**This recipe was first published on 27 Mar 2010. The post has now been updated with new pictures and a video. Please scroll down to watch the same **

Featherlight Tea Cake – This has got to be one of my most favourite cake recipes. My family, especially my husband loves simple sponge cakes and I try out a lot of different recipes to satisfy his tastebuds. I had first made this cake in 2010 when I was still a novice baker. I only had a microwave with convection and I literally learnt to bake in it. From rock hard cakes to uncooked ones, I had experienced the best and worst of baking in it. Over a period of time I got better at it and this cake was one of the successful outcomes of using a microwave with convection. Just recently I decided to shoot a video and share it with you guys. This time around I baked the cake in my regular fan forced oven and as you can see the resultant cake is a real beauty.

Why you should make this cake

This cake is simple to put together. It uses basic ingredients that are easily available and can be made approximately within an hour if you have all your ingredients handy. If you love basic sponge cakes then this is a good option. It makes for a great base for trifle puddings as well as it is spongy and ideal to soak up the custard or any other sauces. If you know of any desserts that call for a sponge base, do give this recipe a try.

Shelf life of this cake

Depending on your weather/temperature of your room, this cake keeps well for upto 24 hours at room temperature when stored in an airtight container. After that it may dry out and turn crumbly so it is better to refrigerate it if you want to save it beyond 24-30 hours.

Can I make it eggless?

Well, I have not yet tried an eggless version of this cake and would strongly suggest you to stick to the recipe if you want the exact same results. However, if you do wish to make it eggless you can try replacing each egg with 1/4 cup of thick yogurt at room temperature.

Love simple cakes? Try these recipes

: Pineapple Cake

: Seed Cake

: Madeira Cake

New here?

Subscribe to my free newsletters with my latest recipes!

Tried my recipe? Do leave a comment on this post down below and don’t forget to give it a star rating! It will really help more readers discover my recipes! Do share a picture on Instagram with the hashtag #ruchikrandhaprecipe and tag me @ruchikrandhap and I will feature your post in my stories!

Don’t forget to check out my latest videos on my YouTube channel. If you like what you see, do give me a thumbs-up (like), share & comment and subscribe to my channel so that the gods of YouTube (a.k.a algorithms) recommend my channel to a wider audience with similar tastes and more & more people can discover my videos! I also share quick 30 second videos on Reels on Instagram so don’t forget to check them out!

And while you’re here, do follow me on Instagram, Pinterest, Facebook and Twitter. If you’d like to say hello or have detailed queries do send an email at ruchikrandhap@gmail.com. I’d love to hear from you!

Featherlight Tea Cake

A simple, no fuss sponge/tea cake to enjoy as a midweek treat. Makes for a great base for trifles and the like.

5 from 1 vote

Print Pin Rate

Course: Cakes

Cuisine: International

Keyword: Tea Cake

Prep Time: 15

Bake Time: 55

Total Time: 1 10

Author: Shireen Sequeira

Ingredients

230 grams all purpose flour (maida)
3 eggs, separated
175 grams caster sugar
150 grams unsalted butter
175 ml milk
1 teaspoon baking powder

Instructions

Grease a 9" round cake tin with butter & dust it with flour. You may also grease the tin and line it with baking parchment if you wish.
Preheat the oven to 175 degrees C.
Sift the flour & baking powder thrice. Keep aside
Beat the egg whites in a bowl till fluffy. In a separate bowl beat the egg yolks till creamy
In a bowl, beat the butter & sugar together till pale and fluffy. Beat in the egg yolks
Add the beaten egg whites and either fold in with a spatula or use the electric whisk on low speed to mix in
Next, add the milk & the flour alternatively & fold gently till everything is used up
Pour the batter into the prepared tin and bake in the preheated oven for about 45-50 minutes or till the skewer inserted comes out clean.
Remove from the oven and let the tin cool on a wire rack for about 12-15 minutes. Then invert the cake onto the rack and let it cool completely. Cut and serve. Store the cooled cake in an airtight container.

Disclaimer

The nutritional values are only indicative.

Tried this recipe?Please leave a comment & rate the recipe below or share a photo on Instagram and tag me @ruchikrandhap

Pictures of when I first made this cake

Comments

Prabhamani says

September 15, 2011 at 6:23 pm

Hello,

Am really so sorry for the late msg !!! Cake turned out excellent.My hubby likes a lot.U having many baking recipes,will try some others soon!!

Thanks 🙂

C : ) says

October 30, 2018 at 9:33 pm

What is “maida”?

- Shireen Sequeira says
  
  November 1, 2018 at 11:09 am
  
  Maida is All Purpose Flour
  
Radha says

September 4, 2020 at 1:59 am

Hi Shireen,
Been hunting for this Mangalore Ladies Club Cookery Book online. Could you please let me know where you purchased a copy, also could you provide me the publisher/ISBN #? Thank you

- Shireen Sequeira says
  
  September 5, 2020 at 8:39 pm
  
  Hi Radha,
  
  Well, I bought my copy from Gerosa Company opposite Milagres Church in Mangalore. I own the copy released during it’s 5th edition and I could not find any ISBN for it. If you live outside of Mangalore, ie in Blore or Mumbai you can check with your nearest ‘Mangalore Stores’ outlet. Hope that helps!
  
Simi C Nair says

May 4, 2021 at 3:10 pm

Lovely recipe,If we have to bake in microwave convection what temperature and time should we use

- Shireen Sequeira says
  
  May 5, 2021 at 2:13 pm
  
  Hi Simi,
  
  Thanks! Well, you can reduce the temperature by 5 degrees..so 170 degrees should work. The bake time can also be reduced by 5-7 minutes. I have not baked in a microwave with convection in years so I am not familiar with the kind of ovens available today so best is to keep an eye out and do the skewer test.
  
Reena Menezes says

May 13, 2021 at 10:22 pm

This is so yummy .. came out perfect. Sponge cake was always my favourite cake but it never turned out perfect . This recipe is perfect. Thank u shireen.

- Shireen Sequeira says
  
  May 20, 2021 at 1:47 pm
  
  Thank you so much for the great feedback Reena!! Happy to know that the cake turned out perfect!
  
cakerecipesideas says

October 12, 2022 at 4:27 pm

Very well Work you are doing. keep it up

- Shireen Sequeira says
  
  October 14, 2022 at 9:46 am
  
  Thanks a lot for the kind words!