Name: Perfect Chocolate Sponge Cake
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 50 min
Yield: 12
Ingredients: 2/3 cup flour; 1/3 cup good quality cocoa; 1 tsp baking powder; 6 eggs separated, room temperature; 1/4 tsp cream of tarter; 1 cup sugar, separated in 2 half cups; 2 tsp vanilla extract

Jump to recipe if you like, but be sure to read the whole post for instructional photos & other tips.

Perfect Chocolate Sponge Cake. A simple chocolate sponge cake with a light texture and far fewer calories than other cakes.

Chocolate Sponge Cake

Today’s offering is one of those foundation recipes that every baker needs to master and have in their arsenal of skills…and a skill it really is.

My original Sponge Cake recipe appeared here over a year ago. It is one that I have received a great deal of correspondence from readers about. Mostly, thanking me for a proper sponge cake recipe that actually works for them.

Use the best quality cocoa powder you can find for this recipe.

This chocolate version of the same recipe is only a slight tweak of the original which substitutes cocoa for some of the flour. As it is in the original recipe, technique is what is important here and a light touch is what makes a great sponge cake.

Very lightly folding the dry ingredients through the meringue without over mixing is essential to a light, airy, well textured sponge cake.

Chocolate Sponge Cake

This simple cake can be enjoyed on its own with a dusting of icing sugar or layered with raspberry jam. I serve it with fresh berries and a dollop of whipped cream for a light dessert.

If I want to get really decadent as the base for an inventive trifle. In a trifle, the sponge is ideal for soaking up a suitable liqueur or berry syrup before layering in additional fruit, berries, custard etc.

I use this cake in a lusciously decadent Neapolitan Trifle, one of my absolute favorite desserts. You can also use it on one of my other favourites, Chocolate Orange Mousse Trifle!

Like this Chocolate Sponge Cake recipe?

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12 servings

Perfect Chocolate Sponge Cake

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 30 minutes

Total Time: 50 minutes

A simple chocolate sponge cake with a light texture and much fewer calories than other cakes. It makes a great base recipe for lots of desserts, especially shortcakes and trifles.

Ingredients

2/3 cup flour
1/3 cup good quality cocoa
1 tsp baking powder
6 eggs separated, room temperature
1/4 tsp cream of tarter
1 cup sugar, separated in 2 half cups
2 tsp vanilla extract

Instructions

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Line the bottoms of two 8 inch round cake pans with parchment paper. (or one 9 or 10 inch spring form pan if you prefer.) You should not grease the sides of the pan. Like an angel food cake a sponge cake should cool in the pan to prevent shrinking.
Sift together the flour, cocoa and baking powder.
Beat egg yolks and ½ cup sugar until foamy and thickened.
In a separate bowl, beat egg whites and cream of tarter until foamy. Add ½ cup sugar gradually until egg whites are stiff.
Fold beaten egg yolks into the beaten egg whites along with the vanilla for only a few turns before slowly and gradually folding in the flour, cocoa and baking powder mixture very gently BY HAND using a rubber spatula until just incorporated into the meringue mixture. I mix in the dry ingredients in 3 equal portions. Do not over mix, you just want the flour to be incorporated; over mixing will deflate the egg whites and result in a tough textured final product.
Pour into the prepared pan/s and bake for 25-30 minutes or until center springs back when touched.
Cool the cake completely in the pan/s before running a small sharp knife around the outside of the pan to release it from the pan/s.

Perfect Chocolate Sponge Cake