How to cut Sponge Cake

Name: How to cut Sponge Cake
Prep time: 10 min
Total time: 10 min
Yield: 0
Ingredients: Pan di Spagna (Sponge cake) 1

it br es fr de

Vegetarian

Difficulty: Easy
Prep time: 10 min
Makes: pieces
Cost: Low

PRESENTATION

Pan di Spagna is one of those classic Italian cakes you’ll find from Milan to Sicily—no doubt about it—and everyone has their own take on slicing it up for the softest layers. When it comes to come tagliare il pan di spagna, folks in Italy usually stick to two tried-and-true methods: the sharp, serrated knife or a nylon thread. Really, the knife is great if you’re confident and want a clean cut, but the thread is kinda a cool trick if you like things super precise. Either way, the goal is even and tender slices. That way, when you fill it with cream or fruit, everything holds together and looks awesome.

In some regional bakeries, they even use gadgets like an "anello taglia torte"—which is great—for a straight edge, but honestly, at home, a knife or thread works just fine. People really, really care about the taglio pan di spagna because it can totally make or break a layered cake. Nobody wants crumbs everywhere, right? And you know what? Learning to tagliare pan di spagna the Italian way means mixing it up with different fillings. Think pastry cream, whipped ricotta, or a bit of jam—so sweet and kinda tangy.

The trick? Getting those layers just thick enough to soak up the flavors without falling apart. Using a coltello seghettato gives a lot of control, but folks who go for the nylon thread method love how smooth the cake feels. Whether you’ve got a high, spongy cake from up north or a more compact one from the south, the right tecniche taglio pan di spagna helps keep things together. Plus, it makes dessert look pretty fancy, even on a regular weeknight.

Once you try these ways of slicing, you totally get why Italian cakes look so neat at family gatherings. Pretty much, with just a bit of practice, you’ll be slicing like a pro—way, way better than you might think—and impressing everyone with your Italian dessert skills. Seriously good.

How to Cut Sponge Cake with a Knife

To cut the sponge cake with a knife, get a long, thin-bladed knife like the one usually used for bread, and a table knife. With the help of the smaller knife, make a mark along the entire circumference of the sponge cake, exactly halfway through its thickness, to mark the area where to make the cut 1: this will help you achieve a more precise cut. Now insert the blade of the longer knife following the guideline and try not to tilt the blade 2, then cut the sponge cake completely to obtain two discs of equal size 3.

How to Cut Sponge Cake with Thread

To cut the sponge cake with thread, get a nylon or sewing thread that is strong enough, and a table knife; then proceed to draw the guideline as indicated above 4. Now pass the thread through the mark and, keeping it parallel to the sponge cake, pull until you complete the cut 5. Using this technique, you can make a more precise cut and get a sponge cake perfectly divided into two equal parts 6.

Storage

You can store the sponge cake, wrapped in plastic wrap, in the refrigerator for 2-3 days.

If you want to store the sponge cake after cutting it, proceed the same way, but be careful to cover the two halves with plastic wrap.

If you need to store the sponge cake for a few hours, you can keep it under a glass dome in a cool and dry place.

Advice

For the best results, we recommend preparing the sponge cake a day before cutting and filling it.

If you have a taller sponge cake, you can make two or more cuts to obtain different layers.

Follow the Cooking School to learn how to make a good cake soak, click here: "How to make syrup for cakes".

For the translation of some texts, artificial intelligence tools may have been used.