Authentic Italian Sponge Cake Recipe (2024)

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Equipment you’ll need to make Italian sponge cake

• 9 in | 22-cm round springform cake pan to bake the Italian sponge cake in
• large mixing bowl to mix the cake batter and beat the eggs
• stand mixer or hand mixer with whisk attachment to mix and beat eggs, sugar and flour
• sieve to sift the flour and potato or corn starch
• rubber spatula or wooden spoon to stir and gently fold the ingredients together
• wire rack to cool the Italian sponge cake pan di spagna

With no need to sit and rise, you can make this recipe from start to finished cake in under one hour! This easy recipe makes a pan di spagna cake that will remain soft and moist.

Ingredients for making pan di spagna

• Eggs (3 eggs + 3 egg yolks) – eggs are the basis of sponge cake, so be sure to use only the freshest eggs and they should be nice and large.
• Granulated sugar (0.8 cups | 160 grams) – sugar is the key ingredient to making your homemade sponge cake sweet!
• Lemon (zest of 1 lemon rind) – use an organic lemon and zest the entire rind. If you don’t like the citrus flavor, you can leave this out. The recipe also works with the zest of one small organic orange if that is your preference.
• Vanilla extract (1 teaspoon) – or a little vanilla paste works well too. If you want to try something a bit different, for an almond flavored cake you can swap out the vanilla for almond extract and even add crushed almonds as one of the fillings.
• Salt (1 pinch) – just a small pinch to of salt brings out the sweet goodness.
• All-purpose flour or cake flour (0.56 cups | 70 grams) – be sure to sift the flour together with the starch before adding it into the recipe. You can substitute with cake flour if you prefer to bake with that, as it is finer the result will be light texture.
• Potato starch (0.59 cups | 95 grams) – while we highly prefer potato starch, if corn starch is all you can find then you can substitute with the same amount in this sponge cake recipe.

How to make nonna’s sponge cake step by step

Preheat: Preheat the oven to 350° F | 180° C.

Beat the egg batter: Put all the eggs and sugar, lemon zest, pinch of salt, and vanilla extract together in a stand mixer or electric mixer with a large bowl (photo 1) and whisk together on medium-high speed and then at the highest speed for about 10 minutes (photo 2). The mixture should quadruple in volume and be frothy although fairly dense (photo 3).

Sift and fold in the flour and starch: Sift the flour and the potato starch through a sieve into a bowl and mix together (photo 4).

Now add a third of the sifted flour and starch mixture into the beaten eggs (photo 5) and fold in with a spatula or wooden spoon carefully, without deflating the mixture (photo 6). Add another third and repeat and then the final third and repeat.

Coat your cake pan and fill: Coat your 9-in | 22-cm round spring-form baking pan with butter and then with a little flour to cover the bottom and sides. Gently pour in the cake batter evenly into the prepared cake pan (photo 7).

Bake the Italian sponge cake: Place in the preheated oven on the middle rack and bake for approximately 35 minutes, without opening the oven door for at least 30 minutes. A light golden crust should form on the top and the inside should be pale yellow with a spongy texture. A toothpick should come out clean when it is ready.

Let it cool: After removing from the oven, let it cool for 15 minutes in the pan and then cut around the edges with a knife (photo 9), open the springform cake pan, and remove the cake. Place it on a wire rack or parchment paper and let cool completely (photo 10).

Expert tips for making sponge cake

• Beat the eggs very well. You really want to beat a lot of air into the eggs so that your cake comes out airy and light. This step is crucial because the cake does not have any leavening agent such as baking powder to make it rise.
• Let the cake cool completely and use a sharp knife. Your cake needs to be completely cool before you cut into it or you risk it turning into a crumbling mess. Only cut this type of cake with a thin, sharp knife.
• Dome deformation. Here’s a trick that nonna shared for making her nonna’s sponge cake – if the cake is higher in the center than on the sides, when you are cooling it on the rack, flip the cake over for several minutes and then flip it back over once it has lost its dome shape.

Variations of Italian sponge cake

• Italian Rum cake. While this sponge cake isn’t the same as the Authentic Italian Rum Cake recipe, you can still do something similar by soaking this sponge cake in a mixture made with: 1 cup of water with 2 spoonfuls of white sugar and a shot of rum, mixed together.
• Possible fillings for sponge cakes. You can slice the cake in half horizontally and fill with delicious fillings such as pastry cream, chocolate cream, mascarpone cream or even just Nutella or a thick layer of jam or jelly or crushed fresh fruit. You can also try chocolate chips, ricotta, powdered sugar and a dash of nutmeg for a cannoli-like filling. You can also keep it simple with a little powdered sugar or whipped cream on top.