I'll be spilling ALL the tips & tricks for making perfectly fluffy and moist chocolate sponge cake. Use this light, moist, and soft chocolate sponge cake for various desserts, such as roll cakes, cupcakes, whole cakes, and more!
The Common Issues of Chocolate Sponge Cake
If you've made a chocolate sponge cake before, you may have experienced a few issues that particularly happen more often compared to a regular sponge cake:
- The cake batter got loose so quickly.
- The chocolate sponge cake was not fluffy.
- The cake felt drier.
Have you had one or two of the issues before?
If so, you are in the right place!
In this chocolate sponge cake guide, I'll walk you through EVERYTHING you need to know to make a successful chocolate sponge cake, even if you're a beginner. I'll address the causes and how to fix them.
Best Chocolate Sponge Cake
Knowing the right tips is crucial for making an amazing chocolate sponge cake, yet using a great recipe is equally important.
Here is why I think you'll love this one!:
- Easy chocolate sponge cake: You can make the sponge cake in easy steps and with simple ingredients.
- Beginner-friendly: The cake batter does not get loose as quickly as the old methods I was using. You can make the fluffy chocolate sponge cake more easily, even if you are a beginner.
- Fluffy and Moist: This sponge cake is not just fluffy, but also moist.
- Perfectly chocolatey: A Generous amount of cocoa powder is added to enhance the rich chocolate flavor.
Why Does The Sponge Cake Batter Get Looser When Cocoa Powder Is Added?
That is because the air bubbles in the whipped eggs pop easily when cocoa powder touches them. They are sensitive to the acid and oil in cocoa powder.
The Secrets to The Fluffy & Moist Chocolate Sponge Cake
I first created the chocolate sponge cake recipe by adjusting my vanilla sponge cake recipe. I reduced the amount of cake flour and alternated it with cocoa powder.
Although it was still delicious, I've got two issues:
- The whipped eggs deflated quickly after adding cocoa powder, which required you to fold very quickly.
- The cake was not as moist as my vanilla sponge cake due to the addition of cocoa powder.
↓↓↓
After many trials & errors, I solved the two issues by making these changes:
- I whisked cocoa powder, milk, and oil and let them emulsify before adding them to the whipped eggs. A game changer. The finished cake batter remained much thicker; hence, the cake got fluffier and moister.
- I increased the amount of milk and oil to make a moister sponge cake.
- I added baking powder as a "troubleshooting" measure, just in case the cocoa powder eliminates too many air bubbles.
What type of sponge cake is this?
This chocolate sponge cake is a genoise sponge cake. It is made by whipping whole eggs and sugar together before adding flour. We call it the genoise method.
Another popular method for making chocolate sponge cake is the biscuit method, where the sponge cake is made by eggs separately. Read about the types of sponge cakes to explore various types and their differences.
Tips for The Ingredients
- Egg: The whipped egg rises in the oven and creates a light & airy texture. Whipping them enough is one of the most important things to create a fluffy sponge cake.
- Granulated sugar: Sugar helps to create a finer and moister texture. Use white sugar, such as caster sugar and granulated sugar, to create the lightest sponge cake.
- Milk: It makes the sponge moister. Use whole milk for a richer flavor.
- Oil: Any regular oils work, such as canola oil and vegetable oil. I use olive oil as a healthier option.
- Salt: A hint of salt is added to enhance the chocolate flavor.
- Cocoa powder: Use any of your favorite unsweetened cocoa powders. Higher-quality cocoa powder tends to look darker and has a richer flavor. This time, I used Hershey's Special Dark, which is a blend of half natural and half Dutch process cocoa powder.
- Cake flour: Use cake flour instead of all-purpose flour to make a fluffier texture with more volume.
- Baking powder is one of the leavening agents that helps lift the cake in the oven, creating a fluffy texture. I do not add it to my vanilla genoise sponge cake, nor vanilla chiffon cake but it's added for this recipe, as cocoa powder eliminates more air bubbles in the whipped egg.
FAQs
I do not recommend it. The sponge texture gets denser with all-purpose flour, as it contains more proteins that create more gluten. I also tried the recipe by reducing all-purpose flour and alternating it with cornstarch - The cake rises a lot with them, but the texture gets drier and powdery.
I will be very honest with you that nothing has been as good as cake flour since I do not want you to ruin your time and effort. Try searching for it online if you can't find it at local stores.
Compared to melted butter, the sponge cake rises more with oil and stays lighter after it's cooled since butter is heavier and gets solid at room temperature. Use melted butter when you want to prioritize a richer flavor over density.
Step-By-Step Instructions To Make Chocolate Sponge Cake
Preparation
- Preheat the oven to 355ºF (180ºC)
- Prepare hot, gently simmering water to warm eggs in a medium saucepan.
- Set up cake liners inside a pan using parchment paper. (Or coat a thin layer of butter, dust flour, and toss the excess flour.)
- Sift cake flour and baking powder together using a fine mesh sieve.
Aya's Quick Tip💡
Before you start, ensure that your tools and ingredients are clean with no liquids, oil, or any residue, as they prevent eggs from whipping well.
Warm whole eggs and sugar with hot water.
- Mix eggs and sugar in a mixing bowl until combined.
- Heat the bowl with the double boiler while mixing it constantly to prevent the eggs from getting cooked partially. (Ensure that the bowl is not dipped into the hot water.)
- Continue heating it until it feels warm, like a bath, when touched with a finger (100 - 113ºF or 37.5 - 45ºC). It was 107ºF (42ºC) this time!
Aya's Quick Tip💡
Warm eggs get whipped much more than cold eggs. Whipping them takes a lot longer when they're cold, or the eggs don't get whipped enough if the mixer isn't powerful enough.
Whip the eggs and sugar.
- Start whipping the egg mixture at high speed immediately before it cools down. Continue whipping it until it gets very fluffy. To check if it's whipped enough, scoop it with a whisk and drop - It should flow slowly, and the lines should stay on the surface. Whipping eggs enough is the most important part of making a fluffy chocolate sponge cake!
- Finish it at low speed (5 minutes - ) to make air bubbles smaller until silky and glossy.
After whipping it at high speed:
After whipping it at low speed: (Do you see it looks shinier after finishing it at low speed?)
Aya's Quick Tip💡
Finishing the mixture at low speed is important to make the air bubbles smaller and create a silkier, fluffier sponge. The texture of the sponge gets rougher when you skip the process.
Also, bigger air bubbles are more fragile than smaller ones and pop more easily while mixing the batter.
Mix milk, oil, salt, and cocoa powder together.
While whipping eggs at low speed, whisk together the milk, oil, salt, and cocoa powder. (You can also finish it in advance as preparation.)
In the beginning, it'll look separated and lumpy. Continue mixing fast until smooth:
Add sifted flour and fold.
Add the sifted flour and baking powder to the whipped eggs. Fold it with a rubber spatula until you don't see any flour. Scrape off the sides of the bowl and flip the bottom of the bowl, as flour is often hiding there!
Aya's Quick Tip💡
Finish folding the batter as quickly as possible before the whipped eggs deflate too much. Check out the video tutorial to see the movement.
Add the cocoa powder mixture.
Once you don't see any flour, add the cocoa powder mixture and continue folding until evenly blended. Scrape off a rubber spatula and bowl on the way to ensure everything is incorporated evenly.
Aya's Quick Tip💡
Be careful not to over-mix the batter, as it leads to a flatter, denser sponge cake. Stop folding as soon as everything is evenly blended.
Bake!
Pour the cake batter into the prepared baking pan immediately. Remove some big air bubbles by swirling them with a toothpick and tossing the tin gently on a counter for some time. (I usually do 3 - 5 times)
Bake it at 355ºF (180ºC). Adjust the baking time depending on the size and portion:
- 36 - 38 minutes for 1 8-inch round cake pan
- 27 - 32 minutes for 2 6-inch round cake pans (from one batch)
- 25 - 27 minutes for 1 6-inch round cake pan (from half batch)
How to check if the sponge cake is baked enough
- The sponge cake shrinks a tiny bit when the center is cooked through. Pay closer attention toward the end to see the slight change.
- Carefully touch the surface and see if it bounces back gently. You'll hear very slight bubble sounds.
- Insert a toothpick in the center and see if it comes off clean with a few crumbs.
After it's out of the oven
- Toss the pan some time on a counter to release some steam.
- Flip it on a cooling rack so the top surface gets flatter after cooling. Remove the pan and let the cake cool completely.
- Once cooled, slice the cake into layers with a serrated knife.
How To Store It
Wrap it tightly (twice, ideally) with plastic wrap so it doesn't dry out. Store it in the refrigerator for a few days or in the freezer for about two months. I recommend consuming it within a day for the best taste!
Simple Syrup
The airy sponge cake dries quicker than richer cakes with more fat and liquid contents, such as red velvet cake and classic chocolate cake. I recommend applying some cake syrup, especially when not serving the cake within the day.
Melt the sugar with hot water. The most commonly used ratio is 1:1. Adjust the ratio as you like!
Uses For Chocolate Sponge Cake
My favorite thing about this recipe is that it is incredibly versatile. Enjoy it in many ways to complete your special cake!
- Whole cakes: From classic to custom cakes, use it for any whole cake, such as black forest cake, chocolate mousse cake, chocolate ganache cake, etc.
- Cupcakes: This makes amazing cupcakes as well. Just bake for a shorter time! (9 - 15 mins)
- Plated desserts: Use it for petit gateau or create your unique plated dessert with it!
Chocolate frosting to Pair with Chocolate Sponge Cake
- Chocolate whipped cream
- Chocolate mousse
- Chocolate buttercream
- Chocolate ganache
Finish the cake with any topping, such as fresh strawberries, blueberries, and fluffy whipped cream!
Troubleshooting Tips
The three possible causes & solutions:
1. The eggs were not whipped enough.
→ Whip more so that the cake batter can contain enough air bubbles, leading to a fluffier cake.
2. The batter was over-mixed.
→ Fold until the batter is just evenly incorporated.
3. It took too long to fold the cake batter and put it in the oven.
→ Try folding it as fast as you can and bake it right away while the batter is in its best condition.
The two possible causes & solutions:
1. The cake batter was not whipped enough at a low speed at the end of the whipping process.
→ Continue whipping it until silky and glossy.
2. The batter was not folded enough at the end. The under-mixed batter gives the sponge cake a rougher texture. (This one happens more for vanilla sponge cake.)
→ Fold until the batter is evenly combined.
The two possible causes & solutions:
1. The sponge cake was not baked enough.
→ Bake until the center bounces back very gently.
2. The recipe was measured with a cup.
→ Weigh all the ingredients with a scale to be precise and get the best result.
Watch How To Make It!
To learn how to make a fluffy chocolate sponge cake visually and have a deeper understanding of it, watch the video tutorial!
Don't forget to subscribe if you liked it 😉
More Fluffy Sponge Cake Recipe
If you liked this fluffy chocolate cake, also try other delicious sponge cake recipes!
💬 Did you try this recipe? I'd like to hear your feedback! I also love hearing how you enjoyed it for your special occasion. If you have a question, leave it in the comment section below, and I'll get back to you as soon as possible!
Fluffy And Moist Chocolate Sponge Cake
Equipment
- Cake pan 1 8-inch or 2 6-inch round cake pans
- Stand mixer with a whisk attachment or a bowl with a hand mixer
- Medium saucepan
- Parchment paper
- Fine mesh sieve
- Whisk
- Rubber spatula
- Toothpick
Ingredients
- 200 g (4 eggs) Egg
- 133 g (⅔ cups) Granulated sugar
- 60 g (¼ cup) Milk
- 56 g (¼ cup) Oil
- 2 pinches (2 pinches) Salt
- 28 g (¼ cup) Cocoa powder
- 80 g (⅔ cup) Cake flour
- ½ teaspoon Baking powder
NOTE: For best results, measure ingredients with a scale. All recipes are designed with weighed ingredients using grams/ounces. Cup measurements (US customary units) are provided for your convenience.
Instructions
Preparation
- * Preheat the oven: to 355ºF (180ºC)* Prepare hot, gently simmering water to warm eggs in a medium saucepan.* Set up cake liners inside a pan using parchment paper. (Or coat a thin layer of butter, dust flour, and toss the excess flour.)* Sift cake flour and baking powder together using a fine mesh sieve.Before you start, ensure that your tools and ingredients (and even your hands!) are clean with no liquids, oil, or any dirt because they prevent eggs from whipping well to make a fluffy sponge cake.
- Warm whole eggs and sugar with hot water:Mix eggs and sugar in a mixing bowl until combined. Heat the bowl with the double boiler while mixing it constantly to prevent the eggs from getting cooked partially. (Ensure that the bowl is not dipped into the hot water.) Continue heating it until it feels warm, like a bath, when touched with a finger (100 - 113ºF or 37.5 - 45ºC). It was 107ºF (42ºC) this time!200 g Egg, 133 g Granulated sugar
- Whip the eggs and sugar:Start whipping the egg mixture at high speed immediately before it cools down. Continue whipping it until it gets very fluffy. To check if it's whipped enough, scoop it with a whisk and drop - It should flow slowly, and the lines should stay on the surface. Whipping eggs enough is the most important part of making a fluffy chocolate sponge cake! Finish it at low speed (5 minutes - ) to make air bubbles smaller until silky and glossy.
- Whisk together milk, oil, salt, and cocoa powder:While whipping eggs at low speed, whisk together the milk, oil, salt, and cocoa powder. (You can also finish it in advance as preparation.) In the beginning, it'll look separated and lumpy. Continue mixing fast until smooth.60 g Milk, 56 g Oil, 2 pinches Salt, 28 g Cocoa powder
- Add sifted flour and fold:Add the sifted flour and baking powder to the whipped eggs. Fold it with a rubber spatula until you don't see any flour. Scrape off the sides of the bowl and flip the bottom of the bowl, as flour is often hiding there!80 g Cake flour, ½ teaspoon Baking powder
- Add the cocoa powder mixture:Once you don't see any flour, add the cocoa powder mixture and continue folding until evenly blended. Scrape off a rubber spatula and bowl on the way to ensure everything is incorporated evenly. Be careful not to over-mix the batter, as it leads to a flatter, denser sponge cake. Stop folding as soon as everything is evenly blended.Finish folding the batter as quickly as possible before the whipped eggs deflate too much. Check out the video tutorial to see the movement.
- Bake!:Pour the cake batter into the prepared baking pan immediately. Remove some big air bubbles by swirling them with a toothpick. Toss the tin gently for some time on a counter for the same purpose. (I usually do 3 - 5 times)Bake it at 355ºF (180ºC). Adjust the baking time depending on the size and portion: * 36 - 38 minutes for an 8-inch round cake pan* 27 - 32 minutes for 2 6-inch round cake pans (from one batch) * 25 - 27 minutes for a 6-inch round cake pan (from half batch)How to check if the sponge cake is baked enough: Carefully touch the surface and see if it bounces back gently. You'll hear very slight bubble sounds. Or insert a toothpick in the center and see if it comes off clean with a few crumbs. The sponge cake shrinks a tiny bit when the center is cooked through. Pay closer attention toward the end to see the slight change.
- After the cake is baked:Toss the pan some time on a counter to release some steam. Flip it on a cooling rack so the top surface gets flatter after cooling. Remove the pan and let the cake cool completely. Once cooled, slice the cake into layers with a serrated knife.
Video
Notes
- Egg 2 large eggs
- Granulated sugar 66g (⅓ cup)
- Milk 30 g (2 Tbsps)
- Oil 28 g (2 Tbsps)
- Salt 1 pinch
- Cocoa powder 14 g (2 Tbsps)
- Cake flour 40 g (⅓ cup)
- Baking powder ¼ tsp
MEL says
Can I bake this in a hot water bath like done with your Fluffy Strawberry Cream Cake | Chiffon Cake ? Thank you Aya.
ayacaliva says
It is possible but not necessary since this is not chiffon cake (You normally don't need to when you use a chiffon cake pan but I found out it works better when you bake with round pans). This chocolate cake comes out moist and relatively flat without a water bath!
Brenda says
Could you tell me recipe for a gluten free version of genoise cake please.
ayacaliva says
Hi, I haven't successfully made one yet but hopefully I can sometime! Thank you for the request.
Kim says
If I want to use the 1.5x ingredients to make a taller cake, should I use 2 - 8inch pans? Or use 1 8x3inch pan? How long should I bake them for?
Thank you!
ayacaliva says
Hello! It works either way but if the height of the pan is not so tall, I recommend using 2 8" pans. The height of the 8" pan I used this time was 2" | 5 cm. The cake batter rises pretty well in the oven as you can see in the images. Also, the baking time gets shorter with 2 8" pan and longer with a 1 8" pan; Check if it's baked enough once the top of the cake shrinks slightly like in the image in the post.
Hope that help!!
Kate says
It turned out so light & fluffy. I had to repeat the cocoa/oil/milk etc combo because I think I over-whisked it & it looked like the milk separated. Did it a second time & I was cautious not to over-do it so the mixture looked silky but lumpy (not cocoa lumpy but not smooth). I whisked it carefully until it was just combined and added to the mixture and it turned out beautifully. I cut the finished cake in half, filled the middle with freshly whipped cream, marbled with mixed berry jam; topped with strawberry cream cheese frosting using freeze-dried strawberries; decorated with dark chocolate dipped fresh strawberries. Wish I could post a pic!
ayacaliva says
I'm so glad it turned out great! Thank you for sharing your feedback. I can imagine the cake looking so gorgeous😊
About the cocoa liquids mixture, they look a bit separate after the lumpy stage. It'll eventually get smooth by mixing more. You can use the smooth one, or separated one, they both work fine as long as the cocoa powder doesn't look lumpy!
Diego says
Holy f*** this looks so good.
ayacaliva says
Thank you😁
Kymber H says
Is there a specific oil that should or should not be used for this recipe?
ayacaliva says
You can use any regular oil that does not solidify at room temperature. I like to use olive oil!
Emerald says
Hello! You said that the biggest mistake you can make here is not mixing the egg and sugar enough.
I’ve been mixing it for what feels like 20min and it still hasn’t reached the consistency of the video (the lines disappear in seconds).
I’m planning on making this cake for my boyfriend’s birthday and i wanted to ask if you could give me an estimate on how long you should mix it on high speed.
Thank you so much!!
ayacaliva says
Hi! When I whip it a stand mixer at high speed (I usually set it at level 8), It takes no more than 10 minutes. If it did not get whipped up enough after 20 minutes, there should be a different cause. I will write down the main causes below. I hope it helps!
* The eggs were not warm enough - Heat it until it feels very warm so that eggs can whip properly. Be careful not to cook it partially. Mix it constantly while heating.
* Liquids, oil, or residue were mixed in the tools or ingredients. - Ensure they are completely dry and clean before using.
* The mixer was not powerful enough - I recommend using a stand mixer if you have since it can whip eggs a lot faster than a stand mixer. Most of hand mixers are powerful enough, but I find some traditional ones are not quite fast, even at high speed.
Poppy says
This cake dries quicker than richer cakes with more fat and liquid contents, such as butter cakes? Are you serious? This is exactly the problem I have with butter based cakes. Since it's a saturated fat and solid at room temperature, it will always make my cakes dry out immediately after cooling down, while I NEVER had this problem with oil based cakes, which become even more moist after cooling down. I think the problem here is the cocoa powder. I'm not sure why or how, but my chocolate cakes were always drier than my vanilla or lemon cakes even when I used the exact same recipe with the only change being replacing some of the flour with cocoa powder. What I did was increase the amount of oil and milk and curdle the milk with some lemon juice (or white vinegar) to create "buttermilk", sometimes I'll use plain yogurt too, but they become too moist and soft and make it impossible to use them for layer cakes. So yeah, I think the problem with chocolate cakes is the cocoa powder.
Avishka says
Hi
I baked this cake today. Came out well except that teh cake rose up like a volcano and then cracked in the center.
Also can you share this same recipe with cup measurements.
ayacaliva says
Hi! Here are some ways you can try to prevent that:
* Try baking at a lower temperature.
* Try making the batter less thick in the pan. - The baking time gets longer when the batter is thick.
* Try folding the cake batter slightly more to weaken the strength of whipped eggs - I would not do this if you loved the texture. Check how much I folded in the tutorial.
When you get the result, it usually means the top got caramelized and set before the batter inside gets heated enough. I hope one or more of the ways above can fix it in your case!
Olivia says
Can I bake this in a 10 inch round cake pan? If so should I do 1.5 the batch or double?
Pam says
Your beaten eggs look more like egg whites than whole eggs! Mine did not beat to your posted consistency!
Aya Caliva says
Hi, I'm sorry that the eggs didn't whip up! The 3 main causes for the issue are:
* A bit of oil, liquid, or residue was mixed in the tools or ingredients.- Ensure they are dry and clean.
* The eggs were not warmed enough - Heat them until they are very warm.
* The mixer was not powerful enough - Stand mixer is most powerful. Ensure your hand mixer can whip them at very high speed. And also, start whipping them while they are warm.
I hope that helps! Let me know if they whipped up successfully next time!
Cat says
I tried twice to get the eggs to whip, both times failing. Upon the third try I realised the recipe has a typo. 1 cup (US) of sugar is equal to 200g, not 133g. Tried again with the gram measurements rather then the cup measurements and eggs whipped as expected.
Aya Caliva says
Hi,
Thank you so much for letting me know and I'm so sorry you had to waste the ingredients earlier.
I just fixed the issue.
Aya