Easy to Make Sponge Cake Recipe Lemon

Lemon sponge cake

This lemon sponge cake is light, fluffy and full of zingy lemon flavour. Best of all, it's really simple to bake making it perfect for kids and beginner bakers alike.

Lemon sponge cake on a serving plate with a slice on a plate

This lemon sponge cake is everything a good Victoria sponge should be, light, fluffy and moist but with the extra zing of lemony flavour in the sponge and lemon buttercream.

If you want a lovely simple cake for your Afternoon tea but want something more interesting than a plain Victoria sponge, this is the perfect cake for you. It's no harder to make than a Victoria sponge, but the delicious lemon flavour takes it to the next level and makes it feel more special.

How can kids help to make a lemon sponge cake?

This lemon cake recipe is so simple and uses the easy 'all in one' method which makes it a great bake for kids to try. Your children can help to measure out all the ingredients and mix them all together in one bowl which means there's not too much washing up to do .

This recipe contains 4 eggs which means so there are lots of chances for them to practice their egg cracking which is an important skill for any young baker to master.

This sponge doesn't need much decoration, you can make it as simple or as fancy as you like. Your kids can help to assemble everything, adding the lemon buttercream between cake layers as well as piping some on top.

a slice of lemon Victoria sponge on a plate

What is the 'all in one method'?

The all in one method is the easiest way of making a cake so it's perfect if you're baking with kids. It just means that all the ingredients are added to a bowl at the same time before being mixed together into a smooth batter. In some recipes you have to cream the butter and sugar together first, but there's no need to do that with this type of lemon Victoria sponge.

Why isn't my sponge light and fluffy?

If your sponge hasn't risen properly and isn't light and fluffy it may be because you've over mixed it. When you're mixing everything together, do it until the batter becomes smooth with no more visible flour or lumps of butter, don't over do it.

You should also check that you've used the correct, in date, raising agents. If you use old self raising flour or baking powder your cake might not rise properly.

What can I use if I don't have self raising flour?

If you don't have self raising flour, which is common in the UK but not always elsewhere in the world, swap it for an equal amount of plain or all purpose flour and add 2 teaspoons of baking powder and a pinch of salt.

What is baking spread?

Baking spread, like Stork, is just a non dairy margarine that's perfect for baking. It can make sponges lighter and fluffier than if you use butter, which means it's a great, cheaper alternative.

I still like the taste of butter in buttercream icing so I wouldn't swap the butter for baking spread in that but it's great for the sponge.

Other cake recipes

If you liked this lemon Victoria sponge recipe you'll love some of our other easy cakes and cupcakes:

Chocolate fudge cake
Butterfly cakes
Rainbow cake
Swiss roll
Easy chocolate cake with a chocolate ganache
Chocolate Victoria sponge
Victoria sponge
Raspberry sponge cake
Orange sponge cake

And if you have any left over lemons, why not try one of these lemon based recipes:

Lemon drizzle cake
Mary Berry's iced lemon traybake
Lemon cupcakes
No bake lemon cheesecake
Lemon biscuits
Lemon and blueberry loaf

Useful equipment

You might need the following baking tools/gadgets to make this lemon sponge cake:

Digital scales
Freestanding mixer
Mixing bowl
Measuring cups
Measuring spoons
Cake tins
Serving plate
Wire rack

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lemon sponge cake on a serving plate with a slice on a separate plate

Difficulty: Easy
Time: 20 minutes + 25 minutes baking
Serves: 12

Ingredients

For the lemon sponges
225g (1 + 2 tbsp) caster sugar
225g (1 3/4 cups) self-raising flour*
2 teaspoons baking powder
225g (1 cup) baking spread or butter
4 eggs
zest of 2 lemons
1 1/2 tablespoons of lemon juice

For the lemon buttercream
200g (1/2 cup) unsalted butter, softened
400g (2 3/4 cups) icing sugar / confectioners sugar, sifted
2 tablespoons lemon juice

*If you don't have any self raising flour, swap it for an equal amount of plain or all purpose flour and add 2 teaspoons of baking powder.

How to make a Lemon sponge cake

Preheat the oven to 180C/160C Fan and prepare your tins

Get your child grease the base and sides of 2 x 20cm/8in loose bottomed or spring form cake tins with butter. Line the bottom of each tin with a circle of baking or parchment paper.

Add all the cake ingredients to a mixing bowl

Get your kids to measure all the ingredients out and then add them to a large mixing bowl or a free-standing mixer. One of the great things about the all in one method of making a cake is that it doesn't matter what order you add everything. Having said that, if you do it in the order the ingredients are listed, you're less likely to miss anything out.

Start by getting your kids measure out the sugar, flour and baking powder. When you're measuring out the baking powder, make sure your kids level top of the teaspoon with their finger, so you add just the right amount.

measuring baking powder with a teaspoon

Add the baking spread/margarine or butter. If you're using butter it needs to be soft. If yours isn't (we always forget to take it out of the fridge beforehand), pop it in the microwave for a few seconds to soften it, but not long enough to melt it.

Next, get your kids to crack the eggs into a small bowl, then add them to your mixing bowl/free-standing mixer. We prefer to break them into a small bowl before adding them to our mixing bowl just in case any shell goes in. If a little bit does go in use a larger piece of shell to fish it out. Small pieces of shell can be slippery and hard to get out with your finger, but should stick better to other, larger pieces of shell.

child cracking an egg into a bowl

Finally, get your kids to help zest and juice the lemons. Use a zester if you have one or the small side of a grater if you don't. Just watch out for small fingers. Before you juice them, if you pop them in the microwave for 10 seconds or so and roll them around on your worktop, you'll get more juice out of them.
Add the zest and a tablespoon of lemon juice to your mixing bowl. Save the rest of the lemon juice for later.

child zesting a lemon with a grater child adding lemon zest to a bowl

Mix everything together

Using the k-paddle of your free-standing mixer, or a a hand held mixer (or even wooden spoons), mix everything together until the batter is nice and smooth and there are no big lumps of flour or butter showing. You might need to get your kids to scrape down the sides of your mixing bowl with a spatula to make sure everything is mixed in.

lemon sponge ingredients in a bowl lemon sponge batter in a bowl

Stop once everything is well mixed, it shouldn't take long, so ensure you don't over mix it or it won't end up light and fluffy.

Bake your lemon sponge cakes

Get your kids to divide the lemon cake batter equally between each prepared cake tin. You can judge it by eye and try to add the same number of spoons, but if you want to be really accurate, you can set your cake tins of your digital scales and weigh them as you add the batter.

Use the back of a spoon or a spatula to gently spread the batter to the edges of each cake tin and smooth down the surface of the cakes.

lemon victoria sponges before being baked

Bake each cake on the middle shelf of your oven for 20-25 minutes. They're ready when they have risen, the edges are coming away from the tins and if you press gently down in the middle it should spring back.

You can double check the middle is baked properly by inserting a skewer or cocktail stick into the centre. If it comes out clean your cake it ready. If a little cake batter is on your skewer/stick, pop it back in the oven for a few more minutes.

Remove your lemon sponges from the oven and leave them to cool for a few minutes in the tin before taking the cakes out the tins to cool completely on a wire rack.

lemon victoria sponges in their cake tins

Make the lemon buttercream

Get your child to measure out the butter and icing sugar and put it in your free-standing mixer or a large mixing bowl. If the butter isn't soft pop it in your microwave for a few seconds to soften it but not long enough to melt it.

Using the k-paddle of your free-standing mixer or a hand held mixer, slowly beat them together. Add 2-3 tablespoons of the lemon juice you squeezed earlier then beat it until the mixture is smooth and creamy. The longer you whip it for, the lighter and fluffier it will end up.

lemon buttercream icing in a bowl

Assemble your lemon Victoria sponge

Put one of your cakes onto a serving plate top side down, (save the better looking one to go on top). Get your kids to help you spread the lemon buttercream on top of the sponge using a palette knife or spatula.

spreading lemon buttercream icing on a lemon sponge

Place the other sponge on top. To decorate you can swirl on more lemon buttercream to the top, or dust it with icing sugar.

lemon sponge cake on a serving plate

Serve and enjoy.

A slice of lemon sponge cake on a plate

Lemon sponge cake on a serving plate

Lemon sponge cake

This lemon sponge cake is light, fluffy and full of zingy lemon flavour. Best of all, it's really simple to bake making it perfect for kids and beginner bakers alike.

Prep Time 20 mins

Cook Time 20 mins

Total Time 40 mins

Course Afternoon tea, Dessert

Cuisine British

Digital scales
Freestanding mixer
Mixing bowl
Measuring cups
measuring spoons
Cake tins
Serving plate
Wire rack

For the lemon sponges

225 g (1 + 2 tbsp) caster sugar
225 g (1 ¾ cups) self-raising flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
225 g (1 cup) baking spread or butter
4 eggs
zest of 2 lemons
1 1/2 tablespoons of lemon juice

For the lemon buttercream

200 g (½ cup) unsalted butter, softened
400 g (2 ¾ cups) icing sugar / confectioners sugar, sifted
2 tablespoons lemon juice

Preheat the oven to 180C/160C Fan and prepare your tins

Grease the base and sides of 2 x 20cm/8in loose bottomed or spring form cake tins with butter. Line the bottom of each tin with a circle of baking or parchment paper.

Add all the cake ingredients to a mixing bowl

Measure all the ingredients out and then add them to a large mixing bowl or a free-standing mixer.
You can do it in any order, but you can start by measuring out the flour, sugar and baking powder. When you're adding the baking powder, make sure you level the teaspoon with your finger, so you add just the right amount.

Next, add the baking spread/margarine or butter.

Crack the eggs into a small bowl, then add them to your mixing bowl/free-standing mixer.

Finally, add the lemon zest and a tablespoon of lemon juice.