Genoese Chocolate Sponge Cake Recipe

An easy Genoese Chocolate Sponge Cake Recipe which can simply be filled with cream, buttercream or a rich chocolate ganache for a special occasion.

For the Cake

4 eggs

1/2 cup sugar

5 tablespoons unsalted butter

2/3 cup plain flour (all purpose flour)

1 tablespoon cocoa powder



For the Topping

1 1/4 cups whipping cream

few drops of vanilla essence

225g (8 oz) milk chocolate bar

1.  Grease and line 2, 20cm (7 inch) round cake tins.

2.  Place the eggs and sugar in a bowl over a pot of simmering water.

3  Whisk until the mixture leaves a trail when you hold up the whisk (this can take up to about 10 minutes whisking by hand).

4.  Remove from the heat and continue to whisk until the mixture becomes cool.

5.  Melt the butter and leave to cool slightly.

6.  Sift the flour and cocoa together.

7.  Gently fold in small amounts of flour and melted butter into the egg mixture, finishing with flour.

8.  Divide the mixture between the two cake tins and bake for about 25 - 30 minutes or until cooked.

When the cakes feel firm to the touch and springs back in the center the cake is cooked.

9.  Remove from oven, let stand in tin for about 5 minutes, then turn out onto wire racks to cool completely before decorating.

Decorating the Cake

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1.  Whip the cream with vanilla and sandwich the cakes together with the cream.  

2.  Spread the cream around the sides and top of the cake.

3.  Make chocolate curls for decoration by scraping the milk chocolate bar with a vegetable peeler.  Use chocolate curls  to decorate the top of the cake.