The Best Chocolate Sponge Cake Recipe (video)
Need a simple, no-fail chocolate sponge cake recipe for your next cake creation? I’ve got you covered with this fantastic, rich and chocolate-y version! While most chocolate cakes tend to be dense and fudge-y, this recipe yields a super fluffy, light as air cake layer that will surprise you! And you’ll love how versatile this recipe is – you can fill and frost this cake with just about anything! This cake recipe is from my ‘Back to Cake Basics’ series, where I share simple cake, frosting and filling recipes!
My Sponge Cake Video Tutorial
Watch my YouTube video recipe for step-by-step instructions! This chocolate sponge cake is ridiculously easy to make once you have the technique down and it’s almost impossible to mess it up! Want to get new recipe updates? Make sure to subscribe to my website emailing list and my YouTube channel and turn on notifications.
Ingredients for Chocolate Sponge Cake
Here are the ingredients you’ll need to make this rich cake recipe:
- Eggs: use fresh eggs for best results. Both cold and room temperature eggs will work well for this recipe. Cold eggs will need to be whisked for longer.
- Sugar, Vanilla Extract, Baking Powder: for the cake batter.
- All-Purpose Flour: this is the best type of flour for this recipe.
- Butter: use melted, unsalted butter for the cake batter.
- Cocoa Powder: try using a dark cocoa powder, such as Hershey’s Special Dark for a very rich chocolate flavor.
- Instant Coffee: adding instant coffee to a chocolate cake helps intensify the chocolate flavor.
How To Make Chocolate Sponge Cake
What sets a sponge cake apart from other cakes is the method of preparation and ingredients. Recipes like this one call for more eggs than usual, six to be exact! I know that sounds like a lot for a cake but it’s the eggs that give these cake layers volume.
- The first and most important step is whisking the eggs, sugar and vanilla until the eggs are pale in color, thick and voluminous. The more volume, the better! It’s equally important to add the dry ingredients gently, folding carefully but thoroughly to keep the eggs fluffy.
- In a separate bowl, combine the dry ingredients: flour, baking powder and cocoa powder. Sift the dry ingredients into the egg mixture in small increments, folding gently but thoroughly after each addition.
- In a small ramekin, dissolve the instant coffee with the hot water. Pour the dissolved coffee and melted butter last into the batter. Fold and mix gently for approximately 30 seconds, just until the butter is mixed into the batter. (Adding the butter is optional)
- For making two, 8-inch round cake layers: Divide the batter evenly between the two baking pans. Bake in the preheated oven for 18 to 20 minutes, until the tops are set. They will spring back when tapped gently when done. Remove the cakes from the oven and place onto a cooling rack. Immediately, run a knife along the edge of the pan and cake to release the cake from the pan.
Cake Ideas for Chocolate Sponge Cake
If you’ve ever baked a sponge cake before, you know that they tend to be much drier than a traditional butter and sugar based cakes. That makes them great filling with a variety of fillings! Try these cake layers with creamy or fruity fillings such as custards, citrus curds or fruit preserves; dessert liqueurs also work well. Since sponge cakes don’t have a ton of moisture on their own, they absorb other liquids and moisture very well! Here are some more ideas for filling the cake:
- For this simple cake pictured, I used blueberry preserves and chocolate ganache, along with my ‘German Custard Buttercream’. It was absolutely delicious! The preserves and chocolate both made the cake very moist and tender!
- Also, try this with my ‘Berry Whipped Cream Frosting’ for a berry twist.
- And to make the ultimate chocolate cake, combine my chocolate sponge cake with my ‘Chocolate Buttercream’.
More Recipes!
Looking for more of my ‘Back To Cake Basics’ episodes? Check out some of my other recipes!
- Vanilla Sponge Cake – the best, no-fail basic sponge cake recipe!
- Best Chocolate Cake – try this rich and fudgy chocolate cake recipe next!
- Basic Vanilla Cake – delicate vanilla cake for any recipe!
- Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting – rich, creamy and extra chocolatey frosting with butter, cream cheese, dark chocolate and cocoa powder!
Share it on Pinterest!
Supplies/Tools
Need some supplies to make this recipe? You can get them here (Amazon affiliate links):
- My classic KitchenAid stand mixer is a must for every kitchen!
- I love these aluminum round cake pans for all my cakes. And these precut parchment paper rounds are a huge time saver!
- Use this set of jumbo cake decorating tips are the ones I use for almost all my recipes.
- I love these off-set spatulas for everything from cake batter to frosting.
The Best Chocolate Sponge Cake Recipe (video)
Ingredients
- 6 large eggs
- 3/4 cup white granulated sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/3 cup cocoa powder, I used Hershey’s Special Dark
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted; optional
- 1 tablespoon instant coffee
- 1 tablespoon hot water
For Chocolate Cake (as seen in video):
- 1 recipe Vanilla Custard Buttercream, optional
- 1/2 cup blueberry preserves
- 1 recipe chocolate ganache, optional
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350F/177C. Prepare two, 8-inch/20-cm cake rounds by lining the bottom with parchment paper; do not grease the sides. This recipe will also work well in a 13×19-inch jelly roll pan for Swiss roll cakes.
- Place the eggs, sugar and vanilla extract into a stand mixer bowl, then whisk on high speed for 7 to 9 minutes. The eggs need to be thick, pale in color and super fluffy. In a separate bowl, combine the dry ingredients: flour, baking powder and cocoa powder. Sift the dry ingredients into the egg mixture in small increments, folding gently but thoroughly after each addition.
- In a small ramekin, dissolve the instant coffee with the hot water. Pour the dissolved coffee and melted butter last into the batter. Fold and mix gently for approximately 30 seconds, just until the butter is mixed into the batter. (Adding the butter is optional)
- Divide the batter evenly between the two baking pans. Bake in the preheated oven for 18 to 20 minutes, until the tops are set. They will spring back when tapped gently when done. Remove the cakes from the oven and place onto a cooling rack. Immediately, run a knife along the edge of the pan and cake to release the cake from the pan. Cool the layers completely on a wire rack.
- Once the layers are cooled, remove the parchment paper and use a long serrated knife to split the layers in half, if desired. Use choice of fillings and frostings to fill and garnish.
thanks for sharing such yumminess
thanks for sharing
Not sure what I did wrong but this cake turned out horribly for me. The texture was all wrong and the flavour was really unpleasant. I was making a friends birthday cake but had to toss the whole thing and use a different recipe. It’s possible I mixed it too much but I really tried to be gentle with all the folding of ingredients. Did anyone else run into any issues?
I’m so sorry that the recipe didn’t work out for you! At what step did the batter go bad?
Hi Tatyana – Will working with 9′ cake pans work just as well? Are there any modifications that I need to take into account — ie timing in oven/pour batter in only one pan (no dividing of cake batter) etc.. thanks!
Hi! this recipe will make too much batter for one 9-inch pan. I would recommend reducing the recipe to 4 eggs and reduce all the ingredients by 1/3 for a single layer. If you want to make two, 9-inch, you can double the recipe. Enjoy! 🙂
Your recipe is wrong the video, if you wanted creamed butter and sugar, then you need to put it in the recipe nowhere does it say you need to cream the butter and then add the eggs. I am very disappointed with you and the ingredients you have cost me and the time. I would fix this error in your writing.
Hi Samantha. It’s not included in the recipe because the butter and sugar are NOT meant to be mixed together. The melted butter is supposed to be added at the very end of the recipe, after the flour and baking powder have been incorporate. I’m so sorry for any confusion.
How can i multiplythis recipe for a multi tier cake? I need to make (2) 16 in cakes that are 4 inches high and (2) 12 in. Cakes also 4 inch high… Thank you.
Hi! I recommend doubling the recipe for the 12 inch cake rounds and tripling for the 16-inch cake rounds. I would however make the batter in batches, since the eggs need to be well beaten and unless you have a commercial sized mixer, make one huge batch will not turn out. Hope you enjoy the recipe!
Hi Tatyana!
I want to make 3 -6 inch layer cake with this recipe for a birthday:) Is there a need to change the recipe quantities and the baking time?
Hi Shayna! Yes, you will need to cut the recipe in half for 6-inch layers. Keep the baking temperature the same and bake for a few minutes less. Enjoy!
This is the worse chocolate sponge cake recipe I have ever tried,With my old recipe my cake puffs up almost above the edge of the pan , I thought I would give this recipe a try ..regardless of how gentle I mixed the flour into the egg mix I still ended with a heavy batter and my cake didn’t raise at all .
Similar to the other reviews I will not give any star .
I’m so sorry this recipe didn’t work well for you. I’m not sure what could have happened to your batter. I only shared my tried recipes and I’ve made this cake dozens of times, each time the cake is perfect. Make sure you are not overmixing once you add the butter. Sounds like maybe that’s the issue. Once you pour it in, just fold gently for 30 seconds; the butter will not be fully incorporated.
Hi Tatyana,
I was planning to make this for a birthday and wanted to make it in 2 9 inch pans. What modifications would you make? Thanks for the help!
Hi Vickie! This recipe will be perfect for a birthday cake! If you don’t mind the layers being slightly shorter, you can prepare the recipe as is. If you want taller layers, you’ll need to increase the recipe slightly! Use 8 large eggs, 1 cup sugar, 1 tsp vanilla, 1 2/3 cup all-purpose flour, 1/2 cup cocoa powder, 1 tbsp + 1 tsp instant coffee, 1 tbsp + 1 tsp water, 2/3 cup butter. Increase the baking time by just a few minutes. Enjoy!
Hi can you freeze the cake once it is baked and the texture will remain the same?
Hi Chole! Yes, you can freeze these and that’s actually the best way to keep them. Make sure they are completely cooled, then wrap them in plastic wrap, place into ziplock bag and into the freezer. They will seem more dry when you first take them out of the freezer. I love to soak these layers with a liqueur or simple syrup to give them more moisture. Enjoy!
Perfect recipe
I’m so glad you enjoy the recipe! 🙂
Prrfect recipe for a birthday cake today. Thank you x
I’m so glad you enjoyed the recipe!
The cake didn’t work for me, turned out terrible. Adding the butter ruined the sponge. I thought it was wrong when following it, but continued. It was the big mistake, it killed the sponge. The cake turned out heavy and unbeatable. I was super disappointed, waste of time and ingredients.
Hi Oksana. I’m so sorry the recipe didn’t work out well for you. Did you fold the butter in very gently at the end? It’s important that the eggs stay very fluffy. I scoop from the bottom of my mixing bowl, slowly incorporating the butter with the eggs. If the eggs fall flat, that will make the cake heavy and dense.
Hi,
I am very disappointed of this recipe. I opted and added 1/2 cup of butter and it was a complete failure.
1/2 cup of butter is a lot and it has to be offset with something else ( additional flour) to obtain the same consistency of the batter.
Please adjust the recipe.
Hi Emilia! I’m sorry the recipe didn’t work for you. Adding the butter can be a little tricky. It needs to be folded in very gently after the flour. If you overmix, the butter will deflate the eggs. Hope that helps for next time! You can also make this sponge cake without the butter.