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Pan di Spagna (Italian Sponge Cake)

Pan di Spagna - a beautiful, light and airy Italian sponge cake made with just four simple ingredients; flour, cornstarch, eggs and sugar. This classic sponge is not only super easy to make but is used to make all kinds of traditional Italian desserts such as Zuccotto and Cassata!

Prep Time
25 mins
Cook Time
25 mins
Total Time
1 hr 5 mins
Servings: 12 servings
Calories: 104 kcal
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: Italian

Ingredients

  • 4 large eggs at room temperature (don't use cold eggs)
  • 65 g Italian 00 flour (00 is recommended but all-purpose flour can also be used) (1/2 cup)
  • 65 g corn starch (cornflour) (1/2 cup)
  • 130 g caster sugar (superfine sugar) (3/4 cup)
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract (optional, see notes for other flavour options)
  • 1 pinch salt
  • butter for greasing

Instructions

    Cup of Yum
  1. Pre-heat the oven to 320F (160C). A static oven (no fan) is best for this recipe.
  2. Grease the cake tin with butter and place a cut-out disk of baking parchment in the bottom of the tin so the cake doesn’t stick.
  3. Put the eggs, vanilla, and a pinch of salt in a bowl of a stand mixer. Start whisking the eggs on a medium speed and gradually add the sugar in 3 goes.
  4. Whisk the eggs for 15-20 minutes until thick, pale and fluffy. You’ll know the eggs are whisked enough when you can draw a ribbon in the mixture without it disappearing.
  5. Sieve both flours into the egg mixture a third at a time making sure to gently fold the flour into the egg so you don’t remove too much air. Doing this in three goes will also help avoid lumps in the batter.
  6. Once the flour is fully combined transfer the batter to the cake tin and bake on the lowest shelf of the oven for 35-40 minutes until an inserted toothpick comes out clean.
  7. Remove the cake from the oven and let it cool in the tin for 10 minutes, remove then let it cool completely on a cooling rack.

Notes

  • Use a kitchen scale: as with any baking recipe, the only way to get accurate results every time is to weigh the flour with a kitchen scale. I always test our recipes using a scale and American cups but it's very easy to over-measure flour using cups so I don't recommend it for baking. Use room temperature eggs: Make sure that your eggs are at room temperature before you start making the cake. Don't overmix: When folding the flour into the egg mixture do it gently to avoid knocking the air out of the egg and overmixing the batter. Don't open the oven door! it's very important to not open the oven door until the end of baking or the cake will sink. Letting it cool - let the cake cool for 5-10 minutes in the cake pan but then remove it to a cooling rack. Don't let it cool completely in the cake pan or it has a risk of overbaking and drying out. Storage - wrap the Pan di Spagna in plastic wrap or store in an air-tight container otherwise it'll dry out. It'll keep well for up to 3 days.
  • Use a kitchen scale: as with any baking recipe, the only way to get accurate results every time is to weigh the flour with a kitchen scale. I always test our recipes using a scale and American cups but it's very easy to over-measure flour using cups so I don't recommend it for baking.
  • Use room temperature eggs: Make sure that your eggs are at room temperature before you start making the cake.
  • Don't overmix: When folding the flour into the egg mixture do it gently to avoid knocking the air out of the egg and overmixing the batter.
  • Don't open the oven door! it's very important to not open the oven door until the end of baking or the cake will sink.
  • Letting it cool - let the cake cool for 5-10 minutes in the cake pan but then remove it to a cooling rack. Don't let it cool completely in the cake pan or it has a risk of overbaking and drying out.
  • Storage - wrap the Pan di Spagna in plastic wrap or store in an air-tight container otherwise it'll dry out. It'll keep well for up to 3 days.
  •  

Nutrition Information

Calories 104kcal (5%) Carbohydrates 20g (7%) Protein 2g (4%) Fat 1g (2%) Saturated Fat 0.5g (3%) Polyunsaturated Fat 0.3g Monounsaturated Fat 1g Trans Fat 0.01g Cholesterol 55mg (18%) Sodium 25mg (1%) Potassium 27mg (1%) Fiber 0.2g (1%) Sugar 11g (22%) Vitamin A 79IU (2%) Calcium 9mg (1%) Iron 1mg (6%)

Nutrition Facts

Serving: 12servings

Amount Per Serving

Calories 104

% Daily Value*

Calories 104kcal 5%
Carbohydrates 20g 7%
Protein 2g 4%
Fat 1g 2%
Saturated Fat 0.5g 3%
Polyunsaturated Fat 0.3g 2%
Monounsaturated Fat 1g 5%
Trans Fat 0.01g 1%
Cholesterol 55mg 18%
Sodium 25mg 1%
Potassium 27mg 1%
Fiber 0.2g 1%
Sugar 11g 22%
Vitamin A 79IU 2%
Calcium 9mg 1%
Iron 1mg 6%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.