Genoise cake is essentially a sponge cake that’s often used in Italian or French baking. The cake is known for being a perfect blend of fluffy with a firm body, and it’s perfect for using in most cake recipes. Personally, I prefer genoise cake over all types of cake bases, primarily because it’s so light and versatile, and I can layer it with any kind of cream, jam, or filling I want, without it feeling too heavy.
I use this cake recipe in my Olympia Soirée Strawberry Shortcake and Piofiore Tiramisu Cake, and I’d love for you all to try it too!
| Ingredients | Measurements |
| Whole eggs | 4 |
| Fine Caster Sugar | 120g |
| Whole Milk | 30ml |
| Cake Flour | 120g |
| Vanilla Extract | 1 tspn |
| Salt | 1/2 tspn |
| Unsalted Butter | A block for coating cake tin |
- First, prepare two *cake tins, preheat your oven to 171C / 340F, and bring a pot of water to boil.
*I use two eight inch tins, but you can use any size. Just know that the bigger the cake tin, the shorter your final cake will be.
2. Crack your eggs into a heat-proof mixing bowl, pour in the caster sugar, and combine the eggs and sugar with a hand mixer until it’s roughly combined.
3. Afterwards, place the bowl OVER the pot of boiling water, and vigorously mix it until the sugar is fully melted into the eggs, and you see a light froth appear. This typically takes about 1 to 1.5 minutes.
4. Next, whip the frothy egg sugar via an electric mixer over medium high speed for a few minutes (it will depend on your mixer’s strength and size) until it forms medium peaks.
You should be able to lift the mixer head out of the batter, and when the batter flows off the mixer, you can see a clear imprint of the batter landing on the batter surface.
5. Pour in the milk into the whipped eggs via the side of the bowl and fold it in. Don’t pour the milk right on top of the mixture, otherwise, you risk knocking out all the air we’ve mixed in.
6. Sift the dry ingredients onto the mixture and gently fold it in.
Don’t over mix it, just enough where there aren’t any more pockets of flour.
7. Use a generous amount of unsalted butter to coat the edges and bottoms of the cake tins, and pour in the mixture. Tap the bottoms of the pans against a flat surface to release any air bubbles, and then pop it into the oven for approximately *20 to 25 minutes.
*My oven runs hot, so 20 minutes is suffice for me, but everyone’s oven will run differently depending on the size, whether it’s a convection oven, where the heating source is etc. I know, baking can be challenging at first! But you will get to know your oven the more you work with it. ❤
8. Use a toothpick or skewer to check if the cake is fully cooked. If you poke the cake and there’s no wet ingredients stuck to the skewer, you’re good!
9. Take the cakes out of the oven and set them aside to cool for five minutes (I cool them by the window) and then pop out the cakes! Because this is a very soft and fluffy cake, so be extra careful not to break the cake when you’re handling it.
I personally recommend using a plate to “hold” the cake while you’re holding the cake tin upside down, that way it doesn’t flop or break.
10. Now set your cake aside and you can decorate it however you please!
This is by far my favorite cake base recipe, and I’m so glad I finally wrote it down to share with you all. Please let me know your thoughts, and do share a picture of your baking if you try it!
xo
Darling
darling.baby 