Genoise sponge cake recipe
The Genoise sponge is a classic European cake base, originating in Italy and perfected in France. Light, airy, and versatile, it’s the foundation for elegant desserts like fraisier, roulades, and tiramisu rolls. Unlike other sponges, it contains no chemical leavening—its rise comes entirely from whipped eggs. This recipe will guide you to the perfect Genoise, ready to be layered, filled, and transformed.
Equipment
- Stand mixer or hand mixer
- Saucepan (for bain-marie)
- Fine mesh sieve (for sifting flour)
- Rubber spatula
- 8-inch round cake tin
Ingredients
- 4 large eggs room temperature
- 120 g ½ cup caster sugar
- 120 g 1 cup cake flour (or all-purpose flour sifted with 2 tbsp cornstarch)
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 30 g 2 tbsp unsalted butter, melted and cooled (optional, for richness)
- a pinch of salt
Instructions
- Prepare the oven and tin: Preheat oven to 180°C (355°F). Grease and line the cake tin with parchment.
- Warm the eggs and sugar: Place eggs and sugar in a heatproof bowl over simmering water, whisking until lukewarm (not hot).
- Whip the eggs: Using a mixer, beat the eggs and sugar until pale, thick, and tripled in volume (ribbon stage).
- Add flour: Sift flour with pinch of salt in small batches over the egg mixture, gently folding with a spatula to avoid deflating.
- Incorporate butter and vanilla: Mix a spoonful of batter into the melted butter, then fold back into the main mixture with vanilla.
- Bake: Pour into prepared tin and bake 25–30 minutes until golden and springy to the touch.
- Cool: Remove from oven, cool in the pan for 5 minutes, then transfer to a rack.
- Use as base: Slice horizontally and soak layers with syrup before filling with cream, fruit, or ganache.
Notes
- Flour choice matters: Cake flour gives the lightest crumb, but all-purpose + cornstarch works in a pinch.
- Temperature trick: Room temperature eggs whip better, don’t skip this.
- Do not overfold: Gentle folding is the difference between a fluffy cake and a pancake.
- Always soak: Syrups are essential to add flavor and prevent dryness. Coffee, rum, citrus, or fruit juice all work beautifully.
- Make ahead: Genoise can be baked the day before, wrapped well, and sliced the next day—it actually cuts more cleanly.
Serving Suggestions
- Layer with strawberries and cream for a fraisier cake.
- Roll with espresso syrup and mascarpone for a tiramisu-style dessert.
- Brush with rum syrup and fill with chocolate ganache for a rich celebration cake.
Nutrition
Calories: 155kcal | Carbohydrates: 25g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 4g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Sodium: 40mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 15g