Foolproof secrets to a Perfect Sponge(Genoise)

Name: Sponge (Genoise)
Prep time: 45 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 75 min
Yield: 4
Cuisine: French
Ingredients: ingredients (Ver.1); Eggs 140g; Sugar 71g; Honey 13g; Cake flour 59g; Cornstarch 13g; Butter 8g; Milk 13g; + a few drops of vanilla extract; Ingredients (Ver.2); Eggs 148g; Sugar 74g; Cake flour 74g; Butter 21g; + a few drops of vanilla extract; ; 

Pastry 101 | Best Recipe & fail proof

by Hanbit Cho April 29, 2022

written by Hanbit Cho April 29, 2022

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

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.

I have filmed this video using the ingredients of version 1 below. Also, feel free to use the concise version (version 2).

Follow along with the 📝 recipes below👇🏾👇🏾

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Sponge (Genoise)

Rating: 3.5/5
( 12 voted )

Serves: 4 Prep Time: 45 Minutes Cooking Time: 30 Minutes 30 Minutes Nutrition facts: 200 calories 20 grams fat

Ingredients

ingredients (Ver.1)

Eggs 140g
Sugar 71g
Honey 13g
Cake flour 59g
Cornstarch 13g
Butter 8g
Milk 13g
+ a few drops of vanilla extract

Ingredients (Ver.2)

Eggs 148g
Sugar 74g
Cake flour 74g
Butter 21g
+ a few drops of vanilla extract

Instructions

Before you start, prepare the pan in advance by cutting parchment paper into strips/circle and line the inside. Also keep the butter/milk at 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 coloured batter (2 methods of checking this is mentioned in the video)
Whisk on low speed for 1~2mins to tighten and even out the air bubbles inside the batter.
Add the sifted flour/cornstarch and fold it in carefully with a spatula.
Add in butter/milk at 60°C and fold carefully.
Bake at 165°C for approx. 30minutes.
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, let it cool upside down for 10minutes before turning it back upright.
Let it cool completely before slicing it into layers.
Storage: air tight container + wrapped in cling film (2 days in fridge / 3~4 weeks in freezer)

Notes

Size of pan used

15cm x 7cm (diameter/height). For a 8 inch pan (20cm diameter), multiply all the ingredients by 1.8
Difference between ver.1 and ver.2
The more complex version would taste slightly better (a bit more moist) than the simpler version.

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.2. Whisk the mixture enough so that it gets 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 (on hand mixer) 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.

Did You Make This Recipe?
Tag us on Instagram at @book.recipe.official.

Recipe video

Enjoy

Let us know what you think of today’s Sponge (Genoise) tips, tricks, and hacks!

Pastry 101

Hanbit Cho

Hi! I’m Hanbit, professional pastry chef and CEO of Sugar Lane Baking Academy based in Seoul, Korea. Funny enough, my background had nothing to do with baking - far from it. I studied mathematics at university and then worked in finance, strategy consulting and IT. Then one day in 2018, I quit my job and enrolled at a pastry school. I have loved it ever since!As my story suggests, I really enjoy being a pastry chef and I am keen to share the joy of baking with as many people as possible. Baking can seem daunting at first but as long as you take it step-by-step anyone can do it - even someone with no baking background like myself managed to become a professional pastry chef!I'll try my best to include detailed explanations and tips in my recipes so that you will be able to bake amazing desserts. I aim to create videos that can be enjoyed by people at all levels - those who bake for fun as well as those who want to get more serious.

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