We’ve taken the principles of the traditional genoise sponge and transformed them into a lighter-than-air, achievable, fluffy birthday cake recipe. The hot milk and butter mix starts to activate the baking powder before the sponge hits the oven, resulting in an extra aerated crumb.
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Yields:
12 serving(s)
Prep Time:
45 mins
Cook Time:
35 mins
Total Time:
1 hr 20 mins
Ingredients
FOR THE CAKE
200 g unsalted butter, chopped, plus extra to grease
50 ml milk
225 g caster sugar
4 medium eggs
225 g plain flour
2 tsp. baking powder
FOR THE FROSTING
300 g unsalted butter, softened
700 g icing sugar
50 ml milk
50 g condensed milk
Sprinkles, to decorate
Directions
Step 1Preheat oven to 190°C (170°C fan) mark 5 and lightly grease the bases and sides of 2 x 20cm loose-bottomed sandwich tins and then then line the bases with baking parchment. For the cake, heat the butter and milk in a pan until melted and steaming.
Step 2Meanwhile, whisk the eggs and sugar in a large bowl using a handheld electric whisk for 5min until very voluminous and glossy.
Step 3Sift the flour and baking powder over the egg mixture quickly beat to combine. Gradually pour in the hot milk mix and beat to combine.
Step 4Divide the batter between the prepared tins. Bake for 30-35min, until golden and a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Leave to cool completely in the tins.
Step 5For the frosting, in a large bowl using a handheld electric whisk, beat the butter until pale and fluffy. Sift in the icing sugar and add the milk and condensed milk. Beat until pale and fluffy. Chill until needed.
Step 6Run a butter knife around the outside edge of the tins to gently loosen the cakes. Trim the sponges using a serrated knife to level, if needed. Lay one of the sponges on a serving plate or board. Spread a generous layer of frosting on top and top with the remaining sponge. Spread remaining frosting over the top and side of the cake. Decorate with sprinkles if using and serve in slices.
GH Tips
Store the un-iced cake in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.
The GH Kitchen Team are Good Housekeeping’s resident recipe developers and all-round food obsessives. GH Kitchen Director Sarah Akhurst is our resident hosting pro and loves nothing more than putting on a foodie feast for friends. Our GH Kitchen Manager Linzi Pucino is our very own Italian food expert (originally hailing from the North East of Scotland!) and can be found working her way through midweek recipes that cover all bases, from haggis to ragu! Our Kitchen Editor Nadine Brown loves digging into the stories behind her favourite foods and enjoys applying her eclectic tastes to more modern, flavour-forward recipes - just don't give her too much chilli! Our Junior Food Content Produce Frankie Prichard combines a love of beautiful presentation and flavour-led, seasonal cooking in her recipe development, along with a passion for bringing people together through food. With a wealth of professional kitchen experience between them, they’re dedicated to ensuring every Good Housekeeping recipe is the best it can be, so you can trust they’ll work every single time
Alice Shields is the Former Senior Cookery Writer for Good Housekeeping. A trained pastry chef, you’ll find her food styling on photo shoots, developing delicious recipes and writing about all things food. She loves to bake and her favourite pudding will always be a chocolate fondant. Originally hailing from Lancashire, she finally achieved her goal of getting a butter pie recipe into the magazine.
