Easy chocolate sponge cake recipe
Foolproof chocolate sponge cake, light, fluffy, and very tall. An easy genoise, ideal for birthday cakes, Black Forest Cake etc...
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INGREDIENTS
For an 18 cm x 12 cm cake pan lined with parchment paper (7 x 4.7 inches).
- 6 large eggs between 68/72 g with the shell (2.5 oz )
- 200 g granulated sugar (7 oz)
- 170 g flour (6 oz)
- 30 g unsweetened cocoa powder (1 oz)
- 1 level teaspoon baking powder (3.5 g / 0.12 oz)
- 2 packets vanilla sugar (15 g / 0.5 oz)
PREPARATION
- I use a hand mixer for better control, but you can warm the eggs and sugar in a double boiler, stirring constantly to prevent the eggs from coagulating, then whip in a stand mixer for 15 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 150°C (300°F) on conventional oven.
- Leave the drip pan on top of the oven to prevent the sponge from browning too much.
- Grease an 18 cm (7 inches) cake pan and line it with a 12 cm (4.7 inches) high strip of parchment paper and a disc for the bottom.
- Sift the flour, cocoa, and baking powder and mix everything with a whisk.
- Put the eggs, vanilla sugar, and granulated sugar in a large mixing bowl as the mixture will triple in volume.
- Put a little boiling water in another slightly smaller bowl for the double boiler. The bottom of the bowl containing the eggs and sugar should touch the water, but the water should not rise up the sides of the mixing bowl.
- Place the bowl containing the eggs and sugar on top.
- Whisk for 15 minutes, or more depending on the power of your mixer. The mixture should triple in volume, whiten and become very smooth.
- Note: ⚠️ Check the temperature of the sabayon (whipped eggs and sugar). The mixture should always remain barely warm; if it gets too hot, remove it from the double boiler.
- Once the mixture has tripled in volume, remove it from the double boiler. If the sabayon is still hot, continue whisking it off the double boiler until it cools completely.
- Incorporate the mixture of flour, cocoa, and baking powder in 4 or 5 additions. Work gently from bottom to top, without whisking, to avoid deflating the mixture. Tap the whisk occasionally on the side of the bowl, as explained in the tips above.
- I use a whisk because I find it much more practical, but you can of course use a rubber spatula.
- Fill the cake mold and bake immediately for 55 minutes, more or less depending on your oven.
- Check the baking by opening the oven around 45 minutes, which is about 3/4 of the baking time. At the end of baking, check with a skewer inserted into the center of the sponge cake.
- The skewer should come out dry, without any trace of batter. Leave the baked sponge cake in the turned-off oven for 5 minutes with the door ajar.
- Remove the parchment paper and unmold the sponge cake onto a wire rack. Immediately invert it onto a second rack.
- Let the sponge cake cool completely before cutting it. Store it well-wrapped in the refrigerator, preferably until the next day, so it will be easier to cut. Of course, you can cut and use it the same day. You can store it for longer, up to 2 months in the freezer.
Notes
You can see the result in a 23 cm (9 inch) by 8 cm (3.1 inch) mold for a 6 cm (2.4 inch) high sponge cake.
