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. 
Step by Step Guide to Making Cornstarch Sponge Cake
Preparation
- Preheat oven to 180C / 350F. Grease with butter or cooking spray, 20cm/8 inch round cake pan; line base with baking paper.
Make the Egg Mix
- 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.
Add Corn Starch
- Sieve in the corn starch 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.
Bake
- Bake for about 20 minutes, or until a pick comes out clean.
Cool and Top
- 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.
Important Notes for Success
- Corn starch (US) is called corn flour in the UK. Don’t get these confused.
- You have to use very fresh eggs, otherwise they will not provide the lift you need for this cake.
- Make sure to beat the eggs for the full 10 minutes, to form peaks – again, otherwise you will not get a fluffy cake.
- It is very 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.
How to Make Wheat-Free Fluffy Sponge Cake
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 1 cake 1x
Description
Just four ingredients results in a light and feathery cake that serves as a subtle canvas for sweet fruit or just powdered sugar.
Ingredients
- 3 very fresh eggs
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 3/4 cup cornstarch, sifted twice (corn flour in the UK / Australia)
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F / 180C. Grease with butter or cooking spray, 8 inch / 20cm 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.
- Bake for about 20 minutes, or until a pick comes out clean.
- 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.
Notes
- 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
- Note that corn starch (US) is called corn flour in the UK / Australia.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
Frequently Asked Questions
Is corn flour the same as cornstarch in this recipe?
Yes — in the UK and Australia, “corn flour” refers to what Americans call cornstarch: a very finely ground, pure starch powder. They are interchangeable in this recipe. Do not use coarse ground cornmeal (also sometimes labeled “corn flour” in the US), which is a completely different product and will not produce a sponge cake.
Why did my cornstarch sponge cake fall flat?
The two most common causes are under-beaten eggs and waiting too long to get the batter into the oven. The recipe requires beating the eggs for the full 10 minutes until soft peaks form — they are the only leavening in this gluten-free cake. Once the cornstarch is folded in, transfer the batter to the pan and bake immediately; letting it sit even a few minutes causes the trapped air to escape and the cake to collapse.
How long does this sponge cake keep?
Because it contains no fat other than what is in the eggs, this cake dries out faster than a butter sponge. It is best eaten the day it is baked. Wrapped airtight, it will keep at room temperature for 1 day or refrigerated for up to 2 days — bring to room temperature before serving. It is not well suited to freezing, as the delicate structure becomes rubbery after thawing.
this recipe of yours using cornflour is very perfect for me because my husband have allergy with too much white flour. Thanks. :)
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! :)
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
What a great cake, and what a fantastic recipe. Loved it.
Hi Diane, I used finely ground corn flour. It is normally used for thickening soup known as corn starch too.
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.
I was also a little confused about corn flour vs corn starch first, but using CORN STARCH (which is what it is apparently called in the USA) worked wonderfully.
Hi Cris, There is no baking powder in this recipe.
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… :)
Love it! Thank you! :)
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.
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.
Hello Ann, I just want to ask is there any recpie for pizza with corn floor ?
Thank You
This turned out perfectly for me, I really really beat the eggs, and it came out very fluffy.
The recipe says corn starch. Should it not be corn flour?
Depends on where you are from. In the US this is called corn starch, but in the UK and Asia it is called corn flour.
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?
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
You should not need baking powder – the corn starch and eggs provide the lift. However, if you don’t beat the eggs enough, there’s a big chance you will end up with a flat cake.
what is the function of corn flour in this recipe?