Bake a perfectly fluffy, moist cake in your air fryer with this easy recipe! No oven needed—just quick, delicious results every time. Try it today and treat yourself!
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I really wanted to bake an air fryer cake recipe. I love my air fryer, and I love cake. So, I wanted to have a go.
But. I can’t bake round cakes, so a round air fryer sponge cake recipe probably wasn’t a great idea, but my loaf tin didn’t fit.
Well, I can. But I’m not the best baker in the world, and I have had all sorts of issues with sinking and cracking, and I pretty much only make them when I’m baking a birthday cake. The rest of the time, I bake loaf cakes.
They are easier, you can do plenty with a basic recipe, and they always work!
Then, there’s the air fryer itself. I don’t think the process of blowing hot air about is ideal for baking a nice, even fluffy sponge cake.
So it took a while to get it right, and spoiler, it’s still not particularly even.
But it is light and fluffy, delicious, and if your air fryer has totally taken over your kitchen and you haven’t used the oven for months, this is the ideal air fryer cake recipe.
Why I Love This Air Fryer Cake Recipe
This air fryer Victoria sponge recipe is lovely because:
- A Victoria sponge is super simple and a great place to start if you are trying air fryer baking for the first time.
- Once you get it right, you can start experimenting with flavours, perhaps trying an air fryer chocolate cake. Most of my cakes follow a simple recipe with additions or variations.
- It’s light and fluffy.
- It’s not too heavy or stodgy, the perfect afternoon treat.
- This is the closest to an even top I’ve managed!
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Ingredients For Air Fryer Cake
This Air Fryer Cake follows a basic Victoria sponge recipe. I use:
Caster Sugar
Margarine – You can swap it for unsalted butter at room temperature.
Eggs
Vanilla Extract
Self-Raising Flour
Baking Powder – I don’t add baking powder when I make a sponge cake with self-raising flour in the oven. But I think the cake needs some extra help in the air fryer.
For the filling, I use:
Butter – You can switch margarine for butter in the sponge, but I wouldn’t switch for the buttercream filling. This should be made with unsalted butter for a buttery taste and a stiff texture. Margarine is sloppy.
Icing Sugar
Milk
Jam
You’ll notice when you get to the recipe that I make buttercream with equal parts butter and icing sugar.
Most people use one part butter and two parts icing sugar for a sweeter flavour.
I prefer the velvety buttery kind, which needs a splash of milk to make it spreadable.
You’ll Also Need
You’ll need a large mixing bowl and whisk. I’m currently using a hand whisk because I killed my electric one. Either is fine, but electric is faster.
Then, to bake your air fryer cake, you need two tins or moulds that comfortably fit your drawer/air fryer basket. I use 6-inch silicone moulds (affiliate link), which work well in my machine.
You’ll also need something to cover your cake. Foil will do, but a metal saucepan lid is better. You can read more about this in my tips below.
Remember, if your machine is bigger or smaller, your tins are different, or you’re not making a six-inch cake, this time and temperature might not work.
How to Make An Air Fryer Cake – Step-by-Step Instructions
Full, easy-to-follow instructions and quantities are available in the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
Step One
Whisk together the margarine and caster sugar until smooth.
Step Two
Add the eggs and whisk in one at a time.
Step Three
Whisk in the vanilla.
Step Four
Sift in the flour and baking powder.
Step Five
Whisk until smooth.
Step Six
Preheat your air fryer to 160 degrees C and set for 25 minutes.
Step Seven
Evenly divide the cake batter mixture between two tins or moulds and spread evenly.
Step Eight
Place the first cake in the air fryer (if you have a big enough drawer or two drawers, you can make both at the same time, but don’t try to bake one on top of the other using a wire rack to separate) and bake for 10 minutes.
Step Nine
After 10 minutes, open the drawer and cover the tin tightly with foil or a heatproof metal pan lid.
A metal lid is the best option.
Step Ten
Return to the air fryer for the final 15 minutes.
Step Eleven
Remove the cover and use a skewer to make sure the cake’s centre is cooked. If not, return it to the air fryer, recovering and checking every few minutes.
Step Twelve
Once your air fryer cake is cooked, remove it from the air fryer and leave it in the tin to cool.
Step Thirteen
Reset the air fryer and repeat with the second cake, baking for longer if you needed to with the first.
Step Fourteen
Beat the butter to soften for the buttercream.
Step Fifteen
Add the icing sugar and beat until smooth.
Step Sixteen
If the mixture is too thick, add a tablespoon of milk and mix in until it’s spreadable, adding a little more if needed.
Step Seventeen
Once the cakes are cool, carefully remove them from the tins, and use a leveller or sharp knife to level off one of the cakes. It doesn’t need to be perfect.
Step Eighteen
Spread the cake you’ve levelled liberally with buttercream.
Step Nineteen
Turn the other cake upside down and spread the flat bottom liberally with jam.
Step Twenty
Place this cake on top of the other so the jam and buttercream are sandwiched in the middle.
Step Twenty-One
Dust with icing sugar to finish.
Top Tips
Air fryer baking is great fun, and there are many reasons why you might want to bake in your air fryer.
But, if I’m honest, the whole blowing hot air about thing doesn’t lend itself naturally to baking, especially not baking light fluffy sponge cakes.
My tips for the perfect air fryer cake are:
Keep it Simple
Even if you are an accomplished baker, I recommend keeping things simple with basic recipes like this air fryer sponge cake.
The more ingredients, the more that can go wrong!
Choose the Right Tin
You want a tin that comfortably fits in your air fryer. I use 6-inch silicone moulds that fit my machine, and while generally, I prefer to bake large cakes in metal tins (metal conducts heat better), I’ve found that these silicone ones work best in my air fryer.
Don’t Worry About the Bake Setting
I don’t use the bake setting in this recipe because not all air fryers have one. If yours does have one, it’s just a preset for time and temperature. It doesn’t actually do anything differently.
Cover with Foil – Carefully
The air fryer process is, I think, quite dramatic. It’s designed to be fast to save time and power. But that isn’t really what you want for a cake.
It cooks the outsides much faster than the middle, so you have to be careful.
The top would almost certainly burn if I air-fried a cake uncovered for 25 minutes.
So I air fry my cakes uncovered for 10 minutes and covered for 15 minutes.
But, again, foil isn’t ideal with all that air blowing about. You can’t just place it on top lightly like you would in the oven; it will blow about like mad, leaving the cake entirely.
So, make sure you crunch it up around the edges of the tin to secure it in place.
But a Lid is Better
If you have a heatproof metal pan lid that fits on your cake tin, this is even better, as it will be heavy enough to hold itself down.
This is a much better option because taking the time to secure foil in place means that your drawer is open for a while, and the temperature in your machine drops.
Placing a lid on top is much faster. Just make sure it’s heatproof.
Experiment
It’s taken me a while to get a recipe and time that works for me.
This recipe might not work if your tins are different, the size of your machine is different, or if there’s more free space for the air to blow about.
Start with this recipe, but experiment with times and temperatures until you find something that works for you.
Serving Suggestions
You can serve this cake just as it is in nice thick slices.
Variations
Fill It with Cream
You’ll have noticed that I make a Victoria sponge with buttercream instead of the more traditional cream.
This is because my son doesn’t like cream.
If you prefer fresh cream, though, use this instead.
Change the Jam
The day I took photos for this recipe, I made my air fryer Victoria sponge with Damson Jam, which is gorgeous. I also use strawberry and raspberry, though. Use your favourite.
Level the Top
If the top of your cake is cracked or very uneven, don’t worry; the middle should still be fluffy and light.
I tend just to dust it with icing sugar to hide imperfections, but if you prefer, you can level this cake off and decorate the top.
Piping with buttercream would look great.
Leftovers
There’s no such thing as leftover cake; let’s be honest here!
Storage
Store your air fryer sponge cake in a sealed tub or lidded cake stand on the side for 2-3 days.
Unless your kitchen is super hot, it doesn’t need to be kept in the fridge.
FAQ
Yes, you can bake a cake in an air fryer.
An air fryer oven is good for baking cakes but they might not be as even as if they were baked in the oven.
Yes, as long as it fits, any pan, dish or tin that is ovenproof is suitable for use in the air fryer.
The bake setting on an air fryer is just a preset for time and temperature, so you don’t have to program them in.
I air fry this cake for 25 minutes. It may take up to 30 depending on your tin and the space inside your machine.
Other Recipes
If you like this recipe for air fryer cake, you might want to try some of my other air fryer recipes.
- Perfect Baked Potatoes
- Golden Halloumi
- Air Fryer Burgers
- Crispy Air Fryer Wedges
- Air Fryer Cottage Pie
- Air Fryer Pasta Bake
- Quick Air Fryer Chilli
- Air-Fried Apple Crumble
- Air Fryer Fruit Scones
- Carrot Cake
Recipe Card
Air Fryer Cake
Ingredients
- 175 g Caster Sugar
- 175 g Margarine (Or room temperature unsalted butter)
- 3 Large Eggs
- 1 Teaspoon Vanilla Extract
- 175 g Self-Raising Flour
- 1 Teaspoon Baking Powder
For the Filling:
- 75 g Unsalted Butter (at room temperature)
- 75 g Icing Sugar
- 1 Tablespoon Milk (I use semi-skimmed)
- 2 Tablespoons Jam
Instructions
- Whisk together the margarine and caster sugar until smooth.
- Whisk in the eggs one at a time.
- Whisk in the vanilla.
- Sift in the flour and baking powder.
- Whisk until smooth.
- Preheat your air fryer to 160 degrees C and set for 25 minutes.
- Evenly divide the mixture between two tins and spread evenly.
- Place the first tin in the air fryer and bake for 10 minutes.
- After 10 minutes, open the drawer and cover the tin with foil or a heatproof metal pan lid. If you use foil, make sure it’s secured in place so it doesn’t blow off.
- Return to the air fryer for the final 15 minutes.
- Remove the cover and use a skewer to make sure the cake’s centre is cooked. If not, return it to the air fryer, recovering and checking every few minutes.
- Once cooked, remove it from the air fryer and leave it in the tin to cool.
- Reset the air fryer and repeat with the second cake.
- Beat the butter to soften for the buttercream.
- Add the icing sugar and beat until smooth.
- If the mixture is too thick, add a tablespoon of milk and mix in until it’s spreadable.
- Once the cakes are cool, remove them from the tins and use a leveller or sharp knife to level off one of the cakes.
- Spread the levelled cake with buttercream.
- Turn the other cake upside down and spread the flat bottom liberally with jam.
- Place this cake on top of the other so the jam and buttercream are sandwiched in the middle.
- Dust with icing sugar to finish.
Notes
- If you are using metal tins, make sure you grease or line with baking parchment. You can grease silicone if you are worried, but it’s not usually necessary.
- You can bake both cakes simultaneously if your air fryer has two drawers or one very large drawer.
- A metal saucepan lid is the ideal cover – it doesn’t blow about like foil, and you can place it on very quickly, which helps to keep the temperature consistent.
- Read the post above for more tips and advice.
Nutrition
Any nutritional information is given as a general guide only and may not be accurate. The information is provided using an online calculator and is specific to my ingredients. Please make your own calculations if you want precise information.
