Preparation

Sponge cakes are always popular, they are easy to make and you there are endless variations that you could try. These include the classic yoghurt and lemon sponge and a slightly more sophisticated version with strawberries and cream. This recipe is for a classic chocolate sponge and its light texture and delicious taste make it perfect for breakfast, as a snack, or as a base for a more elaborate  dessert. Apart from being simple to prepare, it will also keep well for a good few days.

Chocolate sponge is a calorific food, which means it should be consumed in moderation. In terms of nutrition, however, it is a source of folate and contains minerals such as calcium, zinc, phosphorous, iodine, selenium, sodium, magnesium and vitamins A, B3, B9, B12, D, E and K.

Preparation:

First of all, preheat the oven to 180°C (356°F).

Mix the flour with the cocoa powder in a bowl. Add a pinch of salt, the cinnamon and the yeast. When you have an even mixture, sieve it back into the bowl and then reserve it.

In another bowl, mix the olive oil with the sugar and the egg and whisk the mixture until it becomes  fluffy. The better you whisk the ingredients at this stage, the lighter and spongier the cake will be.

Next, add the sieved mixture gradually to the egg mixture whilst stirring. Once all the ingredients have been incorporated, pour the blend into a cake mould (which you should grease with Betis olive oil beforehand), taking care to use a mould of appropriate size for the amount of cake dough that you have.

Place the mould in the oven and cook for 30 minutes, or until you can insert a skewer into the cake and pull it out without seeing any traces of cake dough.

Once the cake is cooked, leave it to cool and remove it from the mould. If you like, you can decorate the sponge with chocolate or berries, for example.

Note: serves 8. Preparation time: 45 minutes.