Published on the 21 March 2022
How To: The Best Chocolate Sponge Recipe
Is there anything quite as good as a delicious chocolate sponge? We don’t think so! Our chocolate sponge cake recipe makes the most fluffy and moist sponge and can be adapted to suit your favourite flavours. Rich and indulgent, a slice of chocolate sponge cake is the perfect mid-morning treat, dessert after dinner or a sumptuous way to celebrate.
Whether you’re making a delicious birthday cake or you simply fancy a bit of baking, our chocolate sponge recipe, with an easy-to-follow method, will make the perfect cake. The fun doesn’t stop once the cake is baked either, our chocolate sponge can be finished any way you like. Fill it with lashings of buttercream or whipped cream and your favourite fruity jam, or cover it with playful icing and your family's most loved sweets.
Our treasured chocolate sponge cake recipe is based on a traditional recipe from the north of England. How to make our chocolate sponge cake can also be adapted, so why not swap the vanilla bean paste for almond extract for a flavour variation? Try adding the zest from a lemon or an orange for a citrusy twist.
Cutter and Squidge’s best chocolate sponge recipe lists the ingredients for both a 15cm/6 inch cake and a 20cm/8 inch cake.
Chocolate Sponge Ingredients
15cm/6 Inch Cake
| 175 g |
Unsalted butter, softened |
|
175 g
|
plus 2 tablespoons caster/ granulated sugar |
|
4 |
Eggs, at room temperature |
|
40g |
Cocoa Powder |
|
200g |
Plain/all-purpose flour |
|
1 teaspoon |
Baking powder |
|
85 ml |
Buttermilk, at room temperature |
|
1 teaspoon |
Bicarbonate of soda or baking soda |
20cm/8 Inch Cake
| 250 g |
Unsalted butter, softened |
| 250 g |
plus 2 tablespoons caster/ granulated sugar |
|
6 |
Eggs, at room temperature |
|
75g |
Cocoa Powder |
|
265g |
Plain/all-purpose flour |
|
2 teaspoons |
Baking powder |
|
120 ml |
Buttermilk, at room temperature |
|
2 teaspoons |
Bicarbonate of soda or baking soda |
How To Make Chocolate Sponge Cake
Method (15cm/6 inch)
Preheat the oven to 180°C/fan 160°C (350°F) Gas 4.
Put the softened butter, sugar and eggs in a mixing bowl. Sift in the flour, cocoa and baking powder and mix with a hand-held electric whisk (or use a stand mixer with the paddle attachment), starting slow and then at a medium speed, for about 1 minute, scraping down the sides of the bowl a couple of times.
In a separate bowl, mix the buttermilk and bicarbonate of soda/baking soda together until foamy and quickly add to the cake batter.
Mix at a medium-high speed until combined; do not overmix or the sponge will be tough.
Divide the cake batter into the pans specified in the recipe and bake in the preheated oven for 20–25 minutes for three pans or 30–35 minutes for two pans until springy to the touch.
Method (20cm/8 inch)
Preheat the oven to 180°C/fan 160°C (350°F) Gas 4.
Put the softened butter, sugar and eggs in a mixing bowl. Sift in the flour, cocoa and baking powder and mix with a hand-held electric whisk (or use a stand mixer with the paddle attachment), starting slow and then at a medium speed, for about 1 minute, scraping down the sides of the bowl a couple of times.
In a separate bowl, mix the buttermilk and bicarbonate of soda/baking soda together until foamy and quickly add to the cake batter.
Mix at a medium-high speed until combined; do not overmix or the sponge will be tough.
Divide the cake batter into the pans specified in the recipe and bake in the preheated oven for 25–30 minutes for three pans or 35–40 minutes for two pans until springy to the touch.
Perfect for…
Our chocolate sponge cake recipe is perfect for teaching your little ones how to bake. Follow our step-by-step method, watch it rise in the oven and sit back whilst they enjoy decorating it with our amazing buttercream recipe or tasty toppings…almost as much as they enjoy eating it.
This is simply the best chocolate sponge recipe and once you are happy with your results this recipe will become the fundamental part of many other favourites. A basic chocolate sponge recipe is the staple of most chocolate cake baking; our sponge cake recipe can be used as part of more complex recipes that require a chocolate sponge foundation, such as a mouthwatering black forest gateau or a moreish chocolate fudge cake.
Our chocolate sponge cake recipe is perfect for making ahead of time. It can be cooked, cooled, wrapped and frozen for up to 3 months.
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Afternoon Tea at the Cutter & Squidge Bakery by Annabel Lui & Emily Lui (Ryland Peters & Small, £16.99) Photography by Clare Winfield © Ryland Peters & Small |
