Classic Genoise Recipes

4-INGREDIENT SPONGE CAKE (VIDEO RECIPE)

Steps:

• Preheat Oven to 350˚F. Line bottoms of two 9″ cake pans with parchment paper (do not grease the sides).
• In the bowl of an electric stand mixer fitted with whisk attachment (this is the one I have), beat 6 large eggs for 1 minute on high speed. With the mixer on, gradually add 1 cup sugar and continue beating 8-10 minutes until thick and fluffy.
• Whisk together 1 cup flour and 1/2 tsp baking powder then sift this mixture into fluffy egg mixture one third at a time. Fold with a spatula with each addition just until incorporated. Scrape spatula from the bottom to catch any pockets of flour and stop mixing when no streaks of flour remain. Do not over-mix or you will deflate the batter.
• Divide evenly between prepared cake pans (it helps if you have a kitchen scale to weight the pans). Bake at 350˚F for 23-28 minutes (my oven took 25 min), or until top is golden brown. Remove from pan by sliding a thin spatula (here's the one I love for cakes) around the edges then transfer to a wire rack and remove parchment backing. Cool cakes to room temperature then slice layers equally in half with a serrated knife.

GENOISE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease one 8 inch round cake pan. Line with parchment paper and grease it as well. Lightly flour pan and paper.
• Sift together the flour, 2 tablespoons sugar, and salt onto a piece of wax paper.
• Place the eggs into a mixing bowl set over a pan of hot (not boiling) water. Add the 1/2 cup sugar to the eggs and whisk until the mixture feels warm (not hot) to the touch, about body temperature. Place the bowl onto a mixer and beat on medium speed until the mixture becomes pale yellow in color and falls off the end of the whisk attachment in long ribbons. Add the vanilla. Add about 1/3 of the flour mixture to the beaten egg and fold in. Continue to add the remainder of the flour, folding it in each time.
• Place about 1 cup of the batter into the bowl containing the melted butter and combine the butter with the batter. Add this back to the main batter and fold it in. Pour the batter into the prepared pan.
• Immediately bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for about 25 minutes or until the top is a light brown. Cool in pan on a rack about 10 minutes and then invert onto a rack. It is best to invert it again onto another rack so that it cools with the top up. Let cool completely before cutting or frosting.

ITALIAN SPONGE CAKE (PAN DI SPAGNA)

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 355 degrees F/180 degrees C. Generously butter and flour an 8-inch/20 cm round cake pan and set aside. Place eggs and granulated sugar in a large bowl and slightly beat with a hand whisk.
• Continue to whisk and bring the bowl over a bain-marie/water bath to warm the mixture up to 104 degrees F/40 degrees C (warm to the touch). Remove the bowl from the bain-marie/water bath and beat the eggs/sugar mixture with an electric mixer until the volume is doubled for about 12 to 15 minutes. Add sifted flour and mix with a rubber spatula.
• Pour the dough into the prepared pan and bake in the preheated oven for 20 to 25 minutes. Check the readiness of the biscuit with a toothpick or a cake tester: once it comes out clean out of the sponge, the biscuit is ready.
• Let it cool for 10 minutes in the oven off (keep the door slightly open using a wooden spoon) to prevent deflating the sponge cake. Next, remove the sponge from the oven, let it cool for the other ten minutes. Then remove it from the pan by flipping it upside down and cool on a cooling rack, also known as a wire rack.

VANILLA GENOISE, VANILLA SPONGE CAKE

Steps:

• Line the bottom of two 8" cake pans with a parchment round, or butter and flour the pan. Preheat the oven to 350°F (don't use the convection setting).
• Melt the butter in a small saucepan, cook until the milk solids sink to the bottom of the pan and become brown. Drain the butter into a medium bowl, leaving the milk solids in the pan. Stir the vanilla into the browned butter and set aside.
• Put the eggs, sugar and salt in a mixer bowl. Set the bowl over a pan of simmering water (don't let the bowl touch the water) and whisk until the eggs are slightly warmer than body temperature. Put the bowl onto the mixer and whisk until the eggs are tripled in volume.
• Sift half the flour over the egg mixture and use a balloon whisk to fold, repeat with the remaining flour. Whisk 1 cup of the batter into the browned butter to lighten the butter, then whisk in another cup of batter.
• Fold the butter mixture into the batter just until combined. Don't over mix or you'll loose some volume in the cake. Divide the batter evenly between the pans.
• Bake until the cake springs back when pressed in the center, about 30 minutes. Cool in the pan for 10 minutes before turning out onto a cooling rack.
• Cool completely before filling and frosting.
• Trim the top of the cake to level, if desired, split each cake into two layers.
• Brush the layers generously with syrup before filling & icing.

NO FUSS GENOISE SPONGE CAKE (MARY BERRY'S)

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 Fahrenheit, line 2 6-inch baking pans (or 1 9-inch) with parchment paper on the bottom only. Don't grease the sides. Set aside.
• Melt the butter in a sauce pan or microwave, set aside to cool slightly.
• Mix the flour and cornstarch together in a small bowl. If you are using all purpose flour, make sure to add the baking powder and pinch of salt listed in the notes area of this recipe. Sift the flour and cornstarch together a couple of times to remove any lumps and set aside.
• In the bowl of a stand mixer or with a hand mixer, beat the eggs and sugar on full speed until the mixture is almost white, triples (at least) in volume and reaches ribbon stage (see post above). About 10 to 11 minutes on high for a stand mixer, closer to 15 minutes for a hand mixer and 20 minutes or more if whisking by hand.
• Add half the flour very gently. Fold in to the egg mixture, then add half the butter, pouring it around the edge of the bowl. Fold in. Repeat with the remaining half of the flour and butter. Take care not to fold out too much air.
• Transfer the batter to your baking pan(s) and bake 22-25 minutes on the center rack, with the cakes closer to the oven door. Try not to open the door for the first half of baking.
• Check your cakes a bit early if your oven runs hot. They should spring back when gently pressed or a toothpick comes out clean.
• Use a sharp knife to run around the edges of the pan, then turn the cakes out onto a cooling rack to cool completely.
• Cakes themselves will be good tightly wrapped for up to 4 days. Layers may also be frozen for up to 2 months tightly wrapped.

CLASSIC GENOISE

Steps:

• Place a 1-quart saucepan half filled with water over high heat and bring it to a simmer. Make a double boiler by setting a large mixing bowl over the simmering water. Place the whole eggs, egg yolks, sugar, and honey in the mixing bowl and make an egg foam by whisking the mixture to 113 degrees on a candy thermometer, about 7 to 10 minutes. The egg foam passes through various stages becoming foamy, then smooth and finally it thickens. When it is thick, it will be hot to the touch, tripled in volume, and light in color and the sugar will have completely dissolved. If you dip the whisk into the mixture and pull it out, the batter should fall back into the bowl in a thick ribbon.
• Remove the mixing bowl from the heat and whip the batter with an electric mixer on medium-high speed until it cools, increases in volume, stiffens slightly and becomes pale yellow, about 7 to 10 minutes. Take the time to whip it well; if the mixture is under whipped, the baked genoise will be dense. Very, very carefully, fold in the flour with a rubber spatula until the flour is no longer visible, making sure to fold to the bottom of the bowl. Do not over mix or the batter will deflate. Fill buttered and parchment paper-lined 8-inch round cake pans 3/4 full with batter. Bake in a preheated 350 degree F oven until well-risen and golden brown, about 30 minutes.
• Let the genoise cool slightly. Unmold, remove parchment paper and finish cooling on a wire rack. The baked genoise can be stored in the freezer for 2 to 3 weeks if well wrapped in plastic wrap. Return it to room temperature before using it.
• VARIATION: Make this recipe into a Chocolate Genoise by substituting unsweetened cocoa powder for 10 to 20 percent of the weight (a scant 1/4 cup to a full 1/3 cup) of the flour. Weigh the cocoa powder before you sift it.
• Jacques' Tip: Genoise can be made with butter. In this recipe, you can substitute butter (5 1/2 tablespoons) for the 3 large egg yolks. Melt and cool the butter and fold it in after the flour is added.

JULIA CHILD'S GENOISE CAKE

Steps:

• Brown butter in a saucepan, remove from heat to cool. Preheat oven to 325. Prepare 8x 2 pan--square or round. Butter, place parchment in bottom, butter the parchment. Whisk four eggs with sugar and vanilla over hot water until the mixture is warm to your finger. (The water in the bottom of the double boiler should not be boiling.) The mixture should be warm and foamy, not thick. Then place bowl beneath a stand mixer; mix 5-6 minutes until the mixture makes the ribbon. Next, alternately add the sifted flour and tepid butter to the batter, constantly and gently folding, taking care not to deflate the batter. Do not add the residual leavings of butter. Pour batter into the prepared pan, smooth with a spatula, and bake at 325 for 35-45 minutes. Cake is done when it rises and doubles, and springs back when you touch it. Cool 10 minutes, remove pan. When completely cool, cover. Can be frozen.