Classic Genoise

Ingredients:

4 eggs

120g sugar

120g flour, sifted

1 pinch salt

1 teaspoon vanilla extract (optional)

Instructions:

1. Preparing the oven and ingredients:

Preheat the oven to 180°C.

Butter and flour a 22cm round cake tin or line it with baking paper.

2. Preparing the sponge cake batter:

Beat the eggs and sugar:

In a large bowl, crack the eggs and add the sugar. Whisk everything in a bain-marie (over a pan of simmering water) to warm the eggs slightly. This will make the sponge cake lighter.

Beat the mixture vigorously until it triples in volume, becomes pale and foamy (about 8 to 10 minutes with an electric whisk).

Incorporate the flour:

Remove the bowl from the bain-marie and continue to whisk until the mixture cools slightly.

Sift the flour over the egg mixture in several batches, then gently incorporate it using a spatula, making movements from bottom to top so as not to break the lightness of the mixture.

3. Baking:

Pour the batter into the prepared pan, smoothing the surface slightly.

Bake for about 20 to 25 minutes. The sponge cake is ready when it is golden and a toothpick or the blade of a knife comes out clean.

Remove from the oven and let cool for 5 minutes before unmolding onto a rack.

History of Classic Genoise:

A génoise, also known as Genoese cake or Genovese cake, is a French sponge cake named after the city of Genoa and associated with French cuisine. It was created by François Massialot in the late 17th century. Instead of using chemical leaving, air is suspended in the batter during mixing to provide volume.

Genoise should not be confused with pain de Gênes (lit. 'Genoa bread'), which is made from almond paste, but it is similar to pan di Spagna (lit. 'Spanish bread').

It is a whole-egg cake, unlike some other sponge cakes for which yolks and whites are beaten separately, such as Pão de Ló. The eggs, and sometimes extra yolks, are beaten with sugar and heated at the same time, using a bain-marie or flame, to a stage known to patissiers as the "ribbon stage". A genoise is generally a fairly lean cake, getting most of its fat from egg yolks, but some recipes also add in melted butter before baking.

Tips for successful sponge cake:

Using a bain-marie to gently heat the egg and sugar mixture is essential for a well-aerated result.

Carefully incorporate the flour, taking care not to let the foamy egg and sugar mixture collapse.

Do not open the oven door during cooking to prevent the sponge cake from falling.