Vanilla Genoise Cake Recipes

VANILLA GENOISE, VANILLA SPONGE CAKE

Steps:

• Line the bottom of two 8" cake pans with a parchment round, or butter and flour the pan. Preheat the oven to 350°F (don't use the convection setting).
• Melt the butter in a small saucepan, cook until the milk solids sink to the bottom of the pan and become brown. Drain the butter into a medium bowl, leaving the milk solids in the pan. Stir the vanilla into the browned butter and set aside.
• Put the eggs, sugar and salt in a mixer bowl. Set the bowl over a pan of simmering water (don't let the bowl touch the water) and whisk until the eggs are slightly warmer than body temperature. Put the bowl onto the mixer and whisk until the eggs are tripled in volume.
• Sift half the flour over the egg mixture and use a balloon whisk to fold, repeat with the remaining flour. Whisk 1 cup of the batter into the browned butter to lighten the butter, then whisk in another cup of batter.
• Fold the butter mixture into the batter just until combined. Don't over mix or you'll loose some volume in the cake. Divide the batter evenly between the pans.
• Bake until the cake springs back when pressed in the center, about 30 minutes. Cool in the pan for 10 minutes before turning out onto a cooling rack.
• Cool completely before filling and frosting.
• Trim the top of the cake to level, if desired, split each cake into two layers.
• Brush the layers generously with syrup before filling & icing.

VANILLA GENOISE

Steps:

• Equipment: 11 x 17 x 1-inch baking tray, the bottom lined with parchment paper
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• In a bowl of an electric mixer, combine the egg yolks, 1 cup of the sugar, salt, and vanilla. Using the whisk attachment on high speed whip until thick, 3 to 5 minutes. Reduce to medium speed and slowly add the hot water. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Increase to high speed and again whip until thick. Fold in the flour and then the melted butter. Set aside.
• In a clean bowl of an electric mixer using the whisk attachment, whip the egg whites on medium speed until frothy. Increase to high speed and slowly add the remaining 1/2 cup sugar. Whip the egg whites until stiff and then fold them into the reserved batter. Gently spread the batter in the prepared baking tray. Bake until the cake is golden brown and springs back lightly when touched, about 20 to 25 minutes. Cool the cake in the pan. Remove the cake from the pan by running a knife along the inside edge of the pan and inverting it onto a work surface. Carefully peel off the parchment paper.
• The genoise can be made a day or two in advance. Store wrapped in plastic wrap at room temperature. It also freezes well.

VANILLA GENOISE CAKE

Steps:

• Oven to 350 degrees F.
• Line the bottom of One 8 or 9 inch round cake pan OR 8-inch square pan, OR 11x17 sheet pan with parchment, and spray lightly with some sort of spray release (like Pam).
• Combine the butter and vanilla in a small bowl.
• Set aside somewhere warm (you want the butter to stay melted).
• Combine the flour with 3 tbl.
• of the sugar and sift again.
• Set aside.
• In the bowl of your mixer, combine the eggs and rest of the sugar.
• Place the mixing bowl in a large pan of hot (not boiling, very hot tap water is good) water, and mix with your VERY CLEAN hand (kids love this part) until the eggs feel warm to the touch (body temp)*.
• Return the bowl to the mixer and whip on high speed until cool, light and at the ribbon stage (when you lift the beaters, ribbons of batter fall back into the bowl and don't disappear very quickly).
• Now, everyone says to use a rubber spatula, but I find it much easier to use my hand to do this next part**.
• Sprinkle about 1/3 of the flour onto the eggs and quickly and gently fold into the batter.
• Fold in half the remaining, then the rest.
• Take about a handful of the batter and mix into the small bowl of butter and vanilla until well combined.
• Gently fold that back into the batter.
• Divide between the pans and bake as follows: for an 8" square, 20-25 min.
• ;an 8" round, 25-30 minutes; a 9" round, 20-25 minutes; and an 11x17 sheet pan, 15-20 minutes.
• The cakes should JUST BEGIN to shrink away from the side of the pans, and should spring back when you lightly touch them in the center.
• Remove from oven, let cool about 10 minutes in the pan then turn out onto a flat surface and let cool completely before peeling off the parchment.
• Set aside until ready to use.
• DO NOT OVERBAKE.
• This cake is best if allowed to sit a day before using in trifles.
• NOTE 1: Genoise is supposed to be a dry cake.
• It was made specifically to take moist toppings so it could soak them up.
• *NOTE2: I learned to use my hand when warming yolks in culinary school.
• The idea is that as soon as it feels warm on your hand, it is at the perfect temperature to whip to ribbon stage.
• **NOTE3: I learned to fold flour into delicate batters like this with my VERY CLEAN hand in culinary school also.
• At first I thought it was stupid, but I quickly saw it was the best way to be able to tell if all of your flour is mixed in and avoid any un-incorporated flour bits.
• I mix angelfood cakes this way, too.
• Children love to do this!

VANILLA GENOISE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• In a bowl of an electric mixer, combine the egg yolks, 1 cup of the sugar, salt, and vanilla. Using the whisk attachment on high speed whip until thick, 3 to 5 minutes. Reduce to medium speed and slowly add the hot water. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Increase to high speed and again whip until thick. Fold in the flour and then the melted butter. Set aside.
• In a clean bowl of an electric mixer using the whisk attachment, whip the egg whites on medium speed until frothy. Increase to high speed and slowly add the remaining 1/2 cup sugar. Whip the egg whites until stiff and then fold them into the reserved batter. Gently spread the batter in the prepared baking tray. Bake until the cake is golden brown and springs back lightly when touched, about 20 to 25 minutes. Cool the cake in the pan. Remove the cake from the pan by running a knife along the inside edge of the pan and inverting it onto a work surface. Carefully peel off the parchment paper.
• The genoise can be made a day or two in advance. Store wrapped in plastic wrap at room temperature. It also freezes well.

GENOISE SHEET CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line bottom of jelly-roll pan with parchment paper. Combine clarified butter and vanilla in small bowl. Keep hot until needed or reheat for a few seconds just before using--this is important! Combine flour with 3 tablespoons of the sugar. Sift together twice; return to sifter and set aside.
• In a large heatproof mixing bowl, use a whisk to combine eggs and sugar. Place bowl in or over a saucepan containing 1 to 2 inches of barely simmering water. Heat eggs to lukewarm, (check by touching), whisking occasionally. Remove bowl from heat. Beat egg mixture at high speed with an electric mixer until it has cooled, tripled in bulk, and resembles softly whipped cream. Sift about 1/3 of the flour mixture over the whipped eggs. Use your largest rubber spatula to fold the mixture, by hand, quickly but gently until combined. Sift and fold in half the remaining flour mixture; sift and fold in the rest. Scoop about 1 cup of the batter into another bowl and fold it together with the hot clarified butter and vanilla. When completely combined, fold the butter mixture back into the remaining batter. Turn batter into prepared pan, and spread evenly over pan. Bake 15 to 20 minutes or until cake shrinks slightly from the edges of the pan and top springs back when pressed with fingers. Run a small knife around the edges of the cake to release it from pan. Invert pan onto a sheet of foil and remove pan. Cool cake without removing parchment pan liner (cake will steam slightly between the parchment and the foil, making it flexible enough to roll without cracking later).