Sponge cake

Sponge cake is a light confection made from egg whites, flour, and sugar, with baking powder sometimes used as a leavening agent. While most versions include egg yolks, exceptions like angel food cake omit them. This type of cake is considered one of the earliest cakes made without yeast. The first recorded English recipe for sponge cake, found in Gervase Markham’s 1615 book *The English Huswife*, produced a thin, crisp cake more akin to a cracker. Modern sponge cakes emerged in the mid-19th century when bakers began using beaten eggs to leaven the batter. The invention of baking powder in 1843 by a British food manufacturer allowed for the addition of butter, leading to creations like the Victoria sponge. In American baking, sponge cake is distinct from butter cake.

Historically, the technique of using an egg-and-sugar mixture for leavening was discovered in Moorish Spain around the 11th century, according to food historian Gil Marks. Markham’s 1615 recipe combined flour and sugar with eggs, seasoned with anise and coriander seeds. By the 19th century, descriptions of “avral bread” (funeral biscuits) varied regionally but were sometimes called “sponge biscuits” or a “crisp sponge” lightly dusted with sugar. Traditional American sponge recipes diverged from earlier methods by adding ingredients like vinegar, baking powder, hot water, or milk. The basic sponge recipe is also used for madeleines, ladyfingers, trifles, and some strawberry shortcakes.

Though sponge cake is typically made without butter, it is often paired with buttercream, pastry cream, or other fillings and frostings for flavor. Its texture absorbs flavors from fresh fruits, fillings, and custard sauces. In American cuisine, sponge cake covered in boiled icing was especially popular during the 1920s and 1930s. The delicate texture and difficulty of making sponge and angel food cakes made them more expensive than everyday pies. The historic Frances Virginia Tea Room in Atlanta served sponge cake with lemon filling and boiled icing, while New York City’s Crumperie offered toasted sponge cake alongside crumpets.

The basic whisked sponge cake contains no fat. It is made by whisking egg whites and caster sugar, then gently folding in flour. Whisking incorporates air bubbles into the egg whites, agitating the protein albumen to create a partially coagulated membrane that stiffens the whites and increases volume. This foam cake relies on aeration from eggs and heat to rise. Some sponges are baked in ungreased pans to help the batter adhere and climb the sides, improving the rise. Potato flour is sometimes used to maintain moisture. Variations may add butter or egg yolks for moisture. For Genoise cake, flour and melted butter are added to the egg mixture. The “biscuit” sponge from early American cuisine involves beating egg yolks with sugar, then alternately folding in whisked egg whites and flour. Anne Willan notes that both types appear in French cuisine, adding that sponge may include some butter but not too much, or it will not rise. Turn-of-the-20th-century cookbooks recommend cream of tartar or baking soda to make Swiss rolls more pliable. For cakes like the Victoria sponge, fat and sugar are creamed before eggs and flour are added, similar to pound cake. In British English, layer cakes such as the Victoria sponge are called “sandwich sponge.” This buttery cake was made possible by Alfred Bird’s 1843 invention of baking powder, which allowed the sponge to rise higher.

In the Philippines, sponge and chiffon cakes, introduced during the Spanish period, are collectively called *mamón*. They are often baked as cupcakes (*torta*), loaves (*taisan*), or cake rolls (*pianono*), traditionally served with butter or margarine and white sugar. Variants use ingredients like purple yam or pandan leaves, resulting in ube cake and buko pandan cake. Crispy cookie-like versions are known as *mamón tostado* and *broas*. Steamed sponge cakes, such as *ma lai gao*, are common in Malaysia. Chinese almond sponge is steamed and topped with boiled icing, chocolate, vegetables, or fresh fruit. Korean sponge called *saeng* is often made with rice flour and topped with whipped topping and fruit. Some Vietnamese varieties add fresh herbs like mint, lemongrass, or basil to the batter and are topped with caramelized tropical fruit. In India, milk and jaggery are added to sponge cake, served with the Sri Lankan specialty “avocado crazy.” Western-style sponge cakes topped with whipped cream and strawberries are popular in Japan, where sponge is also used as a base for cheesecakes.

Angel food cake, invented in 19th-century America, contains no egg yolks or butter and is leavened solely with egg whites and baking powder. It is baked in an ungreased pan and cooled upside down.

Boston cream pie, the official state dessert of Massachusetts, is a chocolate-glazed, layered yellow sponge cake filled with pastry cream. It may be based on the Washington pie, originally two layers of yellow sponge cake with jam filling and a dusting of icing sugar. The first known written recipe, from the 1878 *Granite Iron Ware Cook Book*, uses baking powder for the sponge. Maria Parloa published several recipes for cream pie, including one for chocolate cream pie.