How to Make Genoise

What is genoise? Genoise is a sponge cake made by whipping whole eggs with sugar then folding in flour and, sometimes, melted butter. Genoise is great for cakes with lighter fillings such as whipped creams or mousses and can absorb a large amount of simple syrup, which is an excellent way to add flavor and moisture.

Sponge cakes are tougher than shortened cakes and have a springy texture. This is because there is little to no fat in sponge cakes that can shorten the gluten strands. Another reason why it is important to soak the cake layers with simple syrup to add moisture. If you are making a Swiss roll, or cake roll, do not add fat to the sponge cake batter. The fat will cause the cake to crack when rolled.

The flour used for sponge cakes should be weak in order to prevent the cake from getting tougher. Cake flour or pastry flour with cornstarch added will often be seen in most sponge cake recipes.

pro tips

• warming the eggs over a water bath will help the foam gain greater volume.
• fold the flour in GENTLY so you don’t deflate the eggs you just spent 15 minutes whipping.
• grease the bottoms of the cake pans only. The batter needs to grab onto the sides and climb otherwise greased sides will allow the cake batter to slide down and deflate.
• scale and bake the sponge cake immediately. The cake batter will deflate if baking is delayed.
• when you remove the cakes from the oven, use a small offset spatula and run it around the edges of the pan then cool the cakes upside down on a cooling rack for 15 minutes. Remove the cakes from the pan while still warm but not hot. Hot cakes are fragile.

equipment and supplies

• stainless steel mixing bowls-various sizes
• stand mixer
• rubber spatula
• thermometer
• saucepan
• offset spatula
• whisk

ingredient notes

• all ingredients should be at room temperature. Cold ingredients can deflate the batter.
• flour: cake flour or pastry flour is used because they are weaker than AP flour. Sponge cakes are tougher, and using weak flour will help reduce the chance of the cake being tougher than necessary.
• butter: adding butter is optional. You don’t want to add it when making a cake roll. Most North American bakeries add butter but most European bakeries do not.

recipe instructions

step one: Combine the eggs, sugar, and salt in the bowl of a stand mixer. Place the bowl over a hot-water bath and whisk until the mixture reaches 110°F. Warm eggs attain a greater volume than cold eggs.

step two: Attach the bowl to the stand mixer and connect the whisk attachment. Whip the eggs for about 15 minutes until they are light in color and thick.

step three: Fold in the sifted flour. Add the flour in 3-4 stages so you don’t deflate the eggs. Fold gently until all the flour is blended in.

step four: optional, fold in the melted butter.

step five: pan and bake the cakes immediately. The oven should be preheated to 375°F. Bake time is approximately 20 minutes.