Name: Chocolate Genoise
Prep time: 36 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 66 min
Yield: 4
Cuisine: Korean
Ingredients: Eggs 155g; Sugar 88g; Honey 10g; Cake flour 60g; Cornstarch 18g; Cocoa Powder 13g (I used Valrhona, it's dutch processed); Unsalted Butter 27g; + few drops of vanilla extract if possible (drop it at any time)

Chocolate Genoise is on the menu in Book recipe, and we are going to teach you how to make this delicious recipe from scratch!

Following my regular genoise recipe here is the chocolate version! Genoise is another term for “sponge cake” – extremely airy and light. It’s most often used as layers in cakes. Although it may not look that difficult, genoise is rather fickle and I have covered the key points in making a successful genoise. Chocolate Genoise will rise less (less volume) than a classic genoise due to the cocoa powder. So it’s technically harder and requires more experience and care.

Ingredients

Eggs 155g
Sugar 88g
Honey 10g
Cake flour 60g
Cornstarch 18g
Cocoa Powder 13g (I used Valrhona, it's dutch processed)
Unsalted Butter 27g
+ few drops of vanilla extract if possible (drop it at any time)

Instructions

Before you start, prepare the pan in advance by cutting parchment paper(or Teflon sheet) into strips/circles and lining the inside. Also, keep the butter/milk at 50~60°C.
Combine the eggs and sugar + honey in a bowl and raise the temperature of this mixture to 40°C using a hot water bath.
Whisk the mixture using a hand mixer for several minutes until you reach an ivory-colored batter (2 methods of checking this is mentioned in the video)
Whisk on medium speed for 1~2m followed by low speed for 2mins to tighten and even out the air bubbles inside the batter.
Add the sifted flour/cornstarch/cocoa powder and fold it in carefully with a spatula.
Add in butter/milk at 50~60°C and fold carefully.
Bake at 165°C for approx. 30minutes. (the baking time will vary on the size) Check whether your genoise is baked by sticking it in a wooden rod to see if it comes out wet.
Immediately after you take it out of the oven, give a shock to release the hot air bubbles inside. Take the genoise out of the pan, and let it cool upside down for 10minutes before turning it back upright.
Let it cool completely before slicing it into layers.
Storage: airtight container + wrapped in cling film (2 days in fridge / 3~4 weeks in freezer)

Notes

Yield:

15cm x 7cm (diameter/height). For a 8 inch pan (20cm diameter), multiply all the ingredients by 1.8x

How to store:

Slice the genoise into sheets (I always slice them before storing them) and wrap it well with cling film and store it in the freezer (2wks). When you use it, transfer it to the fridge several hours in advance so it defrosts gradually.

Useful Tip:

.You must raise the temperature of the egg/sugar/honey mixture to 40°C to allow plenty of air to be incorporated + sugar will melt completely.
Whisk the mixture enough so that it gets thick/fluffy enough (either check using the ribbon method or the toothpick method. Please see the video for details)
Tightening the air bubbles at low speed is crucial to achieving a homogenous interior.
Overfolding the flour will result in a reduced volume. However, undermixing will result in bits of unmixed flour when you bake it (oh no...).
Giving the genoise a shock immediately after you take it out of the oven is important. If you don't, you may end up with a sinking/shrinking genoise as it cools down.
Check if genoise is well-baked by inserting a wooden rod to see if anything sticks to the rod - if it comes out clean then you're good.

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Chapters

0:00 Intro
1:22 Major guidelines
2:46 Ingredients
3:09 Making the genoise
7:29 Slicing the sheets
8:29 Common issues