Genoise/Sponge Cake

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Genoise or Sponge Cake

What's the Difference ?

None. Only their names. They are both 'apples'. A sponge cake is a light yellow cake made with eggs, sugar, flour, and butter.

A genoise is a light yellow cake make with eggs , butter, flour, and sugar. The genoise is an Italian sponge cake named after the city of Genoa, forever associated with Italian and French cuisine.

This type of sponge cake has a soft, crumbly texture, just like this type of sponge cake should be. It's characteristic can be dry, yet this is a desired effect for its intended uses.

This cake compliments and supports moist fillings, like a mousse or pastry cream.

And a perfect companion to a creamy and smooth buttercream.Soaked with a little simple syrup, and you'll have yourself a perfectly moist cake.

Your Mise En Place'

Use the following tips as your guide to create a successful cake. First, remember your step ones, your mise' en' place', before you get to Step 1. Always grease and flour your baking pans, or line with parchment circles.

Always preheat oven to 350°F, first. Always sift the flour, and set aside. Always measure out all of your ingredients first. Always make sure your ingredients are room temperature.

Tips for Preparation

Before getting started, check out these preparation tips

Tips for Step 2
Warm Foaming Method

This step is called the Warm Foaming Method, simply because a heat source is used before making a 'foam' with your ingredients.

The main objective with this method is to dissolve the sugar and improve the emulsifying properties of the eggs.

Once removed from the heat, they're whipped at high speed until the mixture has lightened in color and the foam has reached its maximum volume.

This process is what will create your cake's leavener, because it's all about the 'rising of' here. The main objective is to create a batter that has the maximum amount of air you can whip up.

Emulsification is easily produced when the ingredients are balanced properly through warming.

The Water Bath

A water bath is simply a pot of simmering water that you're going to place your bowl over, being sure the bottom of the bowl doesn't touch the water.

The purpose is to dissolve the sugar and relax the proteins in the eggs, assisting with emulsion during the whipping process.

Do this using a glass, or a stainless steel bowl. If you have a mixer with a glass bowl, to prevent any damage to your bowl, transfer contents to a stainless steel bowl, first, then return to the glass bowl once temperature is reached.

Tips for Step 3
The Emulsion

The purpose of creating this desired volume is to create air. This emulsion you're creating will be your leavener.

ecause this cake contains no leavening agents, it will be lightened by the air you whip into the eggs. As you whip, you will began to see the volume of the eggs increase.

And increase. Until the mixture has reached its maximum volume. Can you see how air has been whipped into this batter?

The melted sugar crystals , acting as a tenderizer, wraps itself around the air bubbles created by the whipped eggs, coating the stretched proteins in the eggs. What you have created is this fluffy batter, but now the batter needs some body to it, and that is where the flour comes in.

Sheila the Pastry Chef

"Cakes, each, require different amounts of gluten development, and this cake is one of those that require very little.

The cornstarch aids in this process of making sure your cake is tender,by lessening gluten formation, during the folding process. from gluten producing proteins found in the flour."

Tips for Step 4
Folding

What is folding?

Fold the flour into the batter. You can use either of these tools, the whisk, or a rubber spatula.

You can either sprinkle the sifted flour over the egg mixture, while folding. Or just add the flour in 3rds, as you fold. Don't dump the flour mixture in all at once into the batter, you'll risk deflation.

You could double sift the flour first, to ensure no clumps in the flour. Patience is a virtue here, if you're serious about deflation prevention. Using your tool of choice, a whisk or a scraper, scraping against the surface of the bottom of the bowl.

Scrape from the bottom to the top, the whipped egg mixture, and gently 'fold' it over, to the top of the contents of the bowl. Do this just until the flour is combined. Repeat the folding process with the melted butter.

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Important !

Remember, you don't want to 'whip' this together. Gently folding the ingredients together will help to retain that airy volume you created in Step 4.

As you're folding, turn your bowl during the process, to assist you. Now, fold in the melted butter, using the same method.

This will take only a few turns. Whatever method you use , make sure you gently mix it in when folding. You don't want to deflate the volume of the batter.

Tip for Step 5.

It is optional, but helpful, to place parchment circles in your baking pans after greasing & flouring them. They prevent any sticking, easy to peel off, makes clean up easier, and not expensive.

I've seen parchment rolls even at The Dollar Tree stores, a very inexpensive convenience. With the parchment rolls, trace a template, make your cut. Now you have made your own inexpensive parchment circle.

Let the leavening began !
See how airy the batter is? That is the result of all of that whipping
you were doing in Step 4.

See how those little air pockets in Step 5 go on to become
the spongy looking pockets you see here in the finished cake, below?

Spongy.

The holes indicate where the air pockets are.

The air pockets absorbing the simple syrup.

Allow your cakes to cool about 10 minutes, before removing from pan. Then finish cooling them on a rack.

At this point, your cake can be used for a number of applications. Allow your cake to cool completely before icing.

Genoise/Sponge Cake

This recipe yields...

One 10" x 2" round cake
Two 9" x 1" round cakes
Two 8" x 2" round cakes
2 1/2 dozen regular sized cupcakes

Genoise/Sponge Cake

Make sure all ingredients are room temperature. Always use unsalted butter.

Ingredient	Amount
Eggs	6 large
Sugar	6 oz
Salt	1/2 teaspoon
Vanilla	1 ounce
Cake flour	4 ounces
Cornstarch	2 ounces
Butter, melted	2 1/2 ounces

Procedure

Step 1
Prepare pans with flour & butter, or cake pan pray.
Preheat oven to 350°F. Scale your ingredients.

Step 2
Place eggs, sugar, salt into the mixer bowl.
Heat over a water bath until the temperature on your thermometer reaches 110° F.
Stir mixture continuously throughout the process

Step 3
Remove from heat, add vanilla, then, using the whip attachment,
whip at high speed until the mixture has cooled, is light and fluffy,
and has reached its maximum volume.

Step 4
Fold the flour and melted butter into the batter, alternately starting with the flour. You can use either of these tools, the whisk, or a rubber spatula. Sprinkle the sifted flour over the egg mixture, while folding. Then drizzle with melted butter in between. Fold the until both are incorporated into the batter.

Step 5
Pour the batter into your prepared baking pans.
Bake immediately in 350°F oven for 20- 25 minutes.

Step 6
Allow your cakes to cool about 10 minutes, before removing from pan.
Then finish cooling them on a rack.

The Chocolate Sponge Variation

These are the small revisions you need to make in order to have yourself a chocolate version of this cake. The procedures remain the same, thereafter.

To make a chocolate version, you’re going to remove 1 ounce of the cake flour and replace it with 1 ounce of cocoa powder.