Prep Time

30 min

Cook Time

35 min

Yield

10-12 slices

Level

easy

A soft, even-crumbed celebration cake made with Martin Braun's Vanilla Sponge Mix, finished with an apricot glaze seal and gold leaf garnish.

A reliable, soft-crumbed base cake that takes decoration well. The sponge mix gives consistent volume and an even crumb batch after batch, which matters when you’re producing the same cake daily.

Cakes - easy

Vanilla Sponge Birthday Cake

01

Ingredients

500g

Martin Braun Vanilla Sponge Mix

200g

DGF Apricot Glaze

400g

Buttercream or fondant for icing

1 sheet

PCB Gold Leaf

5 eggs

Medium Size Eggs

100ml

Water

100ml

Oil (Sunflower or Vegetable)

02

Method

Mix the Batter

Combine the sponge mix with eggs, water, and oil as specified on the pack. Whip on medium speed until tripled in volume and the batter reaches ribbon stage.

Bake the Sponges

Divide the batter evenly between two greased and lined 20cm tins. Bake at 175°C for 30-35 minutes until a skewer comes out clean. Cool completely on a wire rack.

Seal with Apricot Glaze

Warm the apricot glaze gently until fluid, then brush a thin layer over the top and sides of each cooled sponge to seal the crumb.

Ice and Garnish

Stack and fill the sponges with buttercream, then cover with your icing of choice. Just before serving, apply gold leaf sparingly to the top with a dry brush.

Chef's note

Whip the mix on medium speed until tripled in volume and the ribbon stage is reached — under-whipping is the most common cause of a dense sponge. Brush the warm cake lightly with apricot glaze before any fondant or buttercream layer; it seals the crumb and prevents staining through the icing. Reserve gold leaf for the final garnish only, applied with a dry brush directly before service, since humidity causes it to dull.

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