From using your own homemade frosting to adding a scoop of ice cream, to topping it with whipped cream or eating it with fresh berries or zesty fruits, you can also eat your sponge cupcake with a cup of coffee to balance out the bitterness of the coffee. You can even be creative and drizzle it with maple syrup, honey syrup, chocolate drizzle, etc. I recommend serving the sponge cupcakes at room temperature, but if you prefer a more moist texture, you can always heat them up in a microwave for 10 to 15 seconds.

If you have tried this sponge cake recipe and loved it, I have more recipes in my recipe section for you to master. But if you are looking for other sponge cake recipes, then you can always try my Japanese Cheesecake, Matcha Cheesecake, and Steamed Sponge Cake. For those who want to indulge without guilt — Low Carb Cheesecake which is a keto dessert perfect for those who are on a keto or low-carb diet.