Classic “Potato” Pastry from Chocolate Sponge Cake
The tastiest, most natural version, made from everyday ingredients. Classic “potato” pastry in this recipe is made from homemade chocolate sponge cake. No cookies and no crackers. Only sponge cake and cream made from butter and sweetened condensed milk. Perhaps this is the most delicious version of the famous “potato” pastry.
Updated : 23 March, 2026
Easy
More than 1 hour.
Ingredients
Sponge cake
0.5 cup
Wheat flour
3 tablespoon
Cocoa
3
Eggs
100 grams
Sugar
Cream
0.3 cup
Condensed milk
150 grams
Butter
Breading
3 tablespoon
Cocoa
Table
Table of volume measurements:
- teaspoon - 5 ml
- dessert spoon - 10 ml
- tablespoon - 20 ml
- glass - 200 ml
Preparation
Step 1
How do you make classic “potato” pastry from chocolate sponge cake? First, make the sponge cake. Prepare the ingredients for it. Take the eggs out of the refrigerator in advance so they can warm up - then they will whip better. Use natural cocoa powder; a drink mix like Nesquik will not work.
Step 2
Beat the eggs with the sugar until you get a light, fluffy mixture. Beat for a long time, at least 5 minutes. Set the speed to medium. If you beat at high speed, overly large air bubbles will form and then quickly burst. At medium speed, the bubbles will be more even, which will help the sponge rise better during baking.
Step 3
Sift the flour and cocoa powder into the eggs. This is another step toward a fluffy sponge cake - sifting adds air to the ingredients.
Step 4
Mix the batter with a silicone spatula. This is the third secret of a good sponge cake. Silicone mixes the ingredients very gently without damaging the structure of the bubbles formed during whipping. Mix until smooth.
Step 5
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Pour the batter onto it. Spread the batter evenly with a spatula. My baking sheet is quite large - 30 x 40 cm, about 12 x 16 inches - so the batter did not cover the whole surface. But that is not critical, because the sponge will have to be broken up later anyway, so appearance does not matter here. You can also bake the sponge in any other pan.
Step 6
Bake the sponge cake in an oven preheated to 200°C (390°F) for about 12-15 minutes. Cool the finished sponge completely. Store-bought sponge layers or trimmings from homemade cake layers will also work.
Step 7
Now you can move on to the pastries themselves. Take the butter out of the refrigerator in advance; it should become soft. Buy the best-quality sweetened condensed milk, without milk fat substitutes.
Step 8
Crush the finished sponge cake into crumbs. You can use a blender, a food processor, or simply crumble it with your hands.
Step 9
For the cream, beat the softened butter with the sweetened condensed milk until fluffy. You can set aside a very small portion of the cream to make the “potato eyes.”
Step 10
Add the sponge crumbs to the cream in portions. After each addition, mix the mass thoroughly with a spatula. I used all of the sponge crumbs, though I thought there would be too much and some would remain. The mass should become uniform and thick enough to shape.
Step 11
Shape the pastries from the sponge mixture. You can make small balls, or shape oblong pastries. I made rather large, irregularly shaped “potatoes” so they would resemble real tubers as much as possible. I got 8 pieces. Put the pastries into the refrigerator for at least 2 hours so they can firm up.
Step 12
Coat the finished pastries in cocoa powder and decorate them as you like. I made small holes and filled them with cream, imitating sprouts. Serve the pastries. Enjoy your meal!
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