Just three ingredients results in a light and feathery cake that serves as a subtle canvas for sweet fruit or just powdered sugar.
Love all things sweet and floury, but they don’t love you right back? Have no fear, because cornstarch is here to save the day! This finely ground powder is the perfect replacement for flour in a fluffy sponge cake, giving your dessert a delicate, airy texture that will have you coming back for seconds, thirds and … well, who’s counting anyway?
Cornstarch is a gluten-free hero, making it the perfect choice for those looking to avoid wheat in their diet. When used in a sponge cake recipe, cornstarch helps to stabilize the eggs and creates a cohesive structure within the batter. As it bakes, the cake will rise and become fluffy, thanks to cornstarch’s ability to absorb moisture and create a tender crumb.
It is important to fold in your ingredients and place the cake in the oven immediately after beating the eggs. If you let them sit they will lose their strength and ability to hold trapped air, and the cake will fall.
PrintWheat-Free: Cornstarch Sponge Cake
Just three ingredients results in a light and feathery cake that serves as a subtle canvas for sweet fruit or just powdered sugar.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 1 cake 1x
- Category: Baking, Cake, Dessert, Gluten-free
- Cuisine: American, French
Ingredients
- 3 very fresh eggs
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 3/4 cup cornstarch, sifted twice
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 180C / 350F. Grease with butter or cooking spray, 20cm/8 inch round cake pan; line base with baking paper.
- Beat eggs with 2 tsp vanilla extract at medium high speed for about 10 minutes or until thick and creamy. Note: the eggs must be very fresh because they are providing all of the structure and the leavening. Of course you MUST beat them for the full 10 minutes until soft peaks form. You can add the sugar to the eggs all at once at the beginning if you wish or add gradually during beating.
- After you have beaten the eggs to the Soft Peaks stage, use a flexible spatula to scrape up any remaining liquid egg from the bottom of the bowl and beat it for a few more moments.
- Sieve in the corn flour little by little for the third time and fold in with a rubber spatula.
- It is important to fold in your ingredients and place the cake in the oven immediately after beating the eggs. If you let them sit they will lose their strength and ability to hold trapped air, and the cake will fall.
- Turn sponge onto a wire rack to cool.
- Dust with a little sifted icing sugar and top with some fresh blueberries or any berries you like. Can also spread some jam to go with it.
Keywords: cake, gluten free, pancakes, sponge cake, wheat free
what is the function of corn flour in this recipe?
Dear Ann,
Is the baking powder missing?
I followed your recipe but the cake didn’t raise at all once in the oven. It was like a stone and not soft as shown in your picture.
I tried a second time, adding the baking powder and now it is fine and really soft.
regards, Alessandra
Hi Alessandra,
There are only 3 ingredients in this recipe, cornflour, eggs and sugar. Many of my readers had tried this recipe and the end result was good.
Would you like to come over to my blog and take a look at my step by step tutorial to get a clearer picture of making this cake?
http://www.anncoojournal.com/2013/10/wheat-free-sponge-cake.html
Ann
Hi Ann, I tried the cake and it didnt come out as spongy as i see in the pic…It was a bit hard and crusty on top..and it didnt bake within 20 minutes so i had to bake for another twenty minutes. where did i go wrong?
Hello Ann, I just want to ask is there any recpie for pizza with corn floor ?
Thank You
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Hi, I was wondering if the vanilla extract is necessary? You say that there are only 3 ingredients, but the recipe itself calls for vanilla extract. Does this mean that there are 4 necessary ingredients, or that this can be made without the vanilla extract?
Hi Leaha,
This is gluten free recipe and corn flour has a strong powdery taste. The cake will tastes better with some vanilla extract in it.
Dear Ann,
Is your cake recipe able to bake using the rice cooker instead or oven as I do not have an oven at home??
Hi Christine, Sorry, I’m not sure about using rice cooker to bake this cake as I’ve never tried it before.
Love it! Thank you! :)
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hi! anne,i want to know if CORN FLOUR and CORN STARCH ARE THE SAME?…i tried ordering a corn flour since i cant find it in our place,my friend bought me a TORTI MASA and INSTANT CORN MASA MIX which is use for tamales(i read from the packaging),i tried using this and it doesnt taste good,the cake was heavy and soggy and smells like old stock,im confuse :( is this kind of flour available in the philippines?where can i buy this?…can you send me a picture of this flour,i mean packaging… :)
Wasn’t sure about baking powder
Hi Cris, There is no baking powder in this recipe.
I think I’ve gone wrong with my recipe. I suspect what we call cornflour in the UK is cornstarch in the US. Hence my cake ended up flat and dense!
Hi, I’m using cornflour that is commonly used as a thickener by first combining with a little cold water to make a paste. Your cake came out flat and dense might probably due to over mixing of the batter.
Hi Ann,
It’s the corn flour in your recipe really corn flour or its it what Americans call corn starch?
Thanks,
Diane
Hi Diane, I used finely ground corn flour. It is normally used for thickening soup known as corn starch too.
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Hi Anna,
My cake is just perfect ;)
I’m normally not a big backer…
It is a very simple, nice gluten free and lovely cake.
Many thanks
Shafi
Thanks for this recipe Ms.Ann Low :)
I am a housewife and still on the stage of learning about cooking/baking and i just made my own version using your recipe. I add baking powder (that has vanilla in it) and chocolate chips since we like chocolates and the result is wow! very soft and tasty. Thank You! :)
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this recipe of yours using cornflour is very perfect for me because my husband have allergy with too much white flour. Thanks. :)
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US ingredients will need baking powder. This was a disaster without the baking powder
I made this sponge as a trifle sponge catering for gluten free relations at Christmas. Followed every step and baked in a silicone pan in a force fan oven-WOW!! Couldn’t have asked for a better result. Thank you!
★★★★★
It was amazing
Just you have to beat the eggs for 10 minutes
I am surprised !!
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very yumm
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Tried it and it didn’t work at all it did not rise it was like a pancake and super heavy.
Is it corn flour or corn starch ??? The two are very different
It is corn starch in this recipe, usually used for soup thickening. We called it corn flour in Asia.
I did this but it did not grow. It turned out to be flat. Why?
Don’t we need baking powder??
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Hi Jolly, Only 3 ingredients used in this recipe, no baking powder or baking soda. I’m using corn flour (starch) not corn meal.
You may check the step by step on my blog.
https://www.anncoojournal.com/wheat-free-sponge-cake/
Just what I am looking for thank you Ann.
Also Ann.
Hey,
Do you think this sponge is stable enough to be cut in half/or three and filled?
thank you
Yes you can slice the cake into two with little spreading.
Hi. Can this be successfully DOUBLED?
Hi, where can I buy corn flour? I can only find yellow stone ground I would prefer plain cornflour for a sponge cake:))
Hi Nancy, The corn flour used in this recipe is actually corn starch for thickening soup. We usually call corn flour in Asia.
THANKS, JUST GOT THIS SITE LET ME TRY THE RECIPE FIRST.
HI, PLEASE CAN I MIXE CORN STARCH AND FLOUR FOR BAKING CAKE, I LIKE SOFT CAKE. THANKS
What about baking powder – is this necessary for it to rise to a fluffy sponge? Thanks
Can I bake this cake in pressure cooker?
Please reply
★★★★★
Hi Sterly, This is a very light weight cake, not suitable to use in the pressure cooker.
Can this cake mix be put into cup cases.
Can coco be added to make chocolate cake
It was easy to bakr. I liked it. Very delicious recipe!!
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Mine came very flat and hard.
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Is corn flour is good for health
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Hi , do you use two cake pans or just one x
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Hi Jasmine, only one cake pan used in this recipe. Please refer the step by step method from my blog – https://www.anncoojournal.com/wheat-free-sponge-cake/
Thank you!
Hi I’d like to know please , Do you bake the cake in the middle of the oven . And whould a spring form 8 inch cake tin work? as my last attempt went a little wrong .
It turned out perfectly!
But I was wondering if normal cake flour could be used as the cornflour taste is quite strong for me. Or will the normal flour be too heavy?
★★★★★
This recipe always turns out for me. It’s a great gluten free option! Love it ?
Hi Ann
I was wondering if you could help me? When i made the cake there was a thin rubbery layer on the bottom and it went flat when i took it out of the oven. What did i do wrong?
Thanks
Olympia
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I am wanting to clarify….I am taking corn flour to be flour made from corn. Not cornflour/cornstarch, the starch/thickener. I understand the space in between corn and flour differentiates it from starch. Clarification would be helpful.
Very educative, easy and healthy recipe.
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Why isn’t vanilla extract listed as an ingredient?
Is the cornflour cake calling for what americans call corn starch or corn flour?
Hi Marcy, I’m using cornstarch in this recipe. You may like to read more on my blog.
https://www.anncoojournal.com/wheat-free-sponge-cake/
Thank you,
Ann
This cake turned out flat, heavy and curly at the sides. Only rose to about 2cm height. Something’s not right.
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Hi, great recipe. Question, this is corn flour and not corn meal right? Thanks
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i followed step by step according to the recipe. I use the corn starch flour (the one for thickening) but still the cake did not rise. I did not use baking powder as not mentioned in recipe. The crust (top & bottom) are crispy and inside is soft. It’s not fluffy or spongy inside, rather compact. Where did it go wrong?
Just made this today. I finally found a true sponge cake recipe.. thank you for sharing this recipe. I followed the instructions and the cake turned out perfect..
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Is this corn starch or corn eat finely ground?
Hi Ann just made your cake using corn flour (Ireland), and following recipe instructions. It turned out great.
Lesley
What a wonderful simple recipe that just works! Thank you so much.
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