The summer is finally over in the capital. Although it is still hot, the temperature is dropping day by day. Every time the monsoon arrives, I get excited. It’s the perfect temperature, cool breeze and light showers. You can follow me on Instagram @shivesh17 to see photos of my family sitting on our terrace, surrounded by beautiful plants and trees, enjoying the fantastic weather during teatime. Tea time is only complete with a cup of tea. It’s not right! This super fluffy vanilla sponge cake was created just for this occasion.

The vanilla sponge cake is light and fluffy, like a cloud. I love adding nuts to my tea cakes. It gives them that extra crunch. This one will make you feel like you are in texture heaven. The soft crumb and golden brown top make this cake a favorite of mine. Now that you know my monsoon plans, let’s make this cake and get you started! It only requires eight ingredients!

THE FLOUR

All-purpose flour is my preferred choice for baking, as it gives me the best texture and flavor. However, the vanilla sponge cake will still taste great using whole-wheat flour. Whole wheat flour’s earthiness and nuttiness will complement the richness of the eggs. Learn more about types of baking flour.

THE EGGS

Our vanilla sponge cake is made from eggs. FLUFFY. When baking, it is essential to use room-temperature eggs. Once I have decided what I want to bake, I pull the eggs from the fridge and place them on the counter while I measure the other ingredients. This allows the eggs to reach a temperature that will enable them to mix the batter well and help the cake rise.

This recipe does not include an egg substitute. However, if you prefer to bake eggless, you can use eggs and 2 cups of thick yogurt in the recipe.

THE OIL

Vegetable oil is my preferred oil substitute for most of the recipes I make. Vegetable oil has a neutral taste and smell. Vital-smelling oils such as mustard or sesame are not recommended. These oils impart a bitter taste to vanilla sponge cakes, which nobody likes. Any mildly flavored oil will be your best friend in baking.

THE SUGAR

Caster sugar is your best choice. It is the right size grain for making our vanilla sponge cake. Caster sugar has smaller sugar crystals that dissolve more easily when combined with fats. Granulated sugar will cause the sugar crystals not to dissolve properly, leaving the cake with an unneeded crunch. Trust is my brand for caster sugar. Learn more about the different sugar types here.

THE MILK

I love adding milk to cake batters, especially when making sponge cakes. The texture of the cake is improved by adding milk to it. It also gives it a soft crumb. When milk is added to batters for cakes, the mouthfeel is enhanced. The natural sugar in milk caramelizes when it comes into contact with heat. This gives our cake a golden brown finish.

LEAVENING AGENT

Baking powder is what I use to make my vanilla sponge cakes fluffy. Baking powder activates when the baking powder’s alkaline and acid react with the wet ingredients. If you have any questions about baking powder vs. using baking soda in baking, please consult this blog post. You can find a blog post on baking soda.

THE VANILLA

Vanilla sponge cake is made with the finest quality vanilla extract. Here, I used high-quality vanilla extract. This recipe would be even better if you had vanilla beans. My vanilla extract is either Sprig or Indian vanilla goodness.

THE CRUNCHY BITS

I love textures. This vanilla sponge cake was made even better with nuts. These are two of my favorite nuts, almonds, and walnuts. These can be substituted for cashews and pistachios.

TIPS FOR MAKING THE BEST VANILLA SPONGE CREAM

Combine the oil and caster sugar until you get a light, fluffy mixture. This will give our vanilla sponge cake texture and won’t make it dense.

This will allow you to beat each egg individually. This will ensure the batter is as airy as possible, resulting in a light and fluffy cake.

Gently fold the dry ingredients. This is something I say all the time, but I mean it in this particular recipe. As gentle as you would wrap a newborn baby. Yes

I love so many other tea cake recipes on the website! Eggless Strawberry Teacake with Fresh Strawberries and Lemon and Black Teacake with Fresh Blackberries are just a few of my favorites. Eggless Whole Wheat Apple Cake is another favorite.