Across India · Sweet
Vanilla sponge cake
Also called vanilla cake, plain cake, tea cake, butter sponge cake, sponge cake
A plain vanilla butter sponge made with maida, butter, caster sugar and eggs, flavoured with vanilla essence. Eaten as a tea-time cake or used as the base for birthday and cream cakes.
The short answer
Vanilla sponge cake has about 542 kcal in a regular serving (1 slice, about 120 g), with 6.5 g of protein and 0.6 g of fibre. It rates 0.5/5 (poor fit) for weight management: it packs a lot of calories into each gram and a regular serving is a large portion.
Reviewed by Deepu Oommen on 6 Nov 2026 · How we review
- Calories per serving
- 542 kcal
- 1 slice (about 120 g)
- For weight management
- 0.5 / 5Rated 0.5 out of 5. Poor fit for weight management
- Protein and fibre
- 6.5 g · 0.6 g
- per serving
- Brisk walking
- About 1 hr 45 min
- uses similar energy (70 kg adult)
What's in vanilla sponge cake?
Raw weights for one serving (1 slice, about 120 g), from the standard recipe
- Maida (refined wheat flour), 22 g
- Butter, 40 g
- Caster sugar, 35 g
- Eggs, 26 g
- Milk, 10 g
How is vanilla sponge cake made?
Preparation 15 min · Cooking 40 min
- 1Heat the oven to 180 C; grease a cake tin with butter and dust it with flour.
- 2Beat the softened butter and caster sugar until smooth and pale.
- 3Add the vanilla essence, then the eggs one at a time, beating well after each.
- 4Sift in the flour with the baking powder and fold gently, adding enough milk for a smooth batter.
- 5Pour into the tin, level it and bake for 35 to 40 minutes, until a skewer comes out clean; cool before slicing.
Vanilla sponge cake nutrition
| Nutrient | Per serving (1 slice, about 120 g) | Per 100 g |
|---|---|---|
| Energy | 542 kcal | 452 kcal |
| Protein | 6.5 g | 5.4 g |
| Carbohydrate | 51.7 g | 43.1 g |
| Fat | 35.5 g | 29.6 g |
| Fibre | 0.6 g | 0.5 g |
| Added sugar | 34.5 g |
Calculated from a standard recipe (based on a recipe by Sanjeev Kapoor: Vanilla Cake Sponge, serves 4) using IFCT 2017 (ICMR-NIN) and USDA FoodData Central values for the raw ingredients, divided by the weight of the cooked dish (695 g for the whole recipe). Salt and dry spices are left out. The regular serving is the average portion in three chefs' recipes: Sanjeev Kapoor, Vanilla Cake Sponge 174 g, Aarthi (Yummy Tummy Aarthi), Vanilla Sponge Cake 81 g and Hebbar's Kitchen, Sponge Cake (eggless vanilla plain cake) 116 g. Food composition: Longvah T, Ananthan R, Bhaskarachary K, Venkaiah K. Indian Food Composition Tables 2017, National Institute of Nutrition (ICMR), Hyderabad. How we calculate nutrition facts. Home and restaurant versions vary with the oil, rice and portion used.
Is vanilla sponge cake good for weight management?
It rates 0.5/5, a poor fit, because it packs a lot of calories into each gram and a regular serving is a large portion.
- Calories per gram (35% of the rating)4.52 kcal · 0/100
- Protein per 100 kcal (25% of the rating)1.2 g · 12/100
- Fibre per 100 kcal (20% of the rating)0.1 g · 4/100
- Portion (20% of the rating)542 of 150 kcal (sweet) · 0/100
Each part is scored against fixed limits, then weighted. A higher rating does not mean a food causes weight loss. How the rating works
Lighter ways to have vanilla sponge cake
- Cut a thin slice, about half the regular one
- Have it plain rather than with cream frosting or chocolate
- Keep it for occasions and pair it with fruit
- Have tea or coffee without sugar alongside
- At home, bake small cupcakes so one portion is easy to keep to
Common questions about vanilla sponge cake
How many calories are in vanilla sponge cake?
About 542 kcal in 1 slice, about 120 g, or 452 kcal per 100 g. A half slice has about 271 kcal.
Is vanilla sponge cake good for weight management?
It rates 0.5/5, a poor fit: it packs a lot of calories into each gram and a regular serving is a large portion. See the lighter ways to have it on this page.
How much protein is in vanilla sponge cake?
About 6.5 g in 1 slice, about 120 g, which is 1.2 g for every 100 kcal.
How much walking uses the energy in vanilla sponge cake?
About 1 hr 45 min of brisk walking for a 70 kg adult uses similar energy to one regular serving.
Is sponge cake lighter than other cakes?
A true whisked sponge with little fat is lighter, but this butter sponge has about as much butter as flour, so a slice is rich.
Does eggless sponge cake have fewer calories?
Not usually; eggless cakes replace eggs with condensed milk, curd or more butter and end up similar.
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Information, not medical advice. Values are estimates for a typical recipe. Found an error? Tell us.