This is a basic chocolate sponge cake recipe that can be used to create fabulous tortes and layered desserts like Croatian Chocolate Chestnut Cream Torte and Hungarian Chocolate Mousse Cake, among others.
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 50 minutes
Yield: 1 Chocolate Sponge Cake
Ingredients:
- 3 ounces unsweetened chocolate, melted and cooled to lukewarm
- 3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
- 1/4 cup plus 1/4 cup sugar
- 4 eggs, separated
- Pinch salt
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
Preparation:
- Heat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare the type pan your application calls for (a jellyroll pan or a round or square cake pan) by lightly coating it with cooking spray and then lining the bottom with parchment paper.
- In a large bowl, cream 3/4 cup butter with 1/4 cup sugar until light and fluffy. Add cooled melted chocolate and beat in egg yolks one at a time.
- In a medium bowl, beat egg whites and pinch salt until whites cling to the beater. Add remaining 1/4 cup sugar and beat until stiff peaks form.
- Lighten the chocolate mixture by stirring in 1/3 of the whites. Then, carefully, fold in the remaining whites. Sprinkle the flour over the batter and, carefully, fold it in without decreasing the volume.
- Pour into prepared pan and bake 12-15 minutes or longer, or until cake starts to pull away from the sides and a toothpick tests clean or with just a few crumbs clinging to it. Do not overbake. Cool a few minutes on a wire rack and then invert onto the rack. When completely cool, remove the parchment paper.
