Genoise, Light Sponge Cake

I made this Genoise on Thursday for my seventh wedding anniversary celebration.
I remember years ago when making this cake I never called it a Genoise but a light sponge cake. I did not  know the fancy french names back then, but I'm learning.

What I like best about this cake is that it is light both in texture and flavor. That is why it is often used in combination with fruit and whipped cream. You could serve it on it's own with a fruit sauce for a light dessert too. 

Now, this is not a difficult cake to make, but if you do not use the right technique, you might not get the desired results. The leavening agent in this cake is the eggs as there is not baking powder. The flour and butter used is much less then in a regular sponge cake.
It is usually douched with a simple syrup or fruit syrup before decorating. 



Makes
One 8" round cake or two 8" rounds...

Ingredients:

320 grams Eggs (5 large eggs or 6 small eggs)
150 grams or 2/3 cup - white granulated sugar
150 grams or 2/3 cup melted butter
100 grams or 1 cup Cake flour
50 grams or 1/2 cup - Corn flour
2 tsp Vanilla extract
Pinch of salt.

Method:
Temperature plays a very important role in this cake batter.
Have all your ingredients at room temperature.
I place the eggs in warm water for 5 minutes so they are warm and whip more fluffy.
Melt the butter and keep it warm
Sift the flour and cornflour once now (and again when you incorporate into the batter)

Eggs - I remember one of the dilemmas of making this cake for me use the be the quantity of eggs. Some times, the eggs are a good large size but sometimes large is an understatement with them. So I started weighing them instead.
Today, I bought eggs that say medium but to me they look small!
Here you see I have 340 grams. I will minus one egg yolk from this to make 320 grams.

Place the eggs in a mixing bowl with the whisk attachment. Pour in the salt and sugar. Also add in the Vanilla extract and whisk on high until light and fluffy. 

While the eggs are whisking prepare your baking pans. You do not want to loose time on this once the batter is ready. So grease and flour your pans with a parchment paper circle for the bottom. 

Your eggs are ready when you lift the beaters and see a thick stream falling that holds it's shape. 

 I prefer to transfer my batter to a wide bowl so it gives me more room to fold the ingredients.

Swift the flour for the second time direclty into the batter.Do this is three batches.
 Do not stir but fold the batter.

To fold - you are essentially making an O in front of you. So you place your spatula into the batter... go under away from you.....

and come up in front of you.. You are also rotating the bowl with the other hand simultaneously.
Sounds complicated but it is not.
Make sure you have all the flour incorporated into the batter before you add the butter or else you will have flour pockets into the finished cake.

To incorporate the butter - I add two dollops of the cake batter into the butter first, to light the butter so it won't be to heavy into the cake.

Then add the butter into the cake batter. Again fold gently.

Once incorporated... 

Immediately pour int the cake pans and bake at 180C / 360 F for about 20 to 30 minutes. 

The cakes are done when the top is springy, the sides are loosened from the cake pan or a tooth pick inserted into the center comes out clean.
Unlike other cakes - it is best to take these cakes out of the pan as soon as they are out of the oven or else they tend to sink. 

 So invert them onto a baking rack and then invert them over so the top of the cakes are facing up again. I forgot to take a picture of top out of the pan.. Sorry.

This is what I did with these two layers..?

I will be posting a step by step for this on my food blog A Homemade Chef , don't forget to check it.

I know the explanations do make it sound complicated but it's not. Follow the stop by step and you will see that it is very easy.

Thanks for stopping by.