What's the difference between a cake and a sponge?

Chef's answer
A sponge is a batter made with eggs and sugar, whipped to the so-called "Ribbon-Stage". Flour and butter are carefully folded in. The cake is leavened by air only. ... Some are completely fat free, but those containing whole egg (like sponge cake) or butter (like genoise and gateau) have a slight amount of fat..
Frequently asked Questions 🎓
The water bath adds moisture to the oven. This is important for baking treats like cheesecake which tends to crack when the top is dried out and splits before the insides are done. 2. ... Try the cottony soft sponge, matcha cake or this chocolate sponge cake recipe which all yields a beautiful light and moist texture.
The Victorian can be baked thin and carefully rolled with cream for Swiss rolls. The main difference is the Victorian slices disorderly and 'crumby' while the Genoise retains its form neatly. Both are accompanied well by, and are traditionally served with hot beverages namely tea and coffee..
If your sponge has come out too heavy or dense but cooked through, this could be due to under-mixing. Mixing is an important step in incorporating lots of air so that the sponge becomes light and fluffy. It could also be due to the fact that there weren't enough raising agents used.
The cake's name should really be The Royal Victoria Sponge, as its name harks back to Queen Victoria herself, who was said to enjoy a slice of the delicious cake with her traditional English afternoon tea..
There is a trick to prevent sponge cakes like Angel food cakes from sinking: cool these cakes upside down! By cooling the cake upside down, the cake has plenty of room to stretch out of the pan, instead of collapsing into the bottom of the pan.
5. My cake has sunk in the middle. There are three main reasons for this: a/ the oven door has been opened before the cake has set, b/ the cake didn't go in the oven as soon as the mixture was ready or c/ there's too much raising agent. 6..
Unless otherwise told, position your oven rack in the center and place the cake pans right in the middle of the rack. If baking two cake layers at once, place them on the same rack side-by-side.
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