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Easy Chocolate Sponge Cake

The chocolate sponge cake is classic, light, and fluffy, with a tender crumb. It’s perfect for any occasion, from holidays to birthdays and afternoon tea.

A baked cake on a black cooling rack.

HOW TO MAKE CHOCOLATE SPONGE CAKE

I love a good sponge cake; it’s soft and airy, with a delicate moist crumb that melts in your mouth. The beauty of sponge cake is that it can be served plain, dusted with powdered sugar, or with fresh fruit and whipped cream. It’s a great picnic and hiking food. When we travel long distances by car, I often make a sponge cake to take with us for a quick light snack.

A sliced cake stacked on a cooling rack.

CHOCOLATE SPONGE CAKE INGREDIENTS

My easy sponge cake recipe is made from simple ingredients. Eggs, as you know, are an essential ingredient in sponge cake baking. Their function is to leaven and to help build the cake structure. Whipped egg whites – meringue contains lots of tiny air bubbles that help leaven and lighten the cake. Eggs help create that signature sponge-like texture.

  • Large Eggs, separated and at room temperature.
  • Sugar
  • Vanilla Extract
  • Oil
  • Cocoa Powder – Dutch processed (recommended) or natural/unsweetened cocoa powder
  • Hot water – or use other hot liquid such as milk or coffee
  • Flour
  • Baking Powder
  • Salt
Small bowls with ingredients.

PREPARE A BAKING PAN

When making a chocolate sponge cake, I like to brush the inside of the pan with soft butter and dust it with cocoa powder. Take the pan over to the kitchen sink, turn it over, and shake out the excess.

A baking pan buttered and coated with cocoa powder.

FLOUR MIXTURE

Another thing that is great about this recipe is that it uses all-purpose flour, producing a tender, soft crumb. To help leaven the chocolate sponge cake, I rely on the meringue and baking powder. Whisk baking powder and salt into the all-purpose flour and set it aside.

Green bowl with flour, baking powder, and salt.

BEAT SUGAR AND EGG YOLKS – WHAT IS A RIBBON STAGE

In this step you need to beat egg yolks with sugar until it reaches ribbon stage, which takes about 3 minutes. Mixture will thicken, become pale and it doubles in volume. Term ribbon stage measures how well egg yolks and sugar are mixed together. Ribbon refers to consistency of the batter.

On medium-high speed, beat half of the sugar with egg yolks for about 3 minutes until the mixture is doubled in volume and pale in color. Gradually beat in oil and vanilla extract (steps 1-6).

A stainless steel bowl with egg yolk beaten with sugar and vanilla.

ADD COCOA POWDER – HOW TO ENHANCE THE CHOCOLATE FLAVOR

To give sponge cake its chocolate flavor, I used cocoa powder. And to intensify the chocolate flavor, I employed a simple blooming technique using hot liquid.

  • Into the egg-sugar batter, add sifted cocoa powder. Beat on medium-low speed until most of the cocoa powder is incorporated in the egg yolk sugar mixture.
  • Then scrape the sides of the bowl, and increase the speed to medium-high and beat until well combined, about 30 seconds (steps 1-5).
  • At this point, you can lower the speed to medium-low and gradually pour in hot water, milk or coffee. Don’t pour hot liquid in the middle of mixing bowl, instead aim for the sides of the bowl.
  • Pour the stream of hot liquid in gradually, wait for the water to be mixed in before adding more hot water, and scrape the bowl a few times to ensure all is mixed (steps 5-8).
A mixing bowl with chocolate batter.

HOW TO MAKE MERINGUEWHY I ADD CREAM OF TARTAR

When you beat egg whites, you incorporate lots of tiny air bubbles into the liquid egg whites, creating an airy white foam – meringue. During heating/baking, these tiny air bubbles expand, causing the cake to rise.

  • Cream of Tartar – I always add cream of tartar, lemon juice or white distilled vinegar to egg whites prior whipping them into meringue. Acidic ingredient helps loosen tight egg white proteins, creating more room for air bubbles, stabilizing meringue.
  • Sugar – Why it’s important to add sugar? Sugar acts like a stabilizer; it binds with the water in the egg whites making the meringue more stable. For example, when you make the meringue without sugar, after a bit of while, water in the meringue sinks to the bottom of the mixing bowl, making the foam part dry.

Pour the egg white into a grease free bowl. Beat the egg whites with a cream of tartar until soft peaks are formed, gradually add granulated sugar (steps 1-4). Continue beating until stiff, thick, glossy meringue is formed (steps 5-6).

A mixing bowl with beaten meringue.

MIX THE CAKE BATTERFOLD THE CHOCOLATE SPONGE CAKE BATTER

It’s time to mix everything together: stiff meringue, flour mixture and egg yolk-sugar-cocoa mixture.

Three bowls with meringue, chocolate egg yolk mixture, and flour mixture.

To mix the chocolate sponge cake batter, it’s important to fold the batter; stirring will deflate the meringue and result in a dense, dry baked cake.

Sift about 1/3 of the flour mixture into the cocoa mixture, and use a spatula to fold the flour mixture into the egg yolk mixture. Then repeat with the meringue and continue until you use all the flour and meringue (Steps 1-4).

A detail of cake batter.

BAKE SPONGE CAKE

Pour chocolate batter into a prepare bake pan, smooth the top with a spatula.

A baking pan filled with cake batter.

Finally, we are ready to bake the cake. Bake cake in the preheated oven at 340F/170C for 25-30 minutes. Don’t open the oven for the first 20 minutes. If you see top of the cake is browning too quickly use a foil dome. (steps 1- 2).

View o

HOW TO TELL IF CAKE IS BAKED

Bake the cake until a toothpick/skewer inserted in the middle of the cake comes out clean (steps 1-2).

Wooden skewer in the baked cake.

COOL THE SPONGE CAKE

Let the cake sit for 5 minutes, then turn it out onto a cooling rack and allow to cool completely (steps 1-5).

A cake on top of the cooling rack.

HOW TO STORE CHOCOLATE SPONGE CAKE

Store the unfilled cake in the fridge for 5-6 days. To prevent the cake from drying out, I wrap it in food wrap. Cake can be stored at room temperature for 3-4 days or frozen for up to 3 months. Wrap the cake well in the food wrap and freeze it in freezer-safe bags.

A cake wrapped in food wrap.

SPONGE CAKE FILLING IDEAS

  • Whipped Cream
  • Cream Cheese Frosting
  • Chocolate Whipped Ganache
  • Fresh Fruit and Whipped Cream Yogurt Frosting

NATURAL/UNSWEETENED COCOA VERSUS DUTCH PROCESS COCOA

As you can see in the picture below. The top cake is darker than the bottom one. This is a result of using two kinds of cocoa powders.

  • Top, darker sponge cake is made using Dutch-processed cocoa powder – as a result cake is darker and it has more chocolate flavor and smells very chocolaty.
  • Bottom, the lighter cake is made using unsweetened, natural cocoa – the chocolate flavor is excellent but milder than the Dutch-processed cocoa powder
A view from the above, sliced cakes showing texture.

CHOCOLATE SPONGE CAKE SUCCESS BAKING TIPS

  • Cake sand in the middle, what happened?
    • Opening the oven door during the first 20 minutes can cause cake to sink in the middle.
    • Also, closing the oven door too abruptly.
    • Cooling the cake too quickly. Don’t move hot cake to a cool, drafty room.
    • The batter sits too long before it goes into the oven. This can cause egg whites to deflate and compromise the cake structure..
    • Over-beating of the batter at the last stage. Fold the batter, don’t stir it.
  • My sponge cake is dry, why? This Overwhipped egg whites usually cause this. When meringue is overmixed, it becomes grainy and dry. Or if you bake the cake for too long, it will dry out. To amend a dry sponge, use simple syrup.
  • I’m making 9×13 inch cake, should I double the recipe?  Yes, double the recipe. Use a flower nail for even baking.
  • How long does sponge cake last? At room temperature for 3-4 days and in the fridge for 5-6 days, well covered. Or freeze for up to 3 months.
  • Why is my sponge cake dense? Sugar crystals were not completely dissolved. Also, under-mixing can be an issue. Stirring instead of folding at the last stage of batter mixing.
  • My sponge cake didn’t rise; what happened? Check the leavening agent expiration date. It can also mean that the cake wasn’t baked long enough.
  • Why do I have giant holes and tunnels in a cake? This is usually caused by over-mixing. Quick solution – fill the holes with buttercream.
  • Can I make a 2 tier cake using this recipe? Yes, you can. Use a proper stacking method. Don’t stack a heavy cake (pound cake) on top of a sponge cake.
Baked cake on a crumpled parchment paper.

MORE CHOCOLATE RECIPES

Sliced cakes stacked on a cooling rack.

Chocolate Sponge Cake

The recipe makes one tall 9-inch cake or two 8-inch cakes.
Bake at 340F/170C.
Course Breakfast, Cake, Dessert, Snack
Cuisine American, French, Slovak
Keyword chocolate sponge cake, easy chocolate sponge cake, easy sponge cake
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 25 minutes
Author Hani

Ingredients

CHOCOLATE SPONGE CAKE

  • 5 eggs, separated egg white and egg yolks
  • 1/2 tsp cream of tartar, lemon juice, or vinegar
  • 1 cup granulated sugar (200grams)
  • 5 tbsp oil, mild tasting (75 ml)
  • 1 tsp Vanilla Extract
  • 1/2 cup cocoa powder (50 grams), preferably Dutch-process
  • 5 tbsp hot water (75 ml)
  • 1 cup all-purpose flour (140 grams)
  • 2 tsp baking powder
  • 1/4 tsp salt

Instructions

Prepare Baking Pan

  • Grease a baking pan with butter and dust it with cocoa powder. Set aside.

Preheat Oven

  • Preheat oven to 340F/170C.

Flour Mixture

  • In a bowl, whisk flour (1 cup, 140 grams), baking powder (2 teaspoons), and salt (1/4 teaspoon).

Egg Yolk – Cocoa Batter

  • Into a mixing bowl, pour egg yolks (5) and half of the granulated sugar (1/2 cup, 100 grams). Beat until mixture is thick and pale in color, about 3 minutes.
    Gradually beat in oil (5 tablespoons) and Vanilla Extract ( 1 teaspoon).
  • Sift cocoa powder into the egg yolk mixture (1/2 cup, 50 grams). Beat until combined. Scrape down the bowl.
    Gradually pour hot water into the egg yolk-cocoa mixture while beating at medium speed. Don't pour it into the middle of the bowl. Pour the stream of hot water onto the side of the bowl. Scrape down the bowl to make sure all is well combined.

Meringue

  • In a clean bowl of your mixer, beat egg whites (5) with cream of tartar (1/2 teaspoon) until soft peaks are formed. Then gradually add half of the granulated sugar (1/2 cup, 100 grams). Beat until stiff glossy peaks are formed. Don't overbeat.

Chocolate Sponge Cake Batter

  • Using a fine mesh strainer,  sift about 1/3 of the flour mixture into the egg yolk-cocoa mixture and carefully fold the flour with a spatula, then add about 1/3 of the meringue and fold it in. Continue with the rest of the flour and meringue until no streaks are visible. Then make the last three folds; make sure you go with the spatula all the way to the bottom of the bowl. Be gentle, and don't over-mix. You are looking for a light and airy batter.

Bake

  • Pour chocolate batter into a prepared baking pan.
    Bake at 340F/170C for 25-30 minutes or until a wooden skewer inserted in the middle comes out clean. If the cake is browning too much, cover it loosely with a foil dome.
    Let the cake cool in the pan for 5 minutes. Then invert it on a cooling rack and let it cool completely. Wrap the cake in food-safe plastic wrap.

Notes

  • How to Store Chocolate Sponge Cake? – Store undecorated/unfilled cake covered in the fridge for up to 5 days until ready to use. Unfilled cake keeps for 3-4 days at room temperature. If using whipped cream, use some gelatin to stabilize it so whipped cream doesn’t weep.
  • Why is my sponge cake dry? Most likely, the meringue was overbeaten, or the cake was baked for too long. When beating egg whites, stop the mixer a few times while whipping the meringue and test if a stiff peak is formed. When meringue is overmixed, it becomes grainy. The grainy meringue will make your cake dry. To amend a dry sponge, use simple syrup

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