This classic butter sponge cake is soft, tender, and lightly sweet, featuring a delicate crumb that practically dissolves on your tongue. Using a simple ratio of pantry staples—butter, sugar, eggs, and flour—this quick single-layer tea cake comes together in under 30 minutes.
Ingredients & Equipment
Dry Ingredients
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All-purpose flour: 1 cup (~120g)
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Baking powder: 1 teaspoon
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Fine salt: A pinch
Wet Ingredients
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Unsalted butter: ½ cup (1 stick / 115g), softened to room temperature ($68^\circ\text{F}$ / $20^\circ\text{C}$)
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Granulated sugar: ½ cup (100g)
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Eggs: 2 large, room temperature
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Pure vanilla extract: 1 teaspoon
Optional Flavor Accents & Toppings
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Zest: 1 teaspoon fresh lemon or orange zest
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Fold-ins: ½ cup dark or milk chocolate chips
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Finishing: Powdered sugar for dusting, caramel sauce drizzle, or a scoop of vanilla ice cream
Baking Science: Fat Creaming & Thermal Crumb Structure
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Aeration via Creaming: Beating room-temperature butter and sugar together creates millions of microscopic air pockets trapped in the butterfat. During baking, these pockets expand when heated by gases from the baking soda/powder, giving the cake a light, velvet-like lift.
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Emulsification & Temperature Control: Using room-temperature eggs ($65^\circ\text{F}\text{–}70^\circ\text{F}$) prevents thermal shock when added to the creamed butter. Cold eggs would freeze the fat, breaking the emulsion and producing a dense, greasy crumb.
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Gluten Minimization: Adding the sifted dry ingredients last and mixing just until combined keeps gluten development to a minimum, ensuring a tender, melt-in-your-mouth bite.
Step-by-Step Instructions;
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