sponge cake

American  

noun

• sponge cakes
  plural

1. a light, sweet cake made with a comparatively large proportion of eggs but no shortening.

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sponge cake British  

noun

1. a light porous cake, made of eggs, sugar, flour, and flavourings traditionally without any fat

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• sponge cakes
  plural

Etymology

Origin of sponge cake

First recorded in 1795–1805

Compare meaning

How does sponge-cake compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• sponge cake vs. angel food cake

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

sponge cake

Francesca says she eats bread with Nutella for breakfast, a chocolate-filled sponge cake as a snack, pasta with lentils for lunch and usually chicken for dinner.

From BBC ● Jul. 25, 2026

The enriched flour, high-fructose corn syrup, and tallow that help make up the American classic give each small sponge cake about 65 days to be consumed.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 8, 2026

When asked how he feels to be immortalized as a sculpted sponge cake with coconut lime mousse, he doesn’t flinch.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 5, 2025

Mullen Road Cellars also offer some eclectic wine pairings with desserts from a rhubarb sponge cake to a chocolate hazelnut tart.

From Seattle Times ● Dec. 13, 2023

“Chocolate cake, vanilla cake, carrot cake, sponge cake, coconut cake, marble cake, pineapple cake, mousse cake, nougat cake, cheesecake, pound cake, and Black Forest cake,” Miss Mortimer explained.

From "The Interrupted Tale" by Maryrose Wood