Chocolate Genoise Sponge Cake (with summer berries)

This light and airy Chocolate Genoise (Italian Sponge Cake) is light and airy and filled with a quick, easy, and delicious chocolate mousse, loads of summer fruit like raspberries, strawberries, blackberries, and blueberries, with a scrumptious stabilized whipped cream icing.

I recently made this Italian chocolate sponge cake for my husband's birthday and it was AMAZING! So, if you are looking for birthday cake recipes for adults, Italian birthday cakes, or homemade birthday cake ideas, this is the one. My family went crazy for it!

Jump to:

• 🥘Ingredients
• 📖 Variations & Substitutions
• 👪 Serving Size
• 🍽Equipment
• 🌡️Storage
• 💭Top Tip
• 💭Italian Chocolate (Genoise) sponge vs. sponge
• 🎂Chocolate Genoise Sponge Cake Recipe
• 📋More Chocolate Cake Recipes

🥘Ingredients

For this chocolate sponge cake recipe, you'll need:

• all-purpose flour
• unsweetened cocoa powder
• eggs
• white granulated sugar
• vanilla extract
• unsalted butter
• hot water
• semi-sweet chocolate chips
• heavy cream
• whipped cream frosting recipe
• blueberries
• strawberries
• raspberries
• blackberries

📖 Variations & Substitutions

• Filling: you could you any filling you want, but the chocolate mousse goes so perfectly with it! 
• Frosting: you could use plain whipped cream, but it won't hold up as well as the Stabilized Whipped Cream Icing does. When you add gelatin (or piping gel (affiliate link) in this case) to the whipped cream, it holds the whip longer. This genoise sponge also goes well with an Italian Meringue Buttercream.
• Berries: you can use any berries you like!

👪 Serving Size

This genoise recipe makes 16 servings (a 3-layer cake). However, you make ½ double, or triple the recipe, if you'd like to make additional cakes, by clicking on the blue serving number and selecting the number of servings you'd like. The ingredient quantities will automatically adjust. You'll just need additional cake pans.

🍽Equipment

I would also recommend using Wilton cake release (affiliate link). This is what I use for crumb-free, perfect cake every single time! And if you prefer to use parchment paper, I recommend these parchment liners (affiliate link) - they fit a round cake pan and come in 8 or 9 inches depending on the size you have.

You will need three 8-9 inch round cake pans, as well as mixing bowls and spoons, and a mixer. You will also need an electric mixer. You could use a  hand electric mixer, but I would recommend using a stand mixer (affiliate links) for the beating involved in this type of cake. If you don't already have one, it's worth the investment. This is a purchase you will make good use of for a very long time!

🌡️Storage

• Storing: Store this chocolate genoise sponge recipe in the fridge for up to 3 days in an airtight container.
• Freezing:  You can also freeze this cake UNDECORATED AND UNFILLED, in a sealed extra large cake carrier (affiliate link) or another sealed container for up to 3 months. *Just make sure it's completely defrosted before you decorate it.

💭Top Tip

Your eggs need to be at room temperature for this recipe (this is critical! ) *If you need to warm them quickly, then pour some boiling water into a shallow bowl, then crack your eggs into another bowl, and set it on top of the bowl of boiling water. Just keep checking to see if the eggs have warmed. I did this and it worked well. 

💭Italian Chocolate (Genoise) sponge vs. sponge

Sponge cakes are lighter cakes and are known for having a subtle flavor and delicate texture. Génoise sponge cake has Italian origins, although it's been adopted for treats that are more commonly associated with French cuisine. The batter is also the basis for Madeleines and ladyfingers, delicate cookies baked in molds. Italian Sponge Cake often ends up in a layer cake, such as this one, with fillings like whipped cream, buttercream, or mousse.

And while the sponge and genoise are often regarded as being one and the same, they are, strictly speaking, two quite different creatures.

• A true sponge contains no fat other than that occurring naturally in egg yolks, and the yolks and whites are usually beaten separately.
• With a genoise, butter  (in this case melted, but clarified butter is used in some) is used to enrich the batter, which is made by beating whole eggs, sometimes with additional yolks, together with sugar.

Although an Italian sponge is probably the most complicated to make, this recipe is foolproof! It is the perfect chocolate sponge cake recipe. The most critical part is that your eggs are warm and you follow the directions, precisely, whipping the eggs together with the sugar, with a mixer (a stand mixer preferably) until the volume expands dramatically.

If you're curious about the different types of cakes and how they compare, you can Read more about the differences between cakes HERE and HERE!

So, if you're looking for a great summer cake, birthday cake, or celebration cake, this Chocolate Genoise Sponge cake is one of the best homemade cakes you will ever eat!

And if you're looking for an additional sponge cake recipe, check out this easy 3 ingredient sponge cake recipe!

📋More Chocolate Cake Recipes