Chocolate Sponge Cake - Recipe

This is an easy and foolproof recipe for chocolate sponge cake, perfect for an occasion or just a wanted treat!



Ingredients
  • 6oz/170g unsalted butter, softed, not melted
  • 6oz /170g caster sugar
  • 4oz/115g self-raising flour or plain flour with a teaspoon of baking powder
  • 3 large egg
  • 2oz/ 55g cocoa powder, not drinking chocolate
  • pinch of salt
  • For the buttercream
  • 3oz/85g unsalted butter, soften, not melted
  • 6.5oz/185g icing sugar
  • 2oz/55g milk or dark chocolate
Method

Preheat the oven to 190c/170c fan or gas mark 5. Grease and line two 20cm sandwich tins.

Put the butter and sugar into a bowl and mix until creamy and lighter in colour, using a spoon, hand held mixer or frestanding mixer.

Sieve the cocoa, flour and salt into a bowl and crack one of the eggs into a cup or ramekin. Stiring all the time, add the egg and a third of the flour mixture into the sugar and butter, add the second egg and third of the flour and add the last egg and flour mixture in to the butter and sugar. You should have a smooth thick batter. If your batter is sift, add a splash of milk and stir.

Put even amounts of the mixture into the tins and spread using a knife. Put into the oven and bake for 25 minutes until springy to touch. Take out of the oven at leave them in their tins for 10 minutes before turning out onto a wire rack to cool completely.

Meanwhile, make the buttercream by melting the chocolate in the microwave or in a bowl over barely simmering water. Leave to cool but make sure the chocolate stays in liquid form. Put the butter into a bowl and add half of the sieved icing sugar and mix. Add the rest of the suger with the chocolate and stir to combine. If you icing is runny, put it in the fridge to set up.

To assemble your cake, put a small dollop of icing onto a plate and put one of your cooled cakes on top. Spread the top of the cake with half of the icing with a knife but don't spread to the very edge. Put your second cooled cake on top and pusk very, very gently down and spread the remaining icing on top.