Cocoa Sponge Cake

Cocoa sponge cake is a classic for making sweet rolls and chocolate cake bases. Here’s how to prepare it:

Ingredients

• 120 g of sugar
• 4 large eggs (at room temperature)
• 1 pinch of salt
• 70 g of all-purpose flour
• 30 g of unsweetened cocoa powder
• Powdered sugar (for dusting)

Preparation

1. Preheat the oven to 180 °C and line a rectangular baking tray with parchment paper.
2. Separate the yolks from the whites. Put the yolks in a bowl with half of the sugar and whisk until you get a light and frothy mixture.
3. In another bowl, whip the egg whites with a pinch of salt and when they start to become frothy, gradually add the rest of the sugar, continuing to whip until you get a firm and shiny meringue.
4. Gently fold the meringue into the yolk mixture, stirring from the bottom up to avoid deflating the mixture.
5. Sift the flour with the unsweetened cocoa and incorporate them into the egg mixture, continuing to stir gently.
6. Pour the batter onto the prepared tray, leveling it with a spatula to get an even layer.
7. Bake in the oven for about 10-12 minutes or until the surface of the sponge cake feels slightly springy to the touch.
8. Once cooked, remove the sponge cake from the oven and immediately dust it with powdered sugar.
9. Invert the sponge cake onto a clean sheet of parchment paper also dusted with powdered sugar and gently peel off the parchment paper used for baking.
10. Allow to cool completely before using it as a base for filled rolls or cakes.

Curiosity

The term “biscuit” comes from the Latin “bis coctus”, meaning “baked twice”, although the cocoa sponge cake is only baked once. This soft and flexible base is ideal for creating rolled desserts, as it does not break easily when rolled.