Air Fryer Cake
, Updated Nov 22, 2025
This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our disclosure policy.
Make this Air Fryer Cake Recipe and you will be rewarded with a lovely soft and fluffy sponge cake. Grab your bowl and ingredients and let me show you how to bake a cake in your air fryer!
Take a look at my Air Fryer Chocolate Cake, Easy Air Fryer Apple Cake and Air Fryer Biscoff Cake!
I am currently having a bit of a love affair with my Air Fryer. I do think my slow cooker is a bit jealous 😉 I have been using the Air Fryer to make quick lunches and even roast dinners and now I am fully into air fryer baking!
So if you are about to type “air fryer cake uk” in your search engine you have come to the right place… I have also included cup measurements for those who prefer them.
Can I Bake Cake in an Air Fryer?
Ok, truth time. I was a little dubious about baking cake in my air fryer but I am absolutely THRILLED with the results! (so much that I wrote a book, Easy Air Fryer Bakes)!
So much so that baked a lemon cake and a vanilla cake on the same day and both came out soft and light with just the perfect crumb. I think you too will be wowed with how versatile your air fryer is. It can take you from breakfast pancakes, to roast dinner to dessert… and more!
Here’s What You’ll Need
You can use a boxed cake mix, but I am a firm believer that homemade is always best. And trust me when I say this air fryer cake recipe is just as easy and quick to prepare.
- Self-raising flour (also known as self-rising) or plain flour plus baking powder
- Sugar – ideally caster sugar (a.k.a superfine sugar)
- Softened unsalted butter or margarine (such as Stork)
- Large eggs at room temperature (UK bakers will need to use medium eggs).
- Milk – any kind works
- Vanilla extract, vanilla bean paste or vanilla powder
You will need a cake pan that fits comfortably inside your air fryer. I have the Cosori 5.8Qt and an Instant Vortex, both of which can fit an 8 inch cake pan. If you own a smaller air fryer you may need to use a 6 or 7 inch cake pan – HOWEVER if you do the timing will have to be tweaked.
This recipe makes a proper sized cake that easily serves 12. It can be sliced in half and filled with your choice of buttercream or frosting. But it is so moist and delicious that it tastes amazing simply dusted with a little icing sugar.
How to make Air Fryer Cake
- Preheat the Air Fryer at 160°C (320°F) while you prepare the batter. Mist an 8 inch deep cake pan with cake release and line the bottom with parchment paper. (Please check the recipe card notes if using a smaller cake pan).
- Use digital scales to measure the flour and sugar into a mixing bowl or the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Stir to combine.
- Add the butter, eggs, milk and vanilla. Beat together using an electric hand mixer or your stand mixer, using a spatula to scrape the bottom and sides of the bowl as needed. Mix until the batter is smooth, about a minute.
- Place the prepared cake pan into the air fryer basket. Pour the cake batter into the pan and level. Bake for 30 minutes at 160°C (320°F). Lower the temperature to 300°F (150°F) and continue to cook for a further 10 minutes.
- Check whether the cake is baked through – insert a skewer or toothpick in the middle of the cake. If it comes out clean, the cake is done. If the skewer comes out wet or with moist crumbs continue to cook for a further 5 minutes.
- Take the cake out of the air fryer using oven mitts. Cool for 5 minutes in the pan then invert onto a cooling wire rack. Slice the cake in half using a cake if you wish to add buttercream frosting to make a layer cake.
Recipe Notes and Tips
- Use room temperature ingredients. You can soften butter by blasting in the microwave on the DEFROST setting for a few seconds. If your eggs are cold, submerge them in warm water for a few minutes.
- Don’t overfill the cake pan – about half full is right. The cake pan I used is 8 inches wide and 3 inches deep. If you use a smaller cake pan then the baking times indicated below may not work.
- Storing Instructions: Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to five days, without the frosting. It stays lovely and soft for ages!
- How to Check for Doneness: Insert a toothpick in the middle of the cake. If it comes out with wet batter, the cake is still a bit wet in the middle. Continue to bake for a little longer, adding a few minutes until it is done. Alternatively, use an instant read thermometer. Insert the probe in the middle (not touching the bottom of the pan) and check it measures around 209°F (98°C).
Frequently Asked Questions
My air fryer comes with a bake setting which is set to 300°F( 150°C) for 30 minutes. I think that would be sufficient for a smaller cake but for this recipe you will need to cook for longer. The “Bake Setting” is simply a temperature indicator. I usually use the air fryer setting and simply adjust the temperature and cooking time manually.
You don’t need to buy a special cake pan for air fryer baking. Any cake pan that fits comfortably in the air fryer basket can be used, including metal, glass, ceramic or silicone. I have recently converted to baking my air fryer cakes in a silicone cake pan as I have discovered the cake rises more evenly.
Love To Bake?
Craving delicious, hassle-free bakes? Get your hands on Easy Air Fryer Bakes and discover mouthwatering recipes that will have you baking like a pro in your Air Fryer (without the fuss)!
Bake anything and everythig, from pavlovas and celebration cakes to decadent desserts, savoury bakes and even bread.
HAVE YOU MADE MY AIR FRYER CAKE RECIPE? Please leave a rating, post a photo on my Facebook page, share it on Instagram, or save it to Pinterest with the tag #supergoldenbakes and make my day!
Air Fryer Sponge Cake
Video
Equipment
- 8 inch cake pan or smaller, depending on Air Fryer
Ingredients
For the Cake
- 2 cups + 1 tbsp (260) self-rising flour (self raising)
- 1 ¼ cups ( 250g) sugar superfine / caster or granulated
- 3 large room temperature eggs (UK readers use medium eggs)
- ½ cup (115g) unsalted butter softened, or margarine
- ½ cup (120 ml) milk , room temperature
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Frosting
- ¼ cup (55g) unsalted butter softened
- 2 cups (240g) sugar powdered / icing
- 3 tbsp cream cheese full-fat
- 2 tbsp cream heavy / double
- 1 tsp vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste
Filling and decoration
- strawberry or raspberry jam (seedless)
- fresh berries or other seasonal fruit
- mini meringues , optional
- powdered / Icing sugar to dust
Instructions
- Preheat the Air Fryer at 360°F (160°C) while you prepare the batter. Mist an 8 inch deep cake pan with cake release and line the bottom with baking paper.
- Measure the flour and sugar into a mixing bowl or the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Stir to combine.2 cups + 1 tbsp (260) self-rising flour, 1 ¼ cups ( 250g) sugar
- Add the butter, eggs, milk and vanilla. Beat together using an electric hand mixer or your stand mixer, using a spatula to scrape the bottom and sides of the bowl as needed. Mix until the batter is smooth, about a minute.3 large room temperature eggs, ½ cup (115g) unsalted butter , ½ cup (120 ml) milk, 1 tsp vanilla extract
- Transfer the batter into the prepared cake pan and level. Place the pan into your airfryer and cook for 30 minutes at 160°C (320°F). Lower the temperature to 300°F (150°C) and continue to cook for a further 10 minutes.
- Check for doneness – insert a skewer or toothpick in the centre of the cake. If it comes out clean, the cake is done. If the skewer comes out wet or with moist crumbs continue to cook for a further 5 minutes.
- Take the cake out of the air fryer using oven mitts. Cool for 5 minutes in the pan then invert onto a cooling rack.
- Put all the ingredients for the frosting in a bowl and beat together until the frosting is light and fluffy and holds peaks.¼ cup (55g) unsalted butter, 2 cups (240g) sugar, 3 tbsp cream cheese, 2 tbsp cream, 1 tsp vanilla extract
- Slice the cake in half and level if needed (use a cake leveller ideally). Pipe a ring of frosting around the edge of the bottom layer. Fill the middle with jam. Top with more frosting and level. Sandwich with the top layer.strawberry or raspberry jam
- Spread a little of the frosting over the top of the cake and decorate with fresh berries. Dust with icing sugar and serve.fresh berries , mini meringues, powdered / Icing sugar to dust
Notes
- If your are using all-purpose flour (plain flour) add 2 ½ tsp baking powder in with the flour and sugar.
- Use room temperature ingredients. You can soften butter by blasting in the microwave on the DEFROST setting for a few seconds. If your eggs are cold then submerge them in warm water for a few minutes.
- Don’t overfill the cake pan – about half full is right. The cake pan I used is 8 inches wide and 3 inches deep. If your air fryer is small you might need to split the batter between two 6 or 7 inch pans and bake for 25 minutes at 300°F (150°C). Note that air fryers can vary in their cooking and baking temperatures.
Nutrition
Nutritional information is always approximate, and will depend on quality of ingredients and serving sizes.
i love easy making recipes but it could use an easier way to make than air fryer I mean it is easy but for me oven is the easiest and the cake came out a bit dry than I expected
There’s several cake recipes for the oven on this site. This one is specifically tested for the air fryer
Hi thanks for the recipe. Just want to check , so 160 on ‘bake’ for 30 minutes then 30 mins on bake at 150?
30 minutes at 160°C and 10 minutes at 150°C (40 mins total OR until a tester comes out clean)
Looks Fabulous Can t wait to try it
I an really exited about trying this. I have changed from a plain airfryer to an airfryer oven and think it would well. I want to make a lemon cake – can I use this recipe and add lemon zest ?
Absolutely! you can take a look at this recipe for inspiration https://www.supergoldenbakes.com/air-fryer-lemon-drizzle/
Love it
First time bake in my air fryer. I’ve still been using my regular oven. After this result, it’s my air fryer all the way! I flavoured the sponge with coffee. Gorgeous! Light and fluffy, and my cake tin collars kept the cake level. Thank you for opening my eyes to the joys of air fryer cake!
Hi Lynda – so happy you discovered the joys of air fryer baking!