29 sponge cake recipes

Pouding renversé des bluets is a Québécois upside-down blueberry cake: fresh blueberries and lemon zest under a tender vanilla sponge, inverted to serve.

Halva gateau is a Middle Eastern layer cake with semolina-almond sponge, coffee syrup soak, and halva buttercream. Pistachio-topped elegance perfumed with cinnamon.

Israeli upside-down apple cake made with potato starch instead of flour, naturally gluten-free. Whole apples stuffed with walnuts and raisins bake in a caramel base topped with a light sponge.

Schwarzwalder kirschtorte (Black Forest cake): a three-layer German chocolate-almond sponge soaked in kirsch, filled with whipped cream and sour cherries. The classic Schwarzwald showpiece.

European-style buckwheat cake with a nutty almond sponge base filled and topped with cranberry cottage cheese mousse. A light, elegant layered dessert with old-world charm.

Chocolate mint cake with a light peppermint sponge topped with whipped chocolate mint frosting. The fat-free batter uses applesauce and egg whites for an airy, tender crumb.

Chocolate nut torte: a four-layer sponge cake filled with silky cooked chocolate-buttercream frosting and topped with chopped nuts. An old-world holiday torte for special occasions.

Classic Italian sponge cake made with a warm egg foam, cocoa powder, and no butter at all. Light as air with a deep golden crust and tender chocolate crumb.

Chocolate and chestnut layer cake with a tender olive oil and white wine sponge, a smooth sweetened chestnut cream filling, and glossy dark chocolate ganache. An elegant autumn and holiday dessert.

Chocolate coconut cake roll spirals a light cocoa sponge around a fluffy cherry-coconut whipped cream filling. Rolled warm so it won't crack, then chilled and dusted with powdered sugar. A retro showstopper.

Mocha spice roll cake is a warmly spiced sponge rolled around billowy coffee-cocoa whipped cream, then frosted and fork-scored to look like a bark log. A holiday-ready bûche de Noël with cinnamon, clove, and allspice woven through.

Old-fashioned chocolate layer cake leavened with both yeast and baking powder, plus stiffly whipped egg whites folded in for an unusually tall, tender, almost spongy crumb. Made with unsweetened chocolate and cake flour.

A custardy lemon pudding cake baked in a water bath, served warm with a Grand Marnier blackberry sauce. Two textures in one dish: spongy cake on top, silky pudding below.