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Génoise (Genoa sponge)

A Génoise (or Genoa sponge) is a very light and delicate cake. It is good on its own, but is more often used as the base for many different French-style gâteaux, with layers of mousse or cream between 2 (or more) layers of sponge. It is a tricky recipe to get right, rather technical, but here's a simple and very effective method.

227 K 5× 4.2/5 (23 reviews)

1 hour 15 min. difficulté

Average

2 €

1 Génoise (Genoa sponge)

6 Ingredients

Last modified on: March 10^th 2019

For 1 Génoise (Genoa sponge), you will need:

1 4 Eggs
2 ¼ cup Noisette butter
3 ½ cup caster sugar
4 1 tablespoon Vanilla sugar
5 1 cup flour
6 ¹⁄₃ cup flakeds almonds (optional)

Change these quantities to make:

1 Génoise (Genoa sponge)2 Génoises (Genoa sponge)3 Génoises (Genoa sponge)

Change measures:

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Times for this recipe

Preparation: 35 min.

Resting: 15 min.

Cooking: 25 min.

All in all: 1 hour 15 min.

When should you start or finish this recipe?

If you start now, at , you will finish around : ?.Change start time

To finish around 7pm, you'll need to have started before: .Change end time

Step by step recipe

Stage 1 - 10 min.

Put 4 Eggs in a pan of hot water from the tap and leave for 10 minutes to warm, just to warm eggs not to cook them.

If your eggs have been in the fridge, leave them for 20 minutes, renewing the hot water halfway through.

Stage 2 - 5 min.

Also fill the food-processor bowl with very hot water and leave to warm up.

This is so that the eggs can be beaten in the warm, which improves their texture. In most Genoa sponge recipes, the eggs are beaten in a bain-marie, which is more difficult.

Stage 3 - 5 min.

Preheat the oven to 200°C (390°F).

Empty and dry the food-processor bowl, break the eggs into it and add ½ cup caster sugar and 1 tablespoon Vanilla sugar.

Stage 4 - 10 min.

Beat immediately at high speed until the mixture is light and fluffy...

Stage 5

...and sticks to the beater slightly.

Stage 6 - 5 min.

Reduce the speed and add ¼ cup Noisette butter, pouring in a thin stream (through a sieve to remove all the small impurities left after heating).

Stage 7 - 5 min.

Stop the machine and sieve 1 cup flour into the mixture.

Stage 8 - 1 min.

Incorporate the flour into the mixture quickly using a hand whisk.

Important: this is the tricky part. You have incorporated lots of air into the mixture be beating the eggs and sugar together and it is this air in the form of tiny bubbles that will make the mixture foamy and give you a light sponge. You need to incorporate the flour as quickly as possible (within 30 seconds if possible) so that the mixture doesn't "fall".

Stage 9 - 5 min.

Prepare a mould or tin by lining the bottom with a sheet of cooking parchment, as Genoa sponge sticks terribly and turning it out can be difficult.

You can also scatter a few flaked almonds in the bottom.

Stage 10 - 2 min.

Pour the batter into the mould and bake for 20 to 25 minutes.

Stage 11 - 25 min.

Turn out while hot onto a wire rack.

Remarks

For a chocolate Genoa sponge, reduce the flour by 50g and add 20g of powdered chocolate or cocoa powder.

Keeping: A few days in an air-tight tin.

Source: After Hervé This, who states that this Michel Bras's method.

Nutritional information

	Proteins (gr)	Carbohydrates (gr)	Fats (gr)	Energy value (in k-calories)	Energy value (in k-joules)
Whole recipe	40 RDI=20 %	280 RDI=30 %	90 RDI=10 %	1,790 RDI=90 %	7,490 RDI: 90 %
Per 100 g	8 RDI=3 %	60 RDI=5 %	20 RDI=3 %	360 RDI=20 %	1,500 RDI: 20 %

The % figures are calculated in relation to the Recommended Dietary Intake , or RDI of 2,000 k-calories (or 8,400 k-joules) per day for a woman Change to a man

Possible allergens in this recipe: Egg, Milk, Gluten, Nuts

How much will it cost?

For 1 Génoise (Genoa sponge) : 1.55 €

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Note: Be careful, these prices are only an estimate, you can consult the table of prices by ingredients used for this estimate.

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The 5 comments already posted on this recipe

I'm sure you can't imagine how many genoise I've missed, before having a good and nice one (like on the photos).
Keep courage!
Posted by jh april 12^th 2013 at 15:16 n° 5
@ jh Thank you for your reply. I will give attention to this point on future occasions. It may be that I was paying too much attention to the instructions that I have only thirty seconds to get the flour into the batter? I did use a balloon whisk to do the mixing of the flour, and the eggs and sugar were whisked by high-speed whisking in a Kenwood machine. When I have spent time whisking in the flour, I seem to have knocked too much air out of the batter, hence my haste to get the flour in and the batter into the tin
Posted by Biggles april 12^th 2013 at 12:07 n° 4
@Kristin: You're right, hand beaten genoa sponge is a sign of courage...

@biggles: It could be a problem of not enoughly mixed flour to the egg+sugar mixture.
Posted by jh april 12^th 2013 at 10:28 n° 3
My sponge turns out uneven, far too often. (i.e, one side higher than the other) I don't know if it is the fan that is disturbing the rather light batter. Anyone else having the same trouble please?
Posted by Biggles april 11^th 2013 at 20:27 n° 2
Thank you for the recipe and clear instructions. I halved the recipe since I am cooking for two and it still came out beautiful. But beating the eggs and sugar mixture with the hand mixer took a very long time! :)

Thanks,
Kristin
www.erisbeauty.com
Posted by Anonymous april 11^th 2013 at 17:07 n° 1

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