Simple Sugar Syrup for Soaking Sponge Cake and Layer Cakes
Very simple, very easy, very fast, and very inexpensive! Sugar syrup for soaking sponge cake and layer cakes is made with water and sugar. You can add anything you like: vanilla, brandy, liqueur, or juice, as well as ready-made food flavorings.
Updated : 17 December, 2025
Easy
Ingredients
130 grams
Sugar
120 milliliters
Water
1 tablespoon
Cognac
Table
Table of volume measurements:
- teaspoon - 5 ml
- dessert spoon - 10 ml
- tablespoon - 20 ml
- glass - 200 ml
Preparation
Step 1
How to make sugar syrup for soaking sponge cake? You only need two basic ingredients: sugar and water. For aroma, I’ll use brandy.
Step 2
For the syrup, take a small saucepan or a small pot. Pour in the required amount of water.
Step 3
Add the prepared sugar and place the pot over heat. Stirring, bring the sugar-water mixture to a boil. No need to boil it - just heat until the sugar fully dissolves in the hot water.
Step 4
Remove the hot syrup from the heat and cool it until slightly warm - about 35-37°C / 95-99°F is enough. Because of the high sugar content, the syrup will be slightly thick, and that’s how it should be. This is the basic sugar syrup for soaking sponge cake; you can use it to moisten any cake.
Step 5
For extra aroma, you can add any flavoring at this stage. I use brandy. The alcohol will evaporate from the soak, but the aroma will remain. You can also use rum, amaretto, fruit juices, berry syrups, wines, liqueurs, or tinctures. Add only a little so the syrup doesn’t become too thin.
Step 6
Add flavorings only to the cooled syrup. Otherwise the aroma may evaporate, and the taste can change due to the high temperature. Use the cooled syrup to soak any prepared sponge cake and assemble the cake.
Step 7
With this fragrant soak, your cake will never be dry. Use the syrup as intended!
Author note
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