A fine-textured cake, light like a sponge cake but with a firmer, more moist texture. Genoise is a type of cake used in many European cake and torte recipes. Use an electric mixer as the eggs require a lot of beating.
- 6 large eggs
- 1 cup granulated white sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 1 cup sifted all-purpose flour
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 cup butter, melted and cooked to lukewarm
- Grease three 8-inch or two 9-inch round cake pans.
- Line the bottoms with waxed paper.
- Lightly grease and flour the paper and sides of pans.
- If eggs are not at room temperature, put them in a bowl of warm water for a few minutes.
- Rinse the mixer bowl in hot water and wipe dry.
- Beat the eggs at high speed using electric mixer, until foamy.
- Beat in sugar very gradually.
- Continue to beat at high speed 8 to 10 minutes until eggs are thick, very pale yellow in colour and tripled in volume.
- Beat in vanilla.
- Sift flour with baking powder.
- Fold in with a spatula (or use a very low speed in the mixer and add gradually) the flour mixture and then the butter.
- Pour batter into prepared cake pans.
- Bake in preheated 325 degree F oven 25-30 minutes or until cake springs back when touched lightly in the centre.
- Turn cakes out on wire racks.
- Remove paper and cool.
- Frost and decorate as desired or simply dust with icing sugar.
Chocolate Nut Genoise
- Fill cake layers with chocolate, coffee or mocha butter cream icing.
- Spread the sides of the cake with apricot jam (about 3/4 cup).
- Sprinkle the jam-coated sides with finely chopped blanched almonds or walnuts.
- Spread the top of the cake with vanilla butter cream icing flavored with kirsch or orange liqueur.
- Drizzle top of cake with melted chocolate (1 oz. unsweetened chocolate melted with 1/4 tsp shortening).
Strawberry Genoise
- Fill cake layers with whipped cream and sliced fresh strawberries.
- Frost the top with whipped cream and decorate with whole strawberries.
