Genoise gets its lift from whole eggs whipped with sugar. It is slightly drier than a butter cake, which makes it excellent for layered desserts and flavoured syrups.
Cook · Recipe
Genoise Sponge
A classic whole-egg sponge with melted butter, beaten to ribbon stage for a light cake suited to layering and soaking.
At a glance
Recipe summary
- Prep
- 25 min
- Cook
- 30 min
- Rest
- 25 min
- Total
- 1 hr 20 min
- Serves
- 1 × 20 cm cake
- Skill
- Moderate
What you need
Ingredients
Metric US Ingredient
4 large 4 large eggs
120 g ½ cup granulated sugar
120 g 1 cup plain flour Sifted.
57 g ¼ cup unsalted butter Melted and cooled.
5 ml 1 tsp vanilla extract Optional.
How to make it
Method
- Heat the oven to 177°C / 157°C fan / 350°F. Line the base of a 20 cm / 8-inch round tin and lightly grease the sides.
- Put the eggs and 120 g sugar in a heatproof bowl over barely simmering water. Whisk until warm and the sugar has dissolved.
- Remove from the heat and beat with an electric mixer for about 8 to 10 minutes until tripled in volume and at ribbon stage.
- Fold in the sifted 120 g flour in three additions.
- Mix a spoonful of batter into the melted butter, then fold that mixture gently back into the main batter with the vanilla.
- Pour into the tin and bake for 25 to 30 minutes until springy and a skewer comes out clean.
- Cool in the tin for 10 minutes, then turn onto a wire rack and cool completely.
Useful notes
Equipment
- 20 cm / 8-inch round cake tin
- Heatproof mixing bowl
- Saucepan
- Electric mixer
- Fine sieve
- Flexible spatula
- Wire rack
Substitutions
- Use finely grated citrus zest instead of vanilla.
- Brush the cooled sponge with simple syrup before layering to keep it moist.
Allergen notes
- Contains egg, wheat and milk.
Storage
Keep covered at room temperature for up to 2 days, or freeze the unfilled sponge for up to 1 month.
Tips
- Warm the eggs only gently; they should not cook.
- Ribbon stage is essential because there is no chemical raising agent.
- Lighten the butter with a little batter before folding it in.