Fluffy Chocolate Sponge Cake

Step 1 - 7

Warm whole eggs and sugar with hot water.
1. Mix eggs and sugar in a mixing bowl until combined.
2. Heat the bowl with a water bath while mixing it constantly to prevent the eggs from getting cooked partially.
3. Continue heating it until it feels warm like a bath when touching it with a finger (100 - 113ºF | 37.5 - 45ºC. It was 107ºF | 42ºC this time!)
Tips💡
1. Avoid using boiling water since there is a chance that eggs get cooked partially.
2. Warm eggs get whipped much more than cold eggs. It takes a lot longer time to whip them enough when they are cold or the eggs do not get whipped enough when the mixer is not powerful enough.
4 large eggs Egg, 4.9 oz Granulated sugar
Whip the eggs and sugar.
1. Start whipping the 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 this sponge cake!
2. Finish it at low speed to make air bubbles smaller until it looks silky and glossy. To check if it's done, scoop the batter with a whisk and draw a line. It should flow slowly, and the line should stay on the surface.
Tips💡
1. The biggest key to this fluffy sponge cake is to whip eggs A LOT and let them contain lots of air. Many people fail here by not whipping them enough.
2. Finishing the mixture at low speed is very important to make all the air bubbles a lot smaller to 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 get eliminated more as you mix, which leads to a little bit shorter sponge cake. I whip at low speed for at least 5 - 10 minutes, but judge with your eyes to be most accurate!
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 and lumpy. Continue mixing fast until smooth. Clean the bowl on the way and check if there are any lumps of cocoa powder left. We don't want them in the finished sponge cake!
2 oz Milk, 2 oz Oil, 2 Pinches Salt, 1 oz Cocoa powder
Add sifted cake flour and baking powder and fold.
Add the sifted flour to the whipped eggs and fold it with a spatula until you don't see any flour. Flip the bottom of a bowl and scrape off the sides of the bowl on the way to pick up any flour left.
Tips💡
1. Finish folding the batter as fast as possible, pour it into a pan, and bake it immediately before the whipped eggs get popped too much.
2. You can see the whole footage of how I fold it in the video tutorial (It's listed toward the end of the post). I recommend watching it to check the movement and speed.
3. Flour is almost always hiding in the bottom of the bowl. Flip well to make an even batter!
4 tips for folding cake batter
If you are not confident of folding it, try the 4 tips:
1. Move your spatula like you draw a "J."
2. Turn your bowl as you move a spatula to mix the batter evenly.
3. Fold it with speed: It helps to break down chunks of flour. More air bubbles remain in the eggs by finishing up faster, resulting in a taller, fluffier sponge.
4. Clean your spatula and bowl on the way to ensure you do not miss any uneven parts.
2.8 oz Cake flour, ½ teaspoon Baking powder
Add the cocoa powder liquids and fold.
Once you don't see any flour, add the cocoa powder liquids and continue folding until it looks evenly mixed. Drop it all over the surface instead of at one spot so it doesn't sink in. Clean a spatula and bowl on the way to ensure everything is incorporated evenly.
Tips💡
1. The air bubbles disappear quicker, especially after cocoa powder is added. Keep in mind to fold fast.
2. Be careful not to over-mix the batter; The over-mixed cake batter will not rise as much in the oven even if you whip eggs well. Stop folding as soon as everything is evenly blended.
Pour it into the pan and bake!
1. Pour the cake batter into the prepared pan immediately. Avoid touching it too much and pour it all at once.
2. Remove some big air bubbles by swirling them with a toothpick and tossing the pan on a counter gently for some time. (I usually do 3 - 5 times)
3. Bake it at 355ºF (180ºC) for about:
* 36 - 38 minutes for 1 8-inch pan
* 27 - 32 minutes for 2 6-inch pans (from one batch)
* 25 - 27 minutes for 1 6-inch pan (from half batch)
* 35 minutes for 1 6-inch pan (from 0.75 batch) for a tall cake
Adjust the oven temperature and time accordingly.
How to check if the sponge cake is baked enough
1. The sponge shrinks a tiny bit when the center is cooked through. Pay closer attention toward the end to see the slight change.
2. Carefully touch it with your fingers and see if it bounces back gently. You'll hear very slight bubble sounds, but they should bounce back gently. Wear a glove or something to protect your skin if necessary.
3. 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.
After it's out of the oven
1. Toss the pan some time on a counter to release some steam.
2. Flip it on a cooling rack so the top surface gets flat after it cools down. Remove the pan and let the cake cool completely. It's difficult to slice the cake clean when it's still warm.
3. Once cooled, split the cake into layers with a serrated knife to create a layered cake.

Fluffy Chocolate Sponge Cake

Equipment

Ingredients

Instructions

Preparation

Step 1 - 7

Video

Notes

How to store it:

Nutrition