WHAT IS GENOISE?
Genoise is a soft and fluffy sponge cake named after the Italian city of Genoa. It's also called Genoese cake or Genovese cake. It's made with eggs, sugar, flour, and butter. There's no baking powder or baking soda to leaven the cake. Instead, whipped eggs are used to achieve volume in the batter, resulting in a light and fluffy cake.
Like every sponge cake recipe, Vanilla Genoise is balanced more towards structure builders than tenderizers. This means the cake is not only light and airy from the whipped eggs, it’s also strong and resilient.
Hmmm, that is not a very tempting description of a cake. Don’t we always want a super-tender, moist cake that “melts in your mouth”?
Bear with me though, because we’re not done making a great Genoise once it’s baked. The next step is to add another layer of flavor and moisture with a generous dose of sugar syrup.
GENOISE SPONGE TIPS
For best results, use a bain-marie when whipping the eggs. It's essential in achieving volume and dissolving the sugar. I've experimented with and without using a bain-marie, and each time the genoise made with a bain-marie produces better results.
When adding butter, it's very easy to deflate the batter. Make sure the melted butter and batter are still warm. Cold temperatures will solidify the butter and deflate the batter. Fold very gently at this stage until just combined.
Storing: Genoise sponge has a tendency to dry out quickly. Freeze for best results and thaw overnight in the fridge. I highly recommend using sugar syrup to add moistness. Mix 3 tablespoons of sugar with ⅓ cup of hot water. Use a pastry brush to lightly coat each layer.
Step-by-step Instructions :
This super simple basic sponge cake can be made plain as it is or as a birthday cake. In a small bowl, add 2 tablespoons of milk and 30grams of butter then set them aside. In a mixing bowl, break in 3 eggs, to that add caster sugar and lightly whisk them to break the eggs. Prepare a hot water bath by heating a pot of water to about 70°C then place the bowl with egg mixture over the hot water bath and stir continuously until the temperature drops to about 40°C.
Remove the egg mixture bowl from the water bath and place the small bowl with butter to melt. With an electric mixer, beat the egg mixture on high speed until it is whitish, foamy and triples in size. Sift 90 grams of cake flour into the mixture and switch to a spatula, fold from the bottom up until the dry ingredients is moistened and there are no lumps in the batter.
Remove the melted butter and milk over the water bath then take some batter and add in the milk mixture and stir well then pour back into the batter and fold gently until well mixed. You will need a 6-inch round cake tin for this cake, line the bottom and sides with parchment paper then pour the batter and tap the pan a few times on the counter to remove any trapped air in the batter.
Bake the cake in a 340 degrees Fahrenheit oven (170°C) for 35 minutes. Once baked and out of the oven, remove the cake immediately from the pan and allow it to cool. Serve this cake plain, dusted with powdered sugar of you can slice and make it into a layer cake filled with whipped cream or jam. Enjoy.
Ingredients :
- 30g Unsalted butter
- 30ml Milk
- 3pcs Egg
- 90g Caster sugar
- 90g Cake flour
WHY IT WORKS
Whisking the eggs and sugar together in three stages yields a strong and stable foam.
Making a liaison batter ensures the butter is fully incorporated without destabilizing the foam.
Dropping the filled cake pan from a height before and after baking bursts any unstable pockets of air, resulting in the finest crumb possible.
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