This is a recipe for old-fashioned Sponge Cake, decorated with mock cream, a lemon condensed milk filling and strawberries. It's just like Nan made!
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Did your Nan make Sponge Cake?
My Nan Mac (Nana Ling's daughter) certainly did. And, at least in my mind, they were the best sponge cakes in the world.
She perfected her sponge cakes and we all knew what to expect when she arrived at a family gathering – a sponge cake with mock cream, condensed milk filling and strawberries. Perfectly baked, of course.
Here, I've tried to bake up something as close as possible to the version of Nan's Sponge Cake that lives in my memories.
The recipe
I've used one of Nana Ling's old-fashioned sponge recipes. It also happens to be fairly easy to master. Bonus! I've used a mock cream recipe that's a little lighter than most, and also easy to create and pipe out onto the cake.
I have tested and tweaked this recipe, so please keep scrolling for the recipe card at the end of this post.
The top of the cake is filled with a condensed milk and lemon mixture which is pure alchemy. I never knew how Nan made this as a child. It was just this magical tasting thing in my mind.
The magic has been taken out now, since I've discovered the recipe. But the good news is that it's super simple to make and tastes just as good as I remember.
Finally, I've decorated this sponge very simply with strawberries. Just like Nan.
Ingredient notes
A full ingredient list and ingredient quantities are in the recipe card at the end of this post. Here, I'm just going to add a few tips about some of the ingredients:
- the eggs should be fresh and at room temperature
- ideally, use cake flour – though plain flour/all-purpose flour is fine too
- make sure the cornflour, cream of tartar and bicarb soda are all in date
How to make an old-fashioned Sponge Cake
Sponge Cakes have a reputation for being a tad difficult to make. I agree that they're a little temperamental, but this recipe is a robust one. By following the steps in the recipe card below, it's my hope that you find it easy to master and reliable.
Good luck!
More classic cakes
Want more cake? Try one of these:
Made this recipe and love it? Please take a moment to rate the recipe and leave a comment below. It’s such a help to others who want to try the recipe. (And it really makes my day to hear how Nana Ling's recipes are being made, shared and loved all around the world! - Libby x)
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Nan's Sponge Cake
Ingredients
Sponge Cake
- 4 eggs
- 1 cup caster sugar
- 1 cup plain flour (preferably cake flour)
- 1 teaspoon cornflour
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 4 tablespoons boiling water
- 1 teaspoon cream of tartar
- ½ teaspoon bicarb soda
Condensed Milk Filling
- 1 tin condensed milk
- 2 lemons
Mock cream
- 125 grams unsalted butter (½ cup)
- 125 grams icing sugar (¾ cup)
- 3 tablespoons boiling water
- 3 tablespoons cold water
Decorating
- 5 strawberries (chopped in halves or quarters)
Instructions
Sponge Cake
- Pre-heat oven to slow-moderate (155 degrees celsius (fan-forced)).
- Prepare two small round, square or heart tins. Grease and dust with flour or grease and line with baking paper.
- Separate egg whites from yolks.
- Whisk whites using an electric hand held beater on medium-high speed until stiff.
- Add egg yolks and continue beating for another three minutes.
- Add sugar gradually to egg mixture while continuing to beat on medium-high speed.
- Sift flour, cream of tartar and cornflour.
- Fold dry ingredients through egg and sugar mixture on mixer's lowest speed.
- Combine melted butter, boiling water and bicarb soda. Once combined, add to mixture and mix on lowest speed until combined.
- Pour equal parts of mixture into the tins and bake for 45 minutes.
- Once cakes are cooked, allow to cool for five minutes before turning out onto a cooling tray.
Condensed Milk Filling
- To make condensed milk filling, pour condensed milk into a bowl.
- Juice the two lemons and add the lemon juice to the condensed milk.
- Whisk by hand until mixture is an even, thick consistency.
Mock Cream Filling
- Beat butter until creamy.
- Add a little of the boiling water to the icing sugar. Just enough to make it into a paste. Add sugar gradually while continuing to beat the butter.
- Add the remaining water a little at a time, alternating between hot and cold water, while continuing to beat the mixture.
Assembling
- Once cakes are completely cool, pipe stars of mock cream on the top of one of the sponges (so top of cake is completely covered). Add the second cake to the top of the first to create a sponge sandwich.
- Spread a thin layer of mock cream on the top of the second sponge. Pipe stars of mock cream around the edge of the sponge cake.
- Pour condensed milk mixture onto top of sponge until it fills the area (the mock cream stars act as walls to keep the filling contained). You may have a little left over.
- Decorate with strawberries.
Elaine says
You know Libby that all i want now is a cup of tea and a nice Big piece of Sponge with Mock Cream and Strawbs!!!!!!
My beautiful Mum who i lost a couple of weeks ago won several 1 st places and 1 Show Champion for her Sponge cakes in Townsville Australia! I will try to be as good as her but not sure i can fill those shoes.
Libby Hakim says
So sorry for your loss, Elaine. Wish i could send you a slice of sponge and a cuppa. x
KERRY says
so we'll explained. you make these recipes easy.thabk you
Vicki Doyle says
Hi Libby,your Nans recipe is very similar to my Nans only difference is Mum & Nanny used milk boiled (instead of water) with the butter then drop in the bi-carb to foam & then fold gently into egg & flour mixture....
And their Mock Cream used a heaped Tables. of cornflour in a cup & make a slurry with water,then pour boiling water in & stir like crazy until it becomes like clear,smooth glue;then set aside to go cold stirring every so often to keep it smooth....Then beat softened butter until it is a white as possible then add a good 2 tables.caster sugar & beat well; when cornflour mixture is cold drop in spoonfuls until you have a really smooth cream...That is my childhood memory along with Viennese Chocolate cake,pikelets,scones & Butterfly cakes all cooked either Saturday or Sunday the day was all depending on how many visitors came for afternoon tea & which there were always many ..Kind Regards,Vicki.
Libby Hakim says
Hi Vicki. Such beautiful memories and great tips... thanks for sharing x
Elaine says
Hi Vicky
i live in Australia and i have never heard of your receipe for Mock Cream containing C Flour slurry. Just wondering if it was made like that so the Cream was more stiff? Anyhow i am going to give your little receipe a go
Thanks EB
Helen Ball says
Hi Libby, I love this sponge cake but sadly I can't have it anymore as I have an allergy to corn and anything related to it. But I just wanted to say that I think the difference in our cooking and our parents and grandparents is the slow combustion stove (wood stove)
Cheers, Helen
Libby says
Hi Helen. Oh, that's inconvenient! Lucky there are plenty of other lovely things without corn ❤️ My mum says the same about the wood stoves. She tells me about the Christmas lunches that Nana Ling and her mother (Granny Sharpe) would cook up in the wood ovens. Thanks so much for sharing. Libby x
Nick says
Hi Helen,
Not all cornflours are corn based. There's a few that are wheaten cornflour. Check out the ingredients next time you're at the supermarket.
Hope this helps.
Helen says
Thanks Nick, I'll look into that.
Rosy says
@Helen, otherwise, you can sub in tapioca or arrowroot flour for the cornflour