Today, I’m sharing simple steps to make an incredibly fluffy chocolate sponge cake. Follow essential tips to make it successful at home!
I shared how to make chocolate sponge cake a while ago on YouTube. That was my favorite recipe I'd been using for years.
Since then, I tested many times to polish it and finally came out with this better version - even fluffier and moister chocolate sponge cake! And I am very excited to share it with you.
🤎 I love this chocolate sponge cake because:
- The texture is so silky and fluffy.
- It tastes perfectly sweetened and chocolatey.
- The steps are very simple.
- It goes so well with any chocolate dessert. - from simple to advanced cakes.
💬 The best part is; it's so simple to make, even for beginners. And it's a little bit easier to succeed than my older recipe - It became my new favorite!
In this post, you'll learn essential baking tips such as:
- Essential tips to make fluffy chocolate sponge cake
- How to make the texture so fine and silky
- 4 tips for folding the sponge batter to get the best texture
- How to make the cake syrup
- How to store it properly
... and so on.
Let's get started!!
Jump to:
📌 What's In Chocolate Sponge Cake?
The 8 Ingredients
- Egg
- The whipped egg rises in the oven and creates a fluffy texture.
- Granulated sugar
- Sugar helps to create a fine and moist texture.
- Milk
- It makes the sponge moister. It also adds a nice flavor!
- Oil
- Any regular oils work, such as canola oil and vegetable oil. I always use olive oil.
- Salt
- It enhances the chocolate flavor.
- Cocoa powder
- Use any of your favorite cocoa powders. Higher-quality cocoa powder tends to look darker and has a richer flavor.
- Cake flour
- For this cake, use cake flour instead of all-purpose flour to make a fluffier texture with more volume.
- Baking powder
- Baking powder helps push the cake a bit more in the oven. I decided to add it since the oil in cocoa powder likes to slowly "pop" air bubbles in the whipped egg once mixed.
📌 How To Make Chocolate Sponge Cake
The 7 Steps:
- Warm whole eggs and sugar with a water bath, constantly mixing until it feels warm, like bath water.
- Whip whole eggs and sugar.
- Start whipping at high speed to make it very fluffy (Drop the batter with a whisk. It should flow slowly, and the lines should stay on the surface.)
- Finish at low speed to make air bubbles smaller until it looks silky and glossy.
- Mix milk, oil, salt, and cocoa powder with a whisk until smooth. (Do this while whipping eggs at step 2.)
- Carefully check if there are no lumps of cocoa powder.
- Clean the bowl with a spatula at the end to ensure it's evenly mixed.
- Add sifted cake flour and baking powder and fold until you don’t see any flour.
- Add 3 (Cocoa liquids) and fold until it's mixed evenly.
- Clean a bowl and spatula on the way.
- Be careful not to overmix it. Stop as soon as everything is evenly incorporated.
- Pour into a pan and BAKE at 355 F | 180 C for about:
- 36 - 38 mins for 1 8” pan (I used it in this post.)
- 27 - 32 mins for 2 6’ pans (from one batch)
- 25 - 27 mins for 1 6” pan (from half batch)
- 35 mins for 1 6” pan (from 0.75 batch) for a taller cake
- After it's out of the oven, toss the pan gently, flip it, and let it cool completely before slicing it.
📝 More Tips With Images
Now, let me share detailed tips on each step, which are crucial for making the chocolate sponge cake successful.
Preparations
- Preheat the oven: to 355 F | 180 C
- Prepare hot, gently simmering water to warm eggs.
- Set up cake liners inside a pan. (Or coat a thin layer of butter, dust flour, and toss the excess flour.)
- Sift cake flour and baking powder together using a fine 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.
Step 1: Warm whole eggs and sugar with a water bath.
First, mix eggs and sugar.
And heat it with a water bath.
💬 Avoid boiling water since there is a chance that eggs get cooked partially.
💡 Warm eggs get whipped much more than cold eggs.
And mix constantly while you're heating it so that eggs don't get cooked partially.
How to check if it's heated enough:
- By hands: Touch the eggs and check. It is done when it feels nice and warm, like a bath.
- By thermamotor: 100 - 113 F | 37.5 - 45 C. (It was 107 F | 42 C this time!)
Step 2: Whip whole eggs and sugar.
Start whipping the eggs at high speed right away before it cools down.
📣 This is the most important part of this sponge cake! The biggest key to this fluffy sponge cake is to whip eggs A LOT and let them contain lots of air.
How to check if it is whipped enough:
- Scoop the batter with a whisk and draw a line.
- It should drop or flow slowly, and the line should stay on the surface without disappearing slowly. (Check the image below.)
Now, it is whipped enough! But it's not quite done yet.
Finish it with low speed:
In the end, turn it down to low speed and continue whipping until it looks silky and glossy.
👩🏻🍳 This process is very important to make all the air bubbles a lot smaller to create a silkier, fluffier sponge. I whip at least 5 - 10 mins but judge with your eyes for more accuracy! The texture of the sponge gets rougher when you skip the process.
The comparison of 2 batters:
Bigger air bubbles before whipping at low speed:
Smaller air bubbles after whipping at low speed:
👩🏻🍳 Bigger air bubbles are more fragile than smaller ones and eliminate more as you mix. Which also leads to a little bit shorter sponge cake.
Final check:
Again, Scoop the batter with a whisk and draw a line. It should drop or flow slowly, and the line should stay on the surface without disappearing slowly.
Step 3: Mix milk, oil, salt, and cocoa powder together.
While whipping eggs at low speed, mix milk, oil, salt, and cocoa powder together. (You can also finish it in advance as preparation.)
In the beginning, it'll look separated, but keep going!:
Then you'll see it's thicker and lumpy. Continue mixing fast until it gets very smooth:
💬 Clean the bowl on the way and check if there are any lumps; We don't want them in the finished sponge cake!
Step 4: Add sifted cake flour and baking powder and fold.
Add flour and fold.
Moving quickly is the key to success in steps 4 - 6.
💬 Finish folding the batter as fast as possible, pour it into a pan, and bake it immediately before the whipped eggs get popped and disappear too much.
💬 You can see the whole footage of how I fold it in the video tutorial. Check it out to see the movement.
Oftentimes, flour is hiding on the bottom. Flip well and check!
Step 5: Add cocoa powder liquids and fold.
Once you don't see any flour, add the cocoa powder liquids and continue folding.
💬 Drop it all over instead of at one spot so it doesn't sink on one spot.
💬 The air bubbles disappear quicker, especially after cocoa powder is added. Keep in mind to fold fast.
Clean a spatula and bowl on the way before it's completely blended.
Flip the bottom well and check if the cocoa powder liquids are not hiding on the bottom.
⚠️ Be careful not to over-mix the batter; The sponge will not rise much even if you whip it well.
For the chocolate sponge cake, stop folding as soon as everything is evenly blended.
4 tips for folding any batter
If you are not confident of folding it, try the 4 tips:
- Move your spatula like you draw a "J."
- As you move your spatula, move your bowl about 45 degrees so you can mix evenly.
- Fold fast. That helps to break down chunks of flour. The air bubbles stay more stable by finishing up faster, resulting in a taller, fluffier sponge.
- Clean your spatula and bowl on the way to ensure you do not miss any uneven parts. Make sure that no flour is left on the bottom or sides.
Check out the video tutorial to see it visually.
Step 6: Pour it into a pan and Bake!
Avoid touching the batter too much and pour it all at once:
Remove some big air bubbles by:
- Swirling them with a toothpick or something similar.
- Tossing the pan sometimes. (I usually do 3 - 5 times)
And bake it right away!
Baking time and temperature 🔥
Bake at 355 F | 180 C for:
- about 36 - 38 mins for 1 8” pan
- about 27 - 32 mins for 2 6’ pans (from one batch)
- about 25 - 27 mins for 1 6” pan (from half batch)
- about 35 mins for 1 6” pan (from 0.75 batch) for a tall cake
Adjust the time and temperature accordingly.
How to check if the sponge cake is baked enough
- You'll see that the sponge shrinks a tiny bit when the center is cooked through, just like the image below. ↓
- Insert a toothpick in the center and see if it comes off clean.
- Some cake crumbs are fine as long as it is not wet.
- Carefully touch it with your fingers and see if it bounces back gently.
- You'll hear very slight bubble sounds, but they bounce back gently.
- Wear a glove or something to protect your skin if necessary.
Bake with a 6-inch | 15-cm pan:
Step 7: After it's out of the oven
Toss the pan sometimes and flip it on a cooling rack so the shape remains nice after it cools down.
Remove the pan and let it cool completely.
💬 It will be much easier to cut clean after it cools down.
📌 How To Store Chocolate Sponge Cake
Wrap it tightly (twice, ideally) so it's not getting dried.
I recommend consuming it within the day for the best taste.
Or store it in the fridge for a few days or about two months in the freezer.
📌 Simple Cake Syrup
The sponge cake dries quicker than richer cakes with more fat and liquid contents - I recommend applying some cake syrup, especially when you don't serve the cake immediately.
How to make simple cake syrup:
Melt the sugar with hot water. (or heat them in a microwave or a pot.)
The most commonly used ratio is 1:1.
- Adjust the ratio as you like!
📌 Uses For Chocolate Sponge Cake
Enjoy the delicious chocolate sponge cake in many ways, such as:
- As whole cakes
- From classic to custom cakes, use it for any chocolate cakes.
- As cupcakes
- This makes amazing cupcakes as well. Just bake for a shorter time! (9 - 15 mins)
- For plated desserts
- Use it for petit gateau or as decoration on the plates as the finishing touch!
📌 Frequently Asked Questions
Troubleshooting
That can happen in these processes:
* Eggs were not whipped enough. The batter didn't contain enough air bubbles because of that.
* The batter was over-mixed.
* Many air bubbles disappeared because it took too long before moving it in the oven.
* The batter may not get whipped at a low speed long enough at the end of the whipping process.
* Folding the batter at the end may not be enough: Under-mixing the batter makes the sponge less silky and slightly rougher. (This one happens more for plain sponge cake. Over-mixing is more common for chocolate sponge cake due to cocoa powder.)
The sponge might not be baked enough when it deflated more than slightly: It shrinks because the body for the sponge, such as glutens in flour and eggs, is not set enough yet.
Others
Genoise sponge cake is made by whipping up whole eggs and sugar together. That is the unique method for this sponge to create a fluffy texture.
The primary 4 ingredients are eggs, sugar, flour, and butter. Today, I used oil instead of butter to make the texture lighter.
In addition, "Biscuit sponge cake" is a very popular sponge widely used worldwide. The sponge with biscuit method is made by whipping up egg whites and yolks separately. All the other processes are the same as the genoise sponge cake.
The sponge texture will not be the same with all-purpose flour. It creates more gluten, making the sponge heavier and less fluffy. I highly recommend using cake flour if you can get it!
Wrap it tightly (twice, ideally) so it's not getting dried. I recommend consuming it within the day for the best taste. Or store it in the fridge for a few days or about two months in the freezer.
📌 VIDEO: Watch How To Make It!
To learn how to make chocolate sponge cake visually and have a deeper understanding of all, watch this video.
Don't forget to subscribe if you liked it 😉
📌 Fluffy Vanilla Sponge Cake
If you loved this chocolate sponge, I bet you'll love my fluffy vanilla sponge too - It is so fluffy and silky, just like this chocolate cake.
This is my go-to sponge cake, which I often use for many cakes and desserts.
Check out the green tea version also if you are a matcha lover!
📌 Printable Recipe
💬 If you loved this recipe, please share your feedback on this post! I always love hearing how you enjoyed it with your friends and family.
Fluffy Chocolate Sponge Cake
Equipment
- Stand mixer with a whisk attachment Or a bowl with a hand blender
- Pot
- Cake pan 1 8" or 2 6" for one batch of the recipe
- Parchment paper
- Sieve
- Whisk
- Spatula
- Toothpick
Ingredients
- 4 large eggs Egg
- 4.9 oz Granulated sugar
- 2 oz Milk
- 2 oz Oil
- 2 Pinches Salt
- 1 oz Cocoa powder
- 2.8 oz Cake flour
- ½ teaspoon Baking powder
Instructions
Preparation
- * Preheat the oven: to 355 F | 180 C* Prepare hot, gently simmering water to warm eggs.* Set up cake liners inside a pan. (Or coat a thin layer of butter, dust flour, and toss the excess flour.)* Sift cake flour and baking powder together using a fine sieve.
Step 1 - 7
- Warm whole eggs and sugar with a water bath, constantly mixing until it feels warm, like bath water.4 large eggs Egg, 4.9 oz Granulated sugar
- Whip whole eggs and sugar:Start whipping at high speed to make it very fluffy (Drop the batter with a whisk. It should flow slowly, and the lines should stay on the surface.)Finish at low speed to make air bubbles smaller until it looks silky and glossy.
- Mix milk, oil, salt, and cocoa powder with a whisk until smooth. (Do this while whipping eggs at step 2.)Carefully check if there are no lumps of cocoa powder.Clean the bowl with a spatula at the end to ensure it's evenly mixed.2 oz Milk, 2 oz Oil, 2 Pinches Salt, 1 oz Cocoa powder
- Add sifted cake flour and baking powder and fold until you don’t see any flour.2.8 oz Cake flour, ½ teaspoon Baking powder
- Add 3 (Cocoa liquids) and fold until it's mixed evenly. Clean a bowl and spatula on the way.Be careful not to overmix it. Stop as soon as everything is evenly incorporated.
- Pour into a pan and bake at 355 F | 180 C for about:36 - 38 mins for 1 8” pan (I used it in this post.)27 - 32 mins for 2 6’ pans (from one batch)25 - 27 mins for 1 6” pan (from half batch)35 mins for 1 6” pan (from 0.75 batch) for a taller cake* Adjust the time and temperature accordingly.
- After it's out of the oven, toss the pan gently, flip it, and let it cool completely before slicing it.
Video
Notes
How to store it:
Wrap it tightly (twice, ideally) so it's not getting dried. I recommend consuming it within the day for the best taste. Or store it in the fridge for a few days or about two months in the freezer. [½ Batch] for 1 6” cake- Egg 2 large eggs
- Granulated sugar 2.45 oz | 70 g
- Milk 1 oz | 28 g
- Oil 1 oz | 28 g
- Salt 1 pinches
- Cocoa powder 0.5 oz | 14 g
- Cake flour 1.4 oz | 40 g
- Baking powder ¼ tsp
Nutrition
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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!!