Biscuit Joconde (Joconde Sponge Cake)

Biscuit Joconde, Joconde biscuit, or Joconde sponge cake, is a French almond biscuit used for creating cake rolls, Yule logs, Opera cake, and other French desserts. This light sponge cake has a texture like Genoise cake but with the added richness and softness of ground almonds.

This basic recipe is a must to include in your recipe collection. Easy and quick to make, Joconde sponge cake is an essential base for numerous entremets, mousse cakes, rolled cakes, mini cakes, alphabet and number cakes, and Bavarois.

Jump to:

• What is Biscuit Joconde?
• Joconde recipe
• Ingredients
• Recipe variations
• How to make Biscuit Joconde
• Expert Tips
• Storing and freezing
• Recipe FAQ
• Love sponge cakes? Try these next!
• Recipe card
• Comments

What is Biscuit Joconde?

Biscuit Joconde is a French light almond sponge cake made with eggs, ground almonds, and icing sugar (a 'tant pour tant'). Tart pour tant is a French baking term, meaning a mixture of icing sugar and ground powder in equal proportions.

In French, La Joconde means Mona Lisa, a captivating masterpiece by Leonardo da Vinci.

Joconde sponge cake is similar to Genova bread (Pain de Gênes), made with almond paste, slivered almonds, and classic Genoise cake.

Joconde recipe

• It is an easy recipe with a very quick bake (10-15 minutes).

• Joconde sponge cake is made with five basic ingredients.

• It is freezer-friendly.

Ingredients

For ingredients and detailed instructions, refer to the recipe card below.

• Almonds: The recipe calls for ground almonds or almond meal. If unavailable, use almond flour. Take whole blanched almonds and process them in a food processor to make almond powder.

• Sugar: Use icing sugar (confectioners' sugar) and superfine caster or baker's sugar. To make granulated sugar superfine, process it in a food processor a few times.

• Flour: Use all-purpose flour, not cake flour.

• Eggs: You will need room-temperature whole eggs and egg whites to make the recipe. Use chilled eggs and an egg separator to separate the egg whites from the yolks. Then, bring egg whites to room temperature.

Pro tip: Use leftover egg yolks to make creme Anglaise, Italian pastry cream, or Torta Mimosa.

• Butter: Use unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled.

Recipe variations

While almond Joconde biscuit (biscuit Joconde aux amandes) is a French classic, here are a few recipe variations:

• Chocolate Joconde biscuit (biscuit Joconde au chocolat): Replace 50% of the flour with unsweetened cocoa powder.

• Hazelnut Joconde biscuit (biscuit Joconde noisette): Swap ground almonds for ground hazelnuts (hazelnut meal).

• Pistachio Joconde biscuit (biscuit Joconde pistache): Replace ground almonds with pistachio. 

• Biscuit Joconde imprime (Joconde sponge with a decorative design used for making entremets): Use food coloring to tint batter (aka Joconde-décor paste). With a piping bag, create a decorative design: pipe letters, draw vertical lines, zig zags, or polka dots on parchment paper. Freeze the design before pouring the Joconde batter over the piped design and bake.

How to make Biscuit Joconde

Step 1. Preheat the oven to 390°F (200°C) and prepare a non-spill baking sheet (no need to grease it).

Pro tip: Alternatively, use a silicone baking mat or a 12 x 16 inches (30 x 40 cm) baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Grease the baking tray, then add the parchment paper and lightly grease it.

Step 2. To make the cake batter, use a hand whisk to mix ground almonds, all-purpose flour, and icing sugar in a clean mixing bowl.

Step 3. Melt the butter in the microwave at 20-second increments and set aside.

Step 4. Place whole eggs in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment and beat for a few seconds.

Step 5. Add dry ingredients and mix at medium speed for 2-3 minutes until homogeneous (photo 1). Pour the cooled melted butter, and gently mix with a spatula (photo 2).

Step 6. In a separate clean bowl, whip egg whites at high speed using an electric mixer. Once frothy, gradually add caster sugar and beat until stiff peaks (photo 3).

Step 7. Gently fold the beaten egg whites into the almond mixture in two or three additions and carefully mix with a rubber spatula (photo 4).

Step 8. Pour the sponge batter onto the baking sheet and smooth the surface with a long offset spatula or a flat knife (photo 5).

Step 9. Bake the Joconde biscuit for 10 to 15 minutes (photo 6). If using a silicone mold, place it on the oven rack. The sponge should be slightly golden and not stick to your finger.

Step 10. Remove the cake from the oven. Flip it onto powdered sugared parchment paper or a kitchen towel sprinkled with icing sugar. Gently peel the baking mat or parchment paper.

For a cake roll, sprinkle it with icing sugar and roll the cake into the towel for 10 minutes. Then, unroll it and let it cool to room temperature.

For an entremets dessert, let the Joconde sponge cool to room temperature, then cut into necessary sizes.

Expert Tips

1. Make sure to use room-temperature ingredients.
2. Don't overbake the biscuit; otherwise, it will dry and brittle.
3. If using a jelly roll pan, recalculate the cake ingredients with this simple cake pan converter.

Storing and freezing

Store the Joconde biscuit well-wrapped in a large piece of cling wrap or an airtight container at room temperature for 2-3 days.

Can you freeze Joconde biscuit? You can freeze layers of almond sponge cake (biscuit Jocond cut into cake layers) covered with cling film for 3 months.

Recipe FAQ

Love sponge cakes? Try these next!

• Italian sponge cake
• Chocolate sponge cake
• Japanese sponge cake
• Korean sponge cake
• Or browse all the cake recipes

Want more delicious and beautiful recipes? Subscribe to my newsletter and follow me on Facebook, Pinterest, and Instagram for my latest updates. If you make this recipe, please leave a star rating on the recipe card and comment below!

Print

Recipe card

The nutritional information has been calculated using an online recipe nutrition calculator such as Verywellfit.com and is intended for informational purposes only. These figures should be used as a general guideline and not be construed as a guarantee.