How It's Madeby Matta
Vanilla sponge cake, shown as a concept pack by the invented brand ADÙN
3D render · invented brand
Bakery & biscuitsCakesReady to eat

What is sponge cake made of?

Sponge cake is made from eggs, sugar and flour. The eggs and sugar are whipped into a stable foam that traps air, flour is folded in, and the batter is baked until the foam sets. Commercial sponges add glucose syrup and a little fat for moistness, milk powder, an emulsifier to help the foam, raising agents for extra lift, salt, vanilla flavour and a preservative for shelf life.

92%
Ingredient-count coverage11 of 12 ingredients match a Matta listing
  • Listed price10
  • Quote on listing1
  • Not listed yet1
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Shown as a concept pack: ADÙN · Vanilla Sponge Cake, Wrapped slab · 350 g. The brand is invented; this is not a real product.
Ingredients and raw materials

What goes into vanilla sponge cake

Sponge is a foam cake: most of its rise comes from air whipped into egg protein, which expands in the oven and is then set by the heat. That makes the balance between eggs and sugar critical. Eggs build structure, while sugar tenderises and weakens the crumb, so bakers follow rules such as keeping the sugar at least equal to the eggs and the flour lighter than either.

Industrial bakeries often use a "cold process", whipping at room temperature with an emulsifier and a little baking powder, because it tolerates variation in eggs and mixing better than the traditional warm method. Vanilla flavour gives the familiar bakery aroma; heat-stable vanilla flavours, such as Kerry's creamy vanilla grades listed on Matta for baking, are designed to survive the oven.

Typical ingredients of vanilla sponge cake, in typical order, without quantities. Select an ingredient for its details and every Matta listing.
IngredientWhat it does in vanilla sponge cakeGrade buyers ask forSource on Matta
Sucrose Sweetness and tenderness. Sweetens, stabilises the egg foam and tenderises the crumb; typical formulas use as much sugar as egg or more. Refined, ICUMSA 45 ₦1,486.25 /kgDangote Sugar · read 15 Oct 2026Request this product ↗View current listing ↗
Wheat FlourIngredient guide → Structure. Soft, low-protein cake flour gives a fine, tender structure; it is folded in gently so the foam is not knocked out. Soft wheat cake flour ₦984 /kgDangote Refinery · read 19 Oct 2026Request this product ↗View current listing ↗
Pasteurised Whole Egg Holds the air. Whipped egg proteins hold the air that raises the cake and then set it in the oven. Bakeries use pasteurised liquid egg. Pasteurised liquid whole egg Not listed yetRequest this product ↗
Glucose Syrup Moistness. Glucose syrup keeps the crumb moist and soft for longer. DE 40–42, 80–82 °Brix ₦922.5 /kgElkoptan · read 19 Oct 2026Request this product ↗View current listing ↗
Vegetable Fat (Palm) Soft crumb. A small amount of fat softens the crumb; too much stops a sponge from rising. Bakery fat, melting point about 38 to 42 °C ₦2,562.5 /kgSusan · read 27 Oct 2026Request this product ↗View current listing ↗
Skimmed Milk Powder Milk flavour and colour. Adds milk flavour and helps the crust brown. Skimmed or full cream, spray-dried ₦6,640 /kgMother Dairy Fruit & Vegetable Private Limited · read 20 Oct 2026Request this product ↗View current listing ↗
Glyceryl Stearate Emulsifier. An emulsifier that helps the batter take in air quickly and hold it, especially in the cold-process method. Cake emulsifier, food grade ₦4,868.75 /kgJining Yaluan Chemical Tech · read 15 Oct 2026Request this product ↗View current listing ↗
Sodium Acid Pyrophosphate (E450) Leavening acid. The acid half of the baking powder, reacting with bicarbonate to release carbon dioxide during baking. Food grade, choose a slow or fast rate Quote on listingRequest this product ↗View current listing ↗
Sodium Hydrogen CarbonateIngredient guide → Leavening. Baking soda, the base half of the baking powder, adding a little extra lift. Food or pharma grade, fine powder ₦553.5 /kgMalan · read 20 Oct 2026Request this product ↗View current listing ↗
Sodium Chloride Flavour. Balances the sweetness and brings out the flavour. Food grade, iodised for Nigeria ₦533 /kgBiorigins · read 15 Oct 2026Request this product ↗View current listing ↗
Flavouring (Vanilla Type)Ingredient guide → Vanilla flavour. The characteristic cake flavour; bakeries use heat-stable vanilla flavours so the aroma survives the oven. Heat-stable vanilla flavour for baking ₦7,663.27 /kgKerry Group Plc · read 30 Oct 2026Request this product ↗View current listing ↗
Potassium Sorbate (E202) Keeps mould away. A preservative that slows mould growth so a wrapped cake keeps for longer. Food grade (E202) ₦6,150 /kgWUHAN ZOYO CHEMICAL Ltd · read 19 Oct 2026Request this product ↗View current listing ↗
Illustrative, not a validated formula. Every manufacturer's recipe differs, and processing, safety and regulatory requirements must be assessed by qualified professionals. Prices are copied from matta.trade on the date shown and are not live.
How it's made

How vanilla sponge cake is made

In a bakery, sponge is made in a sequence of scaling, whipping, depositing, baking, cooling and wrapping.

  1. Scale

    Ingredients are weighed by recipe.

  2. Whip

    Egg, sugar, glucose and emulsifier are whipped into a light foam; bakers check its density (specific gravity) to control volume.

  3. Fold

    Flour, milk powder, raising agents and salt are folded in, then melted fat, without knocking out the air.

  4. Deposit and bake

    The batter is deposited into lined trays and baked at about 180–220 °C until the centre reaches about 95 °C.

  5. Cool, slice and wrap

    Cakes are depanned while warm, cooled, sliced and flow-wrapped.

Variations and applications

Common variations

Genoise
Melted butter is folded into the egg foam for a moister cake.
Victoria sponge
Fat and sugar are creamed first, then eggs and flour are added, so it behaves more like a butter cake and relies on baking powder.
Swiss rolls and snack cakes
Thin sponge sheets are spread with jam or cream and rolled or layered, or cut into individual snack cakes.
Flavoured sponges
Chocolate, strawberry, butterscotch or orange sponges change the flavour and colour on the same base.
Safety and regulation

Safety, quality and regulation

Eggs must be pasteurised or handled to prevent salmonella, and cakes must be baked through and cooled hygienically before wrapping. Egg, wheat and milk are major allergens and must be declared. Preservatives and emulsifiers must be permitted and used within the limits in standards such as the Codex General Standard for Food Additives.

Cakes made for sale in Nigeria must be registered with NAFDAC, with ingredients, allergens, net content, batch and expiry on the wrapper.

Supply chain

Where the raw materials come from

Wheat flour and sugar are milled or refined in Nigeria largely from imported wheat and raw sugar. Eggs are produced locally. Emulsifiers, raising agents, preservatives and flavours are mostly imported; Kerry and IFF vanilla flavours are listed on Matta.

Source the ingredients for vanilla sponge cake

Request flour, sugar, emulsifiers, raising agents and Kerry or IFF vanilla flavour through Matta. For food ingredients, see Matta's ingredients page.

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Related products and ingredients

Chocolate & confectioneryChocolate cake mixBakery & biscuitsCream sandwich biscuitsBakery & biscuitsSliced breadBreakfast & spreadsPancake mix

Ingredients in vanilla sponge cake

SugarWheat flourLiquid whole eggGlucose syrupVegetable shorteningMilk powderGlyceryl stearateSAPP leavening acidSodium bicarbonateSaltVanilla flavouringPotassium sorbate

Sources and method

  1. American Society of Baking: Sponge cake
  2. Wikipedia: Sponge cake
  3. matta.trade: Creamy Vanilla Flavour F2056 (Kerry), listing and stated applications
  4. FAO/WHO Codex Alimentarius: General Standard for Food Additives (GSFA Online)
  5. NAFDAC: Guidelines for Registration of Food and Water Manufactured in Nigeria

Published by Matta · Last updated · Ingredient lists and Matta listing matches come from the How It's Made dataset; see how pages are made.

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