This raspberry sponge cake is everything a sponge cake should be. It’s soft, light and beautifully fluffy with the perfect structure to hold the generous filling. With two thick layers of tender sponge filled and topped with chantilly cream and homemade raspberry jam, it’s totally irresistible.
It’s simple and elegant but not too sweet making it the perfect light dessert or morning tea. Whether you use homemade or store-bought jam, it’s the kind of cake that feels special but is surprisingly easy to make.
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❤️ Why you’ll love it
- Soft, light sponge – never rubbery
- Cream and raspberry filling that’s rich but not heavy
- Perfectly balanced sweetness
- Simple ingredients and an easy classic method
- Beautiful enough for celebrations, easy enough for weekend baking
Ingredients & substitutions
In this whole gorgeous raspberry cake there are only 9 ingredients!
Jump to the recipe card for full quantities and instructions.
- Raspberries: You can use fresh or frozen raspberries in the jam recipe. If using frozen, they’ll likely create more liquid so the jam will take a little longer to thicken up. Avoid underripe raspberries – they will add a bitter flavour to your jam. Make sure to have some fresh raspberries for the top though.
- Eggs: Make sure to stick to large eggs – 49-55g maximum – if you use larger eggs, you’ll have too much egg and the flavour balance will be out.
- Lemon juice: The lemon juice adds a bit of acidity and balance to the jam. If you like you can also add some lemon zest to the sponge cake batter.
- Cornflour (US cornstarch): Cornflour, also known as cornstarch is a starch often used for thickening sauces but it also plays an important role in baking. In cakes it creates a softer, more tender texture. Plain flour develops gluten, which provides structure but too much can give sponge cakes a unpleasant rubbery texture. Since sponge cakes already gain much of their structure from whipped eggs, cornflour allows you to increase the necessary dry ingredients without introducing extra gluten. This results in a lighter, more delicate crumb.
- Sugar: Just white granulated sugar or caster sugar.
- Cream: Use thickened cream or heavy whipping cream for the filling and topping.
The recipe below includes a recipe for homemade raspberry jam and you can find all my tips and tricks for that over on that post. You can use store-bought jam if you prefer.
How to make raspberry sponge cake
This raspberry sponge really is so simple to make. The main difference in the batter is beating the eggs and sugar together until they reach ribbon stage – a thick, voluminous, foamy batter that creates a trail on the top of the batter when it runs off the beater, and takes a few seconds to settle back in on itself. You then gently fold in the dry ingredients rather than mixing them in. The fine air bubbles created when beating is what gives sponge cake it’s amazing light texture.
Other than that, it’s mostly business as usual and a very simple cake to make.
Jump to the recipe card for full quantities and instructions.
1. Make the jam
Combine the jam ingredients in a saucepan and let it bubble away, skimming any foam that forms on top away.
2. Let it thicken
It’ll take about 10-12 minutes to get nice and thick at which point you can test a little spoonful on a cold plate to make sure it’s the right consistency. You want it to hold it’s shape and be thick but spreadable after it’s cooled.
3. Beat the eggs until frothy
Onto the cake batter. First, beat the eggs until very frothy – just a minute or two.
4. Add the sugar – beat to ribbon stage
Add the sugar just a little at a time while the beater is running on low. Give it a good 10 seconds between each addition to make sure it’s dissolving into the eggs and not weighing it down. Once all the sugar is added continue to beat until it’s at ribbon stage – it will be thick, voluminous and a trail running off the beater can be used to draw a figure 8 that takes a few seconds to sink back into the batter.
5. Fold in the remaining ingredients
Very gently, using a folding action with a metal spoon, fold the remaining ingredients into the egg mixture. Be careful so you don’t lose all the air you beat into the eggs.
6. Bake
Divide the sponge cake batter between two 8 inch round cake tins (aka sandwich tins) and bake for around 25 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean. Do not check the cakes before the 20 minute mark.
7. The chantilly cream
For the chantilly cream, just beat everything together until you have firm peaks.
8. Assemble
Now, just layer up your beautiful raspberry sponge cake and it’s ready to serve.
Storage
Room temperature
The raspberry sponge can sit at room temperature for a short time. Too long and the cream will begin to soften.
Refrigerator
It’s best to store the cake in an airtight container in the frige for 3-4 days, maximum.
Freezer
While cream can lose it’s structure on thawing, this cake does seem to freeze fine for a short time. Up to 1 week will be fine but beyond that, you may have issues on thawing.
If you love a classic sponge – soft, light, never too sweet – this raspberry sponge cake recipe is one you’ll come back to again and again. It’s simple and a little bit special – just as a good sponge cake should be.
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Ingredients
RASPBERRY JAM
- 300 g raspberries fresh or frozen
- 1 ¼ cups granulated sugar 250g
- 2 teaspoons lemon juice freshly squeezed
- OR 3/4 cup of store-bought raspberry jam
SPONGE CAKES
- 1 ¼ cups plain flour all purpose flour (165g )
- ½ cup cornflour US cornstarch 60g
- 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
- 6 whole large eggs room temperature
- 200 g caster sugar superfine sugar (1 cup / 7oz)
- ¼ cup hot water not boiling
- 2 teaspoons vanilla
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
CHANTILLY CREAM
- 2 cups heavy whipping cream 500ml
- 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
- ¼ cup caster sugar superfine sugar
- fresh raspberries to serve
For best results, always weigh ingredients where a weight is provided
Equipment
- Large mixing bowl
- Electric beater or stand mixer with paddle attachment
Instructions
- THE RASPBERRY JAM:Place a small dish in the freezer (for testing the consistency later).
- Combine the raspberries, sugar and lemon juice in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Cook for 8-10 minutes, stirring regularly, until it turns a very dark red.
- Drop about a teaspoon onto the frozen dish – after 1 minute if it has set and is thick when you press your finger into it, it’s ready. If not keep going.
- Let it cool before use.
- THE SPONGE CAKES:Preheat oven to 170C (150C fan) / 340F.
- Grease two 8 inch round cake pans (or sandwich tins) with softened butter. roll flour around the inside to coat the sides of the tin before tapping out the excess. Line the bases with baking paper.
- Into a medium bowl, sift together the plain flour, cornflour and baking powder then use a whisk to whisk them together well.
- Crack the eggs into a large mixing bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer. Beat on medium-high speed until they get frothy.
- While beating on low, gradually add the sugar. Once all the sugar is added, continue beating for 6-8 minutes until it reaches ribbon stage. Test ribbon stage by lifting the beaters out and letting it run off the beaters in a figure 8 – if the 8 takes a few seconds to sink away, it’s ready. They will be very thick, pale and fluffy at this point.
- Sift half the flour mixture directly over the egg mixture (this second sift is important) then use a metal spoon to very gently fold them together. Once it’s about 90% incorporated, repeat with the remaining half of the flour mixture.
- Fold it through with a metal spoon again until 90% combined.
- In a small bowl combine the hot water, vanilla and lemon juice.
- Add the water mixture to the batter and carefully fold it through with the metal spoon until fully incorporated.
- Tip the cake batter evenly into the two baking tins and bake for 25-30 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean.
- Let the sponges cool in the tins for 5 mins before turning out onto wire racks, with the tops so they are touching the racks and the bottoms now facing up. Let them cool completely.
- THE CHANTILLY CREAM:In a medium bowl, using an electric beater on low-medium speed, whip the cream, sugar and vanilla to firm peaks – careful not to overwhip or it will turn grainy.
- ASSEMBLING THE CAKE:Spread a layer of about ½ cup of your raspberry jam over the base cake. Top it with half of the chantilly cream.
- Place the second cake layer on top. Swirl ¼ cup of the jam through the chantilly cream and dollop it on top of your cake.
- Top with fresh raspberries and serve or chill for a little while before serving to make cutting slices easier.
- Please take a moment to leave a comment & rating. It's appreciated and so helpful.
Notes
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2 Comments on “Raspberry Sponge Cake”
This looks lovely, simple and yet very elegant! Looking forward to making this delightful cake! Thanks for sharing this recipe!
I hope you love it as much as I do, Lina 🙂