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What Are the Best Tips for Making Eggless Sponge Cake?

Amanda R. Bell
Amanda R. Bell

Most sponge cake recipes rely on a fair amount of eggs to create the fluffy, airy texture common with this popular dessert. Despite this, there are several tips for making an eggless sponge cake for those who cannot or do not want to use eggs, whether due to allergies or simply personal preference. To maintain the texture of the cake, it is important to take the extra time to beat a lot of air into the fat and sugar mixture, and it is also essential that you add the dry ingredients to the wet slowly and gently. Remove the cake from the pan shortly after you take it out of the oven to prevent it from collapsing, and always let it cool on a wire rack so that it reduces in temperature evenly.

Without eggs, a sponge cake can be prone to developing a less-than-spongy texture. To avoid this problem, make sure that you beat the butter, margarine, or oil in the recipe that you are using with the sugar or syrup thoroughly. In most cases, you will want to go beyond combining the ingredients and instead whip the fat and sugar until the mixture becomes light and fluffy, mimicking the texture of whipped eggs.

Eggless sponge cake should be removed from a pan within minutes of taking it out of oven.
Eggless sponge cake should be removed from a pan within minutes of taking it out of oven.

Once you beat air into the fat and sugar, it is important that you do not deflate the mixture when you add the dry ingredients, which can occur if you pour all of them into the wet ingredient at once. The best way to do this when making an eggless sponge cake is to add the already-combined dry ingredients, which usually consist of flour and leavening agents, into the fat and sugar little by little. Then, use gentle folding motions to combine everything before you add more of the dry ingredients. This will help to maintain the air that you previously incorporated into the fat and sugar.

It is important to take extra time to beat air into the fat and sugar mixture in order to maintain the texture of a sponge cake.
It is important to take extra time to beat air into the fat and sugar mixture in order to maintain the texture of a sponge cake.

Even if you make the batter perfectly, the manner in which you cool an eggless sponge cake can make a huge difference in the texture and appearance of the finished product. One of the best tips for making eggless sponge cake is to remove it from the pan within minutes of taking it out of oven. Letting the cake cool for too long in the pan can cause it to collapse, even if it is cooked through, making the sponge cake dense and flat, as well as unsightly.

In addition to promptly removing the cake, it is also a good idea to cool the dessert on a wire rack. This device keeps the cake suspended, allowing air circulation all the way around it. Doing this will not only help your eggless sponge cake cool more quickly, but also allow it to do so more evenly, keeping the texture just as light and airy as a sponge cake made with eggs.

Discussion Comments

stoneMason

@SarahGen-- Plain yogurt can be used as an egg substitute in cake recipes. If you want an easy way to make fluffy sponge cake, then add half a tablespoon of baking soda before adding the flour. Simply beat sugar, yogurt, oil and other ingredients and then add the baking soda. Wait for a few minutes. You will see that the mixture becomes bubbly. That's exactly what you want. Then add the flour, very slowly in small portions and mix thoroughly.

Like the article said, remove the cake from the pan quickly after it is done.

SarahGen

I made an eggless sponge cake and followed all the instructions but it didn't come out right. It was like normal cake, totally flat. It also fell apart while cutting. I didn't realize the eggs are so important for making cake stick together and become fluffy.

I'm on the look out for a different recipe because I want to try again. I wonder if there is an egg substitute I can use which will react similarly with the other ingredients. Does anyone know of an egg substitute for eggless sponge cake?

fify

For those who can have dairy, I recommend using sweetened condensed milk in the eggless sponge cake recipe. When the condensed milk is beat with the sugar and fat, it becomes airy and makes the cake fluffy.

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    • Eggless sponge cake should be removed from a pan within minutes of taking it out of oven.
      By: torsakarin
      Eggless sponge cake should be removed from a pan within minutes of taking it out of oven.
    • It is important to take extra time to beat air into the fat and sugar mixture in order to maintain the texture of a sponge cake.
      By: auremar
      It is important to take extra time to beat air into the fat and sugar mixture in order to maintain the texture of a sponge cake.